FiSH Project: FamIlies & Schools for Health: I am part of a million dollar grant with colleagues in HDFS (PI is Amanda Harrist) to look at the effectiveness of several programs aimed at reducing obesity in young children. this project will be a one year intervention that begins in the fall and we will follow the kids up for the next 2 years. We will be looking at family and peer relationships.
Body Image: Several of my student are looking at a variety of factors related to body image and eating disorders. We have presented work at SRCD and APS.
Children's Social Competence: My original interest in social competence stems from my interest in preventing psychopathology. I am interested in how children regulate their emotions and how this affects social competence. One of my students looked at how language skills and acquisition affects social competence. We are also interested in culturally sensitive assessment of social competence.
Summer Science Academy : For many years, I have been the director of a State Board of Regents summer science academy called Exploring Quantitative Analysis. This is currently a two week long residential academy for students going into 9th and 10th grade. We are conducting an ongoing evaluation of this program.
NSF REU :For the last six years, I (co-PI, Charles Abramson) have run a National Science Foundation summer program for juniors and seniors in college. The students come and spend 8 weeks conducting research with a faculty mentor.
Melanie C. Page, Ph.D.
I have my Masters in Family
Resources and Human Development and my Ph.D. in Quantitative Psychology, both from Arizona State University . My Masters was
on how children's ability to resolve conflicts is related to their social
competence. My dissertation was on the potential limits of a statistical
method called survival analysis. I graduated in August 1998 and joined the
OSU faculty 2 weeks later. It was quite a transition from Phoenix to Oklahoma,
but I have adjusted and actually like living here! My research interests are
focused very broadly in prevention, intervention, and evaluation research. I
would like to focus on doing research that will "make a difference". As you
can from the projects above, my interests are quite eclectic.
I graduated with my B.A. from the University of Arkansas - Little Rock, as well as with my Master's in Applied Psychology. I worked with Dr. Potts on my thesis here looking at developing an adult measure of retrospective TV viewing. For my dissertation, I am going to be doing a meta-analysis of the effects of media on body image. Melanie and I are currently working on a study of power in developmental research, as well as looking at diversity of samples (based on the work by Kristen and Gayle, see below). My dissertation is looking at media effects on body image. I am currently an instructor at Eckerd College in FL.
I am
currently a third year
graduate student. I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts at Langston
University in Tulsa, OK in 1999. I have served in the military and
resigned as a Captain in the Field Artillery. I am a Lifespan
Developmental student with the majority of my research focusing on
relationships between child obesity and aggression, and also the
relationships between self-concept, self-esteem, and eating disorders.
I am currently working on my thesis. I have been working with the
Families and Schools for Health project. I am currently looking at
relationships between a child’s Body Mass Index and aggression. During
the fall and spring semester I will be a Graduate Instructor teaching
Intro to Psych. I am very excited to teach this class, as it is one of
the first opportunities to act as an instructor with limited
supervision. In my spare time I can be found about anywhere doing
something that is not school related. I enjoy going to the city on the
weekends but can also be found at the lake enjoying a Saturday.
Kristen H. Sorocco, Ph.D.
I graduated from Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana in May of 1995 and was accepted into the Clinical Psychology Master's Program at Ball State University. While at Ball State, I joined Gayle Iwamasa's research team. During my first year with Gayle, we conducted a variety of research projects. Some of the projects that I have worked on include the effects of educating English and Spanish speaking clients about the therapy process, and a comprehensive literature review on the degree to which ethnicity has been examined in clinical psychology research over the last 17 years. After my first year at Ball State, Gayle was offered a job at Oklahoma State University. She asked me to apply to the program, so we could continue to work together. If anyone had told me that some day I would be living in Oklahoma, I would have never believed them, but here I am...
I graduated from the the clinical psychology program and received a certificate in gerontology. I spent my internship year at the Palo Alto VA in sunny CA. Although the experience was wonderful, I missed my husband Doug who was back in cold OK! My primary research interest is in older adults and more specifically, ethnic minority older adults. I recently defended my dissertation entitled "Becoming a Health-Active Older Adult: The Effects of a Workshop for Japanese American Older Adults" You might be wondering where we find a sample of Japanese American older adults in Oklahoma. Well, we don't! A portion of my research takes place in Los Angeles, California. We have been conducting research at the Seinan Center, a day program for Japanese American older adults, for about three years. One of the things that I love the most about what I am doing, is that a significant amount of our research is conducted in the community. This type of research experience provides you with an opportunity to meet wonderful people and to conduct clinically relevant research.
When I am not working, I enjoy dancing (I received a dance minor at Butler), skiing, remodeling my house, and traveling. I received excellent training at OSU (living in Oklahoma is not too bad either). Seriously, the program is a well-balanced scientist-practitioner model which allows you to be trained in all areas of psychology. When you are receiving excellent training and have a caring and involved advisor, all the hard work is well worth the long hours, because you get a lot accomplished!
Current
position: Faculty at the VA hospital at the OUHSC doing research and clinical
work.
Shilpa M. Pai, Ph.D.
Hello! I also graduated from the clinical psychology program and spent my internship year in Seattle at The University of Washington School of Medicine. I am currently an assistant professor at University of North Carolina - Pembroke. Internship: University of Washington, Medical Center, Seattle, WA.
I originally hail from North Carolina, where I completed my B.A. in psychology at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Go Tarheels!).
My primary research interest is in second generation Asian Indians. I completed my Master's thesis under the direction of Dr. Gayle Iwamasa. This project focused on the symptoms and causes of depression in second generation Asian Indians. You may be surprised, but there is not a large population of second generation Asian Indians in Oklahoma. So, I traveled back to North Carolina to collect my data.
Gayle was offered a position at University of Indianapolis , so I joined the Lost Souls Lab and had a wonderful time working with my new step-mom, Melanie. My dissertation was entitled "Divided between two cultures: The development of psychological distress in second generation Asian Indians", which was an extension of my Master's. My internship was at University of Washington, Medical Center, Seattle, WA.
While research, classes, and clinical work kept me busy, this East coast girl managed to get a taste of Stillwater, Oklahoma. The people are friendly, the iced coffee (Granita) is great, and Walmart is open 24 hours.
Current position: Assisstant Professor at the University of North Carolina - Pembroke.Blake Evans, Ph.D.
I began my higher education at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln (UNL) located in Lincoln, Nebraska. There I was a teaching assistant for Introductory Psychology and a research assistant working under Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling, Ph.D. As part of Dr. Rohling's team, I assisted in research addressing the role of social anxiety and hopelessness in life-diminishing behaviors. After graduating from UNL in 1993, with a B.A. in psychology and English, I worked at the Lincoln Regional Center as a psychiatric technician. While at the center I worked in a variety of units including adult forensic, short-term care, long-term care, and adolescent and family.
I moved up north in 1995, to begin graduate work in the clinical psychology program at North Dakota State University (NDSU) in Fargo, North Dakota. My clinical internships at NDSU included the Center for Counseling and Personal Growth - NDSU, the Muscular Dystrophy Clinic, and Psychiatric Medicine Associates. During this time, I was also a teaching assistant for Introductory Psychology and Statistics/Methods, and an instructor for Study Skills. My research interests at NDSU involved studying the effects of depression on memory under the supervision of Paul D. Rokke, Ph.D.; the effects of attacks on one's cultural worldview to terror management, supervised by Verlin B. Hinsz, Ph.D.; the effects of chronic flooding in Devils Lake, North Dakota on resources, supervised by H. Katherine O'Neill, Ph.D.; and the effects of flooding in Fargo, North Dakota on resources, supervised by H. Katherine O'Neill, Ph.D. My Master's Thesis was entitled "Resource Loss as a Predictor of Distress During a Non-low point, Low Life-threat, Natural Disaster". In this study, I showed that even within disasters that are chronic in nature and have no discernible life-threat, victims can develop clinical levels of psychopathology. The amount of resources which participants noted they had lost was used in this study to predict psychological outcome among disaster victims.
After completing my M.S. at NDSU, I moved down south to Stillwater, Oklahoma to continue my graduate studies in the Clinical Psychology program at Oklahoma State University. I started in the lab of Dr. Sue Orsillo and due to her move to the Boston VA, joined the Lost Souls Lab. My current research interests involve the experience of trauma, and the effects of resource loss and dissociation on trauma victims. My Master's Thesis, supervised by Susan Orsillo, Ph.D., is entitled "Resource Loss and Expected Loss as Predictors of Distress for Traumatic, Major, and Minor Life Events". My dissertation, is entitled "The Utility and Prevention of Dissociative Symptoms Following Traumatic Childhood Events". My internship was at the VA in Battle Creek, MI. I have also been a teaching assistant for several courses at OSU, and was a therapist in the Psychological Services Center at OSU for two years. To view one of my favorite links click here: Scooby-Doo.
Current position: Staff psychologist at Douglas County Hospital in Alexandria, MN.
Yvette L. Segura, Ph.D.
I received my B.S. in Psychology from Texas
A&M University in 1997. I am planning on graduating from the clinical
psychology program in Dec. My research and clinical interests include disruptive
behavior disorders, aggressive behaviors in children and adolescents, parent
training, and child maltreatment.
For my masters, I looked at predictors of Latino adolescent alcohol use. For my dissertation, I will be looking at teacher perceptions of overt and relational aggression to see if there are any differences in referrals for disciplinary action and emotional disturbance based on gender. I spent my internship year at University of Kentucky School of Medicine. Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Arkansas.
Current Position: Pediatric Psychologist, Children's Hospital Central California
I earned a Bachelor of Arts at Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield, MO. I defended my dissertation in summer of 2006. My thesis was a program evaluation of the IPP project. For my dissertation I looked at the effectiveness of social skills groups for 3rd-5th graders with and without a full parenting program. I would advise against doing unfunded treatment outcome research - getting participants has been a nightmare. I completed my internship at University of Tennessee Professional Psychology Internship Consortium. As far as what I like to do outside my work as a graduate student (is there really life out there?): listen to music, hang with classmates, play on the department softball team, and ! tend to the needs of my demanding roommates, otherwise known as my cats. I also met a great guy while here and we are getting married next year.
Current position: Post-doc at University of Tennessee Boling Center for Developmental Disabilities
I earned my B.S. from University of Houston. I attended the REU program here in the summer of 2002 and they heavily recruited me into the Lifespan Developmental (aka LSD) Program. I am currently a fifth year LSD student working with Dr. Shelia Kennison. I completed my Master's with Dr. Page and was awarded the Graduate College Outstanding Research Award for the Social Sciences at the Master's level. My thesis looked at the verbal and non-verbal components of social competence. This work was recently accepted for publication.
While working with Dr. Page, I was an alternate for the Ford Foundation graduate fellowship and was awarded a summer internship through the Quality Education for Minorities organization in DC. I spent the summer of 2005 working at NSF.
I received
my B.S. and M.S. at Mississippi State University (GO BULLDOGS!!). My
Master's thesis looked at how preadolescent girls' perceptions of their
mothers' body sizes influenced the girls' body images and eating behaviors.
I am currently a 5th year student here at OSU and I did another thesis
looking at the relationship between self-esteem and eating disorders and
body image. My dissertation looked at similar constructs but in boys and
girls in public schools.
I am interested in working with children, and especially children with mental retardation and/or developmental disabilities. However, I am interested in almost any topic if it concerns kids. I really like doing assessments, and worked at the A Better Start Clinic at the OUHSC under the direction of Dr. Robin Gurwich and on the IPP grant.
I enjoy spending time with Tom (husband), shopping (I LOVE to spend money!), watching Florida State and Mississippi State football, traveling, sleeping, eating out/hanging out with friends, and playing with my dog, Sadie.
Current position: Staff psychologist at the Prairie View site of the Wichita Collaborative Psychology Internship Program (WCPIP).
Back to the
Psychology
Department Home Page.
Back to the
Oklahoma State University
Home Page.