Psychology at Saint Louis University

Dr. Madeline Stenersen has been chosen as Div 52 of the APA’s 2024 Outstanding Early Career Psychologist. Dr. Stenersen’s work involves partnerships with multiple organizations in the United States and abroad to understand and combat discrimination and violence. You might remember her from the NPR piece we shared a few weeks ago! Please join us in congratulating Dr. Stenersen on this award!

Every year, our graduate and undergraduate students conduct research that contributes to the forward progression of psychology. Here a clinical psychology student, Jolie Price, is seen presenting her poster at the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Conference at the National Institute of Health. This research is part of the early stages of her thesis. As a Clinical student, students combine research with clinical work.

Congratulations Jolie on all of your hard work!

Dr. Madeline Stenerson was quoted in a recent KCVK story about how those seeking treatment for addiction are often kicked out. Dr. Stenerson was the lead author on the study at the center of the article and has worked on the front lines of community health.

Read more at: https://www.knkx.org/government/2024-05-06/rickys-laws-namesake-died-kicked-out-of-drug-treatment-best-friend-lauren-davis

Keep an eye out for psychology at work in our communities!

Congratulations to Experimental Psychology Student Brandon Brewster for receiving the Napoli Endowed Teaching Award. This award recognizes the accomplishments of outstanding teachers in training our graduate programs! Brandon has spent 4 semesters teaching undergraduates in PSY 250-Foundation of Research Methods and Stats with great success. Congratulations Brandon!

Congratulations to Industrial-Organizational Psychology Graduate Student Ryszard Koziel for receiving the David C. Munz award which is awarded to a student who demonstrates excellence in the science and practice of Industrial-Organizational Psychology! Congratulations Ryzsard!

Congratulations to Industrial-Organizational Psychology Graduate Student Iwan Webster for receiving the Nick J. Colarelli Award. This award recognizes the accomplishment of an outstanding student in the Industrial-Organizational Psychology Program. Congratulations Iwan!

Congratulations to Maria DelGiudice for receiving the Psi Chi Research Award! Psi Chi is the international honor society for psychology and every year the SLU branch gives out a research award. Maria is a member of the class of 2024 and has presented research at MPA and the 2024 capstone symposium. Congratulations Maria! 🌟

Congratulations to all members of the class of 2024!

Join us TODAY from 12:30-2:00pm for a reception on the second floor of Morrissey Hall prior to the Arts and Sciences Pre-Commencement Ceremony

We are excited to celebrate our graduates with you!

Congratulations to Lauren Weber for winning the James D. Collins Award from the College of Arts and Sciences! Every year, each department nominates an outstanding graduating senior for the Collins Award, and they are awarded a medallion for their work in their discipline. In psychology, they are also recognized at the annual Severin Awards.

Congratulations Lauren! We are proud of your work at SLU and in our St. Louis Community.

Photo Description: Dr. Willoughby and Lauren Weber at annual Severin Awards event.

Senior Spotlight! 🌟

We’re taking a break from our lovely grad students today to shine the spotlight on one of our graduating seniors, Laelle Novotny!

Laelle is a double major in neuroscience and psychology with a minor in biology here at SLU. She is a member of Psi Chi & Nu Rho Psi, as well as the current Women’s Club Soccer President. When asked about her time at SLU she said “I absolutely love the psychology program and have been working towards my goal of entering graduate school in hopes of a PhD in Clinical or Cognitive Psychology. My favorite class I have taken is Dr. Waring’s Neuroscience: Cognitive & Behavioral course. I aim to do cutting edge research as well as have patient interaction in a hospital setting. I have special interests in the areas of memory, OCD, and neurodegenerative disorders.” During her gap semester, she hopes to work in a research lab over at WashU prior to applying to PhD programs.

Congratulations, Laelle, and good luck!

Congratulations to Experimental Psychology Student Clint Johnson for receiving the Marilyn K. Rigby Award for his dedication to scholarship and excellence in teaching and service. Congratulations Clint!

Congratulations to Clinical Psychology Student Rachel Hawk for being this year’s recipient of the Harold and Mary Jane Tall Memorial Award! This award recognizes the accomplishments of a graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Program who has returned to school after another career, significantly impacted the morale of other students, or demonstrates excellence in both the classroom and clinical practice. Congratulations Rachel!

Congratulations to Industrial-Organizational Psychology Graduate Student Madeline Billeaud for receiving the Thomas J Kramer Award! This award recognizes outstanding contributions by a student to the Industrial-Organizational Psychology Program. Congratulations Madeline!

Did you catch the Psychology Department in Newslink today?
Dr. Terri Weaver is retiring from being the co-chair of the Joint Provost-Faculty Senate Gender Equity Committee this spring. Since its founding in 2018, the Gender Equity Committee has recommended several programs that have been implemented across campus including making changes to the end of semester course feedback forms to reduce implicit bias. The committee’s last meeting of the year was hosted by the Emerson Leadership Institute where they celebrated Dr. Weaver’s retirement from the committee.

Dr. Weaver is wearing a blue dress in the middle of the photo. Other psychology faculty present are Dr. Annie Garner (left of Dr. Weaver) and Dr. Jeremiah Weinstock, (back right)

Check out newslink for more information: https://www.slu.edu/news/announcements/2024/april/provost-faculty-senate-gender-equity-meeting.php

Student Spotlight🌟
Last Wednesday was the Annual Psychology Capstone Symposium where 35 different research projects were presented with over 79 student authors. Students enthusiastically presented their work to judges, students, and the public. Here are two different research teams from the Critical Thinking in Psychology Class:

Slide 1: “Post High School: Easing the Minds of Tomorrow by Miller, Claudia; Novotny, Laelle; Soulier, Amy; Vann, Malaisyah

Slide 2: “Impact of Social Media on Interpersonal Skills in Generation Z” by Kareem, Heba Abdul; Bhakta, Muskan; Huang, Sandy; McGuffey, Zyaire; McNulty, Caitlin

We are very proud of these young women and all the hard work of our capstone students! Congratulations!

Capstone judging underway. Open to public viewing at 2:30!

Psychology Capstone event is about to start! We look forward to seeing you in BSC 300. Public viewing at 2:30!

Details here: https://sites.google.com/slu.edu/slu-psych/capstone-symposium-and-senior-impact-essay/capstone-and-impact-essay-submission-site

Access the program here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CikvJSoggFfG9pm_v5reXMPeYw6E1BCp/view

Sami Huessin and their group presented their project titled “Decolonizing Q***r Identity: Analyzing LGBTQ+ Asian Americans’ Self Perception” at MPA in Chicago last week. They were 4 of around 20 undergraduates who worked on research presented at MPA. Congratulations!

If you are interested in seeing more undergraduate psychology research, stop by the Psychology Capstone Symposium from 2:30- 4pm on Wednesday April, 4th!

Join us on Wednesday, April 24th, at the 21st Annual Psychology Capstone Symposium! Every spring our undergraduates present research on a variety of topics. This year 80 students have conducted research on topics like social media use, metal health in college students, and conflict management. Come support their work! (Cookies and tea provided!)

Check out Experimental Psychology Grad Student Stephanie Harling presenting at MPA!

MPA is the annual meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association to share research across all areas of psychology. Every year, various SLU students and faculty present their research at this conference! This year Saint Louis University has over 25 different presentations ranging from posters to workshops from undergraduate to faculty level over the course of the 3-day conference.

Congratulations to Anuj Gandhi (Psychology ’24) for being chosen as a 2024 Fulbright Alternate! The Psychology Department is proud of his hard work on this project and hope you will join us in congratulating him. Swipe to read more about his proposal and his interdisciplinary approach.

Anuj Gandhi (He/Him/His) is a senior studying psychology and biology. He has been an active supporter of community mental health in Saint Louis and on campus at SLU while completing his studies including work with organizations like We Are Saath, The Trevor Project, and Student Government.

Anuj has been involved in numerous research projects including the Bosnian Family and Youth Study and the Cognitive Neuroscience of Stress Lab where he is completing his capstone. Most recently, Anuj joined the CARA/ABRA Project at New York University which investigates the mental health of Asian Americans in the context of COVID-19 and hate speech.

His Fulbright Proposal focuses on the effects of globalization-based acculturation on mental health treatment attitudes of young adults in India. He intends to pursue a PhD in clinical-community or counseling psychology.

Congratulations Anuj! 🌟

Recent graduate of the Industrial-Organizational Psychology Ph.D program, Haley Cobb, has received the “Honorable Mention for the College of Arts & Sciences Distinguished Dissertation” Award. Haley defended her dissertation titled “A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Work-Nonwork Boundary Management Fit” last spring and is currently an associate professor at Louisiana State University. The college will be celebrating her work at the Outstanding Student Award Ceremony on Friday, April 26th. Congratulations Haley!

Come support undergraduate research at the senior legacy symposium! Follow the link in the QR code for more information.

Each year, SLU Psi Chi, the international psychology honor society, hosts an annual lecture to promote discussion among undergraduates. This year, Dr. Calvin Lin of Washington University will be speaking about implicit bias on April 9th, at 5:30pm in Morrissey 0400. Come learn about this important topic!

Check out the latest on stress by our own Dr. Tony Buchanan

Why Do People Respond So Differently to Stress? It depends on the situation and the person.

🌟Student Spotlight 🌟
My name is Savannah Marchi. I am a junior at Saint Louis University majoring in Psychology with a double minor in HR management and entrepreneurship. I’ve lived in St. Louis my whole life.

When I first came to SLU, I was a pre-med biology major, which I quickly realized wasn’t for me. I felt lost for a while, not knowing what I wanted to do. But I knew from previous experience that I loved psychology, so it seemed like a natural step to make that my new major. I'm glad I did because I love it.
After taking a few psychology classes, and talking with my mentors and career services, I decided to add two business minors to help me reach my goal of working in management or HR post-graduation.

Thanks to SLU’s amazing study abroad program, I was able to spend last semester at the SLU Madrid campus, which was a life changing experience.

As it stands now, I currently work as an administrative manager for a small LLC, with plans to intern in HR at Schnucks this summer. Additionally, I am the newsletter editor for SLUs Psi Chi chapter, which is the international honors society for psychology.

I am optimistic about what lies in my future. I would not be in this place without all the opportunities SLU has to offer, as well as my own personal experiences!

_________

You can chek out Savannah’s work on the Psi Chi Newsletter here:

https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:32fd9055-70a5-3c0e-a37a-32400f4698f8

Dr. Jarrod Leffler (SLU Clinical Psychology ’04) is the SCCAP’S 2024 Recipient of the Distinguished Career Award for Practice and Training. The SCCAP is the division of the APA (American Psychology Association) that focuses on expanding the clinical knowledge and services provided to children and their families. This award recognizes a child and adolescent practitioner who has made an enduring impact on the accessibility of mental health services with a focus on efforts that improve the access and quality of evidence bases services. Dr. Leffler has worked with countless organizations to promote evidence-based assessments and treatments. He is currently working with the Virgina governor’s office to increase day program capacity and address patient volumes in emergency departments and inpatient units in Richmond. Dr. Leffler will be recognized at this summer's APA conference.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Leffler on this achievement! We love to celebrate the success of our alumni and students. 🥳

Looking for a way to support local mental health? Come to an event promoting mental health awareness in the St. Louis Region!

Dr. Weinstock was featured by KSDK-Ch 5 in a recent article about the future of sports betting in Missouri. Sports betting has recently become legal all over the United States. Leaving Missouri as one of the sole states where it is not, but that may change. Dr. Weinstock’s work with gambling addiction directly relates to this potential new policy as many mobile sports betting companies incentivize new bettors with “risk-free” bets, a system that can facilitate addiction.

To learn more check out the article here: https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/health/missouri-sports-betting-gambling-addiction-cardinals-chiefs/63-61f0b4c3-18f4-4d55-9578-0fe8ff6ddd8d

Keep an eye out for psychology at work in our community!