March 16, 2023

Meet Lashae Williams, PhD candidate in clinical psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences. Williams recently attended the International Neuropsychological Society Annual Meeting in San Diego, California in February where she presented research on set-shifting in adults with acquired brain injury. Williams received a Teck-Kah Lim Graduate Student Travel Subsidy Award to support her travel to present.

This article was originally published by Drexel University Graduate College.

Williams also received an inaugural Internship Scholarship from the Society for Black Neuropsychology. She is one of two trainees to receive this award, which eases the financial burden of the internship application process. Internship is a one-year, full-time clinical experience and one of the final degree requirements for clinical, school and counseling psychology doctoral students. It is a match process modeled after medical school residency which requires submitting applications and participating in interviews.

On Match Day 2023, Feb. 17, Williams matched to the pediatric neuropsychology track at UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior. Matching is a highly competitive process and Drexel’s clinical psychology program maintained a 100% match rate with all ten candidates matching with top sites this year. View the 2023 Match Day results.

When asked about this important milestone, Williams said it’s “the culmination of all of the hard work I've completed to this point in my doctoral training. Acquiring this competitive internship means that I can continue my training in neuropsychology while venturing into some new interests, such as sports neuropsychology and electroencephalography (EEG) research. Although internship is a primarily clinical year, UCLA is also a strong research site so I'm excited to dig in.”

Williams’ research interests span neurodevelopment, acquired brain injury, and inequities in access to psychological care. She credits her advisor, Diana Robins, director and professor at the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, for modeling the persistence that research requires and inspiring her to pursue a doctoral program.

Williams earned her bachelors in psychology and biology from the University of Georgia prior to joining Georgia State University as a junior clinical technician under the supervision of her current advisor, Robins, who was a faculty member there for ten years prior to joining Drexel. It was during her post-baccalaureate training that Williams learned more about research and how to put together a competitive application for PhD programs. After leaving Georgia State University to complete a master’s in clinical psychology at Barry University in Miami, Florida, Williams reunited with Robins to pursue the PhD program at Drexel. While Robins introduced Williams to Drexel, Williams was also drawn to Drexel by the opportunity to concentrate in neuropsychology, as well as the diversity of Philadelphia.

“My experience as a PhD student at Drexel has been filled with highs,” said Williams. “I am grateful that I have had the opportunity to train in such a supportive environment. COVID-19, which hit midway through my first year, changed some of the landscape of my in-person training. Overall, I wouldn't change a thing.”

Williams credited Robins and all of her clinical supervisors for her success. “Their support has really carried me through any difficult moments. Additionally, my family is always my guiding light to remind me of the reason I work so hard,” said Williams.

Outside of research and clinical work, Williams is a wife and mom of a one-year-old. She loves to spend time with family and she has been learning to play piano in her (very limited) spare time.