Personnel
The lab includes graduate students in the Ph.D. and M.S. programs. The lab also includes research assistants, who are typically students in Drexel's Master of Medical Science program. We typically accept a new Ph.D. student every other year and a M.S. student every year. We are also open to accepting undergraduate student volunteers as research assistants.
Dr. Pamela Geller
Dr. Geller is a tenured Associate Professor of Psychology, and Research Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Drexel University College of Medicine (DUCOM). She also holds a faculty appointment in Drexel's School of Public Health. Dr. Geller's research interests involve the association between stressful life events and mental and physical health outcomes. Her work has focused largely on women's health, particularly in the area of reproductive health (e.g., mental health consequences of miscarriage), and has been published in peer-reviewed journals and other venues, as well as presented both nationally and internationally. Dr. Geller is an editor of the Health Psychology volume of Wiley's Handbook of Psychology (second edition forthcoming), and an editor of the new book, Women's Health Psychology, also to be published by Wiley. Dr. Geller, along with her DUCOM colleagues, created an interactive, web-based curriculum to educate healthcare providers about pregnancy loss, which received the 2010 APGO Electronic Educational Resource Award from the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics.
Email: pg27@drexel.edu
Ph.D. Students
Efrat Eichenbaum
Efrat is a fourth-year student in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program, concentrating in health psychology. Her research interested include traumatic loss, coping, post-traumatic growth, health disparities, diversity, women's health, traumatic brain injury, and positive rehabilitation processes. Her master's thesis examined African-American women's coping strategies following pregnancy loss. Efrat's dissertation will address post-traumatic growth in persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI) in a post-acute rehabilitation setting. Her clinical work has been focused in rehabilitation psychology; she is particularly interested in modified evidence-based intervention and assessment in persons with TBI. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, art and design, reading, and spending time with friends and family.
Email: ee68@drexel.edu
Alexa Bonacquisti
Alexa is a second year doctoral student in the clinical psychology PhD program, with a concentration in health psychology. Her clinical and research interests are in health psychology, particularly in the area of women's reproductive and sexual health. Her primary interests include mental and physical health outcomes that occur in the context of reproductive functioning. She is also interested in factors that affect HIV risk reduction, the consequences of intimate partner violence, and the psychosocial aspects of HIV infection among women. She is currently completing a clinical practicum in the Division of Behavioral Medicine at Cooper University Hospital. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, yoga, and being with family and friends.
Email: anb35@drexel.edu
M.S. Students
Carrie Grady
Carrie is a student in Drexel University's MS in Psychology program. She is from West Chester, PA and graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a BA in Psychology. Her research interests include women's health psychology. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, baking, volunteering, and spending time with friends and family
Email: cmg349@drexel.edu
Mitra Khaksari
Mitra is a student in Drexel University's MS in psychology program. She is from Baltimore, MD and graduated summa cum laude from Stevenson University with a BS in Psychology. Her research interests include women's health psychology, particularly the impact of infertility on mental health and interpersonal relationships, and the unique experience of minority women with infertility. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, knitting, reading, and cooking.
Email: mek352@drexel.edu
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Emilie Pinkasavage
Emilie Pinkasavage is a student in Drexel University's undergraduate psychology program, and is currently a Research Assistant in the Women's Health Psychology Lab. She is an active member and Coordinator of Public Relations for her sorority, Delta Phi Epsilon. After graduation, Emilie plans to pursue a graduate degree in Clinical Psychology.
Anne Sekley
Anne Sekley is an undergraduate student in Drexel University's Bachelor of Science in Psychology program. She is currently a Research Assistant in Dr. Pamela Geller's Lab, and holds a special interest in the field of women's health psychology. Anne is also a member of the Drexel University Chapter of Psi Chi, the International Honors Society in Psychology. Following her undergraduate graduation, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. In her free time, Anne enjoys volunteering at the local animal shelter, traveling, horseback riding, seeing live music, and spending time with her family and friends.
Lab Alumni
Alexandra Nelson, Ph.D.
Program and year: Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in health psychology, 2012
Dissertation Title: Empowerment, social support, and fertility-related quality of life among women using internet-mediated support for infertility
Current Position: Post-doctoral resident at Bedford VA Medical Center
Kate McSpadden, M.S.
Program and year: Masters of Science in Psychology, 2011
Thesis Title: Parentless mothering : factors contributing to finding positive aspects in parenting after the death of both parents
Current Position: Cancer Research Training Award Fellow at National Cancer Institute
Sara Levine Kornfield, Ph.D.
Program and year: Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in health psychology, 2010
Dissertation Title: Maternal-Fetal Attachment, Temporal Orientation and Locus of Control:
Implications for Prenatal Care Behaviors and HIV Risk Reduction during Pregnancy
Current Position: University of Pennsylvania Center for Women's Behavioral Wellness
Kathleen O’Malley Sharafeddin, M.S.
Program and year: Masters of Science in Psychology, 2009
Thesis Title: An examination of the association of breastfeeding self-efficacy, breastfeeding duration, and postpartum depressive symptoms in new mothers
Current Position: Psychology Associate at Kennedy Krieger Institute
Danielle Kerns Clauss, Ph.D.
Program and year: Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in health psychology, 2009
Dissertation Title: Psychological distress following miscarriage and stillbirth: an examination of grief, depression and anxiety in relation to gestational length, women's attributions, perception of care and provision of information
Current Position: Clinical Psychologist
Christina Psaros, Ph.D.
Program and year: Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in health psychology, 2008
Dissertation Title: Psychological processes involved in adherence to art and prenatal care utilization among HIV infected, pregnant women
Current Position: Staff Psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital
Corrie Marie O'Brien, M.S.
Program and year: Masters of Science in Psychology, 2008
Thesis Title: Exploration of the association between perfectionism and depressive, anxiety and eating disorder symptoms in female college students
A. Kyle Possemato, Ph.D.
Program and year: Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in health psychology, 2007
Dissertation Title: An internet-based expressive writing intervention for kidney transplant recipients
Current Position: Psychologist at Syracuse VA Medical Center
Anne K. Vorndran, M.S.
Program and year: Masters of Science in Psychology, 2007
Thesis Title: Adolescent depression: gender differences and risk factors
Current Position: Addiction Counselor
Faith Dyson-Washington, Ph.D.
Program and year: Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in health psychology, 2006
Dissertation Title: The relationship between optimism and work-family enrichment and their influence on psychological well-being
Current Position: Licensed Professional Counselor with Chrysalis Therapy
Jennifer Nesbitt Fernandez
Program and year: Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in health psychology, 2005
Dissertation Title: An evaluation of brief adaptive inferential feedback training: assessing the gains of training individuals to provide a specific type of social support
Current Position: Director of Clinical Training/Supervising Psychologist at Hugh S. Smith, Ph.D. & Associates, P.C
Ellen Moore Boohar, Ph.D.
Program and year: Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in health psychology, 2005
Dissertation Title: Impact of timing of alcohol use initiation and depressed mood on risky substance use among urban minority adolescents
Current Position: Clinical Psychologist
Maria Graf, Ph.D.
Program and year: Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in health psychology, 2004
Dissertation Title: Written emotional disclosure: what are the benefits of expressive writing in psychotherapy?
Current Position: Clinical Psychologist with Dean Clinic-Sun Prairie
Rebecca Desrocher, M.S.
Program and year: Masters of Science in Psychology, 2004
Thesis Title: Relationship between depression and memory following traumatic brain injury
Current Position: Assistant Director, Traumatic Brain Injury Program at Health Resources and Services Administration/HHS