Personnel

The Women’s Health Psychology lab includes graduate students in the PhD and MS programs. The lab also includes research assistants, who are usually undergraduate students in Psychology and students in Drexel's Master of Medical Science program. We will be accepting a new PhD student for Fall 2022. We will not be accepting a new MS student for Fall 2022. We are also open to accepting undergraduate student volunteers as research assistants.

Pamela Geller, PhD

Pamela Geller, PhD, is a professor of psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences at Drexel University, and research associate professor of obstetrics/gynecology in Drexel’s College of Medicine. Dr. Geller is currently the Director of Clinical Training and serves as the program director for Drexel's PhD program in clinical psychology. Geller has studied women’s health issues for over 25 years. She received her MS and PhD in clinical psychology from Kent State University and completed a NIH postdoctoral fellowship in psychiatric epidemiology at the Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health of Columbia University. Her work focuses on the psychological aspects of events surrounding pregnancy and childbirth, such as infertility, pregnancy loss, and postpartum depression. Geller is co-founder and co-director of Mother Baby Connections, an intensive outpatient mental health program at Drexel for pregnant and postpartum women experiencing anxiety and depression and their infants. With a visiting professorship in neonatology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, she and her colleagues are addressing the experiences of mothers with an infant in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) with ongoing projects relevant to parental distress and adjustment, and nurse education. Geller is an active member of an interdisciplinary National Perinatal Association work group that developed guidelines for psychosocial support services for NICU parents. She chairs the Perinatal Loss Exam Development Committee for the Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Center (formerly National Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Nurses). She and Drexel colleagues created the education curricula, Psychological and Medical Aspects of Pregnancy Loss (recipient of an e-ERA award from the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics; Available at: mededportal.org/publication/10240). Geller is an editor of the Health Psychology volume of the Handbook of Psychology (2013), as well as Women’s Health Psychology (2013), both published by Wiley. She has presented her work nationally and internationally and has been featured on BBC Radio programs.
Email: pg27@drexel.edu

Doctoral Students

Sharon Ettinger

Sharon is a second-year student in the Clinical Psychology PhD program. She received her BA in Psychology and Studio Art from Colgate University in 2018 and then worked as an Applied Behavior Analysis instructor for children with developmental disorders in New York City. From 2020-2022, she completed her MA in Developmental Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University while working as a research assistant for the COVID-19 Mother-Baby Outcomes Study at Columbia University Medical Center’s Perinatal Pathways Lab. Sharon’s research interests are centered around supporting mother and infant well-being across the perinatal period and improving intergenerational parent-child health outcomes. Outside of the lab, Sharon enjoys drawing, singing, and spending time with family and friends.
Email: sre49@drexel.edu

Leah Sodowick, MS

Leah is a fourth-year student in the Clinical Psychology PhD program. She received her BA in Psychology from Barnard College, Columbia University in 2016 and was the Staff Research Associate at the University of California, San Francisco’s Child Trauma Research Program from 2016-2018. From 2018-2020, Leah served as a supervisor on the TALK Line, a 24/7 parental stress and support line that serves San Francisco Bay Area families. She is also a Certified Postpartum Doula. Leah’s research examines secondary traumatic stress and coping strategies in NICU nurses. Leah is currently completing practicum rotations at Cooper University Hospital and the Mother Baby Connections Program. Outside of the lab, Leah enjoys walking her dog, playing tennis, and spending quality time with family and friends.
Email: lbs66@drexel.edu

Master's Students

Caroline Hayes

Caroline Hayes is a first-year student in the MS in Psychology program with intentions to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology. Caroline’s interests lie within the health psychology domain, and her research tends to explore the biopsychosocial dimensions of severe premenstrual disorders. Her decision to focus on clinical psychology within medical settings is bolstered by a desire to support families facing medical crises, including but not limited to individuals facing challenging reproductive events. Before pursuing a career in psychology, Caroline earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Comparative Literature cum laude with honors from NYU and spent her initial post-graduate years working in television writers’ rooms. She loves reading, writing, and baking.

Research Assistants

Katelyn Phan

Nick Powers, MA

Tara Ramamurthy

Divine Thomas

Collaborators

Chavis A. Patterson, PhD

Director of Psychosocial Services, Division of Neonatology
https://www.chop.edu/doctors/patterson-chavis-a

Lab Alumni

PHD GRADUATES

Alison Hartman, PhD

Program and year: Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in health psychology, 2023
Dissertation Title: What Keeps Me Up at Night: An Exploration of Sleep, Anxiety, and Mood Among Women with Infertility
Internship: Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Postdoctoral Fellowship: New York Anxiety Treatment

Ariana Albanese, PhD

Program and year: Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in health psychology, 2022
Dissertation Title: “The Postpartum Toolkit: An Online Clinical Tool to Enhance Functioning and Emotional Wellbeing among Gestational Parents in the Postpartum Period”
Internship: Behavioral Medicine/Health Psychology Track, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI
Postdoctoral Fellowship: Implementation Science Fellowship; Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior, Brown University, Providence, RI

Victoria Grunberg, PhD

Program and year: Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology with concentrations in neuropsychology and health psychology, 2021
Dissertation Title: “NICU Babies’ Next Steps: A Systems-Level Examination of Family Functioning and Infant Development”
Internship: Integrated Brain Health Clinical and Research Program (track), Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston MA
Postdoctoral Fellowship: NIH T32 Fellow, Translational Neuroscience Training for Clinicians, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

Mona Elgohail, PhD

Program and year: Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in health psychology, 2019
Dissertation Title: An Internet-based Intervention to Reduce Depressive Symptoms in Muslim Women Experiencing Infertility
Internship: Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL
Postdoctoral Fellowship: Drexel University Women’s Health Psychology Lab/Mother Baby Connections

Emily Stasko, PhD

Program and year: Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in health psychology, 2018
Dissertation Title: Sexting and Fertility: An Intervention on Sexual Communication and Empowerment
Internship: Southwest Consortium Doctoral Internship in Health Service Psychology, Albuquerque, NM
Recent position: PCMHI Postdoctoral Fellowship position in Clinical Psychology at the Portland VA medical Center, Portland, OR. , Portland VA

Alexa Bonacquisti, PhD

Program and year: Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in health psychology, 2016
Dissertation Title: Psychological Responses and Treatment among Mothers in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: The Impact of Attachment, Attitudes, Social Support, and Health Behaviors
Internship: University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
Post-doctorate Fellowship: Drexel University Women’s Health Psychology Lab/Mother Baby Connections
Recent Position: Assistant Professor at Holy Family University

Efrat Eichenbaum, PhD

Program and year: Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in health psychology, 2014
Dissertation Title: Post Traumatic Growth and Rehabilitation Outcomes in Traumatic Brain Injury
Internship: Minneapolis VA Medical Center
Post-doctorate Fellowship: Postdoctoral resident, Minneapolis VA Medical Center
Recent Position: Clinical Psychologist, Consultation/Liaison Service, North Memorial Medical Center in Minneapolis

Alexandra Nelson, PhD

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
Internship: University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill
Recent Position: Clinical psychologist, Child & Family Psychological Services, Inc. / Integrated Behavioral Associates

Sara Levine Kornfield, PhD

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
Internship: Northport VA Medical Center
Post-doctoral Fellowship: Postdoctoral research fellow, University of Pennsylvania Center for Women's Behavioral Wellness
Recent Position: Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Center for Women's Behavioral Wellness, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Danielle K. Clauss, PhD

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
Internship: Walter Reed Army Medical Center Recent Position: Clinical Psychologist, Philadelphia VA Medical Center

Christina Psaros, PhD

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
Internship: Behavioral Medicine Track at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School
Recent Position: Staff Psychologist in the Behavioral Medicine service at Massachusetts General Hospital and Instructor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School

A. Kyle Possemato, PhD

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
Internship: SUNY Upstate Medical University (Adult Track), Syracuse, NY
Recent Position: Clinical Research Psychologist at the Center for Integrated Healthcare Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Syracuse, NY

Faith Dyson-Washington, PhD

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.
Internship: University of Delaware, Center for Counseling and Student Development
Recent Position: Clinical Psychologist, private practice, Philadelphia, PA.

Ellen Moore Boohar, PhD

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
Internship: UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ (Behavioral Medicine Track)
Recent Position: Clinical Psychologist, Springfield, PA

Jennifer Nesbitt Fernandez, PhD

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.
Recent Position: Director of Clinical Training/Supervising Psychologist at Hugh S. Smith, Ph.D. & Associates, P.C.

Maria Graf, PhD

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?
Internship: Health Psychology Intern at University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics in Madison, WI
Recent Position: Clinical Psychologist at the Dean Clinic in Madison, WI M.S. Graduates

MS GRADUATES

Peggy Burke, MS

Program and year: Masters of Science in Psychology, 2023

Navy Spiecker, MS

Program and year: Masters of Science in Psychology, 2021
Thesis Title: Mental Health, Stress, and Provider Care in Female Fertility Treatment: Differences across Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
Recent Position: Behavioral Research Coordinator at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Gender Development Program

Gaby Russo, MS

Program and year: Masters of Science in Psychology, 2019
Thesis Title: Examination of the Relationships Among Perceived Social Support, Parent-Infant Bonding, and Parent Mental Health in the 3 to 12 Months Following the Birth of a Child
Recent Position: PhD Clinical Health Psychology Student at University of Colorado, Denver

Christina DiSanza, MS

Program and year: Masters of Science in Psychology, 2019
Thesis Title: Creation of a Mindfulness Program for NICU Parents

Victoria Grunberg, MS

Program and year: Masters of Science in Psychology, 2016
Thesis Title: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Infants, Parental Stress, Couple and Family Impact: How Family Resources May Attenuate the Stress
Recent Position: PhD student at Drexel University

Kimberly Konka, MS

Program and year: Masters of Science in Psychology, 2016
Thesis Title: Perceptions of social feedback when exercising at fitness facilities during pregnancy

Carrie Grady, MS

Program and year: Masters of Science in Psychology, 2014
Thesis Title: Attitudes and Perceptions Concerning Pregnancy among Adult Women with Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes
Recent Position: MSW student at the University of Pennsylvania

Mitra Khaksari, MS

Program and year: Masters of Science in Psychology, 2013
Thesis Title: Barriers to Treatment for Fertility Problems
Recent Position: Senior Research Program Coordinator at Johns Hopkins University and Adjunct Faculty Member at Anne Arundel Community College

Kate McSpadden, MS

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
Recent Position: Cancer Research Training Award Fellow at the National Cancer Institute

Kathleen O'Malley Sharafeddin, MS

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
Recent Position: Psychology Associate at Kennedy Krieger Institute

Corrie O'Brien Mariello, M.S.

Program and year: Masters of Science in Psychology, 2008.
Thesis title: Exploration of the association between perfectionism and depression, anxiety and eating disorder symptoms in female college students

Anne Vorndran Hedrick, MS

Program and year: Masters of Science in Psychology, 2007
Thesis title: Adolescent depression: gender differences and risk factors
Recent Position: Senior Academic Counselor, OU Scholars Program

Rebecca Desrocher, MS

Program and year: Masters of Science in Psychology, 2004
Thesis Title: Relationship between depression and memory following traumatic brain injury
Recent Position: Branch Chief, Bureau of Health Workforce (HRSA)