Blue Graduate College Fellows

Laura Baehr

Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
College of Nursing and Health Professions

Laura is excited to join Drexel University to pursue her PhD in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. Laura is a physical therapist who earned her clinical doctorate from Temple University. Her undergraduate training includes a dual degree in dance and neuroscience from Muhlenberg College. Prior to graduate school, Laura was a research assistant at the University of Pennsylvania studying traumatic brain injury and early onset dementia across multiple disciplines from cellular to clinical perspectives. Laura joins Dr. Margaret Finley’s lab investigating the biopsychosocial contributions to the development of chronic pain following spinal cord injury. She hopes to contribute to the field of rehabilitation sciences through her clinical and research background in order to shift healthcare and community perspectives on movement and its role in the management of pain and wellness. In addition to her scientific interests, Laura is a professional dance artist, teacher, and Pilates instructor in Philadelphia.

Michael Berry

Clinical Psychology
College of Arts and Sciences

Michael Berry is excited to be joining Drexel University as a first-year student in the Clinical Psychology PhD program, working under the mentorship of Dr. Evan Forman at the WELL Center. He received his Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Yale University in 2017, after which he spent two years working as a research coordinator at Massachusetts General Hospital. Currently, his interests center on the use of acceptance-based treatments to promote health-related behavior change and improve the ability to tolerate aversive psychological states. In his free time, Michael enjoys playing the guitar and learning obscure geography trivia.

Christina Chwyl

Clinical Psychology
College of Arts and Sciences

Christina is delighted to begin working under the mentorship of Dr. Evan Forman at the WELL Center. Her current research interests focus on how day-to-day changes in emotions and social relationships either promote or hinder health behavioral change. Ultimately, she hopes this work will help in addressing healthcare disparities. Prior to joining Drexel University, Christina worked as a research coordinator at Portland Psychotherapy, where she studied the interpersonal effects of emotions with Dr. Jason Luoma. She also spent a year training under professional artists. She received a bachelors degree in Psychology with a neuroscience concentration from Stanford University, and completed an honors thesis on self-compassion and coping under the mentorship of Dr. Jamil Zaki and Dr. Patricia Chen.

Nikki Crane

Clinical Psychology
College of Arts and Sciences

Nikki Crane is a first-year Clinical Psychology doctoral student in Dr. Meghan Butryn’s lab and the WELL Center. Nikki received her undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia in 2014, where she studied Psychology and Cognitive Science. Upon graduation, Nikki moved to Michigan where she lived for five years pursuing a variety of professional and research-related experiences. This included time volunteering in a lab at the University of Michigan that focused on addictive-like eating behavior, which sparked Nikki’s interest in weight management and health behavior change. In her free time, Nikki loves to run, go to the movies, and try new recipes. Nikki is thrilled to be joining the Drexel and Philadelphia community.

Yiyun Fan

Educational Leadership and Policy
School of Education

Yiyun (Kate) Fan is a first-year doctoral student in the School of Education, working under the mentorship of Dr. Kristen Betts on topics pertaining to higher education, online/hybrid learning and neuropedagogy. Born and raised in China, she received a BA in English from Fudan University in Shanghai. She came to the US two years ago to pursue a MSEd degree in higher education from the University of Pennsylvania. She has worked in higher education in different capacities and locations, from NYU Shanghai to the Wharton School, from private education consultancy company to Santa Clara University. She has found research passion in how the fast-evolving technology and learning sciences research could transform the higher education landscape from teaching to learning, from access to engagement. Her hobbies include exploring, painting and hanging out with international friends.

Bryce Koester

Environmental Science
College of Arts and Sciences

Bryce Koester is a first-year graduate student in the Department of Biodiversity, Earth & Environmental Science. After graduating from Vanderbilt University in 2018, Bryce spent a year doing geoscience policy and education internships in Washington, D.C. before joining Dr. Jocelyn Sessa’s invertebrate paleontology lab at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University. Bryce is interested in the impact of climate change and ocean acidification on marine invertebrates both today and through geological time and is particularly passionate about making environmental science accessible to the public and decision makers.

Yurina Lee

Business Administration - Management
LeBow College of Business

Yurina Lee is a first-year doctoral student in Management with a concentration in Organizational Behavior. Her current research interests lie in the micro-foundations of groups and teams, with a particular focus on leadership and diversity. Prior to joining Drexel, she completed her Master’s degree in Human Resources and Industrial Relations at the University of Minnesota. During her Master’s study, she worked as a research assistant and conducted an independent study on the topics of team/groups, leadership, diversity, and conflict. After graduation, she moved to New York and started building research experience as a research assistant at NYU Stern School of Business studying competition and status dynamics in groups. She received her undergraduate degree from Sookmyung Women’s University (South Korea), where she studied Business Administration and Chinese Language and Literature.

Angela Mastrianni

Information Science
College of Computing and Informatics

Angela is excited to start as a doctoral student at Drexel University’s College of Computing and Informatics. She will be joining Dr. Aleksandra Sarcevic’s lab to study human-computer interaction in the medical domain. Prior to joining Drexel, Angela worked as a software engineer in the asset management division at Goldman Sachs. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science at nearby Bryn Mawr College in 2016. In her free time, Angela likes to try different exercise classes and read.

Katie Mathew

Educational Leadership and Policy
School of Education

Katie is delighted to be joining the Drexel community as a PhD student in the School of Education. She recently moved to Philadelphia from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada where she was a teacher and school leader for seven years. Prior to her work in education, Katie completed her undergraduate studies at the University of British Columbia in Psychology and Linguistics. She went on to complete a Master of Arts in Child Study and Education at the University of Toronto and undertook research on children's theory of mind and its relationship to early literacy development. At Drexel, Katie will be working with Dr. Jennifer Katz-Buonincontro. Katie is interested in studying creativity and critical periods for the development of creative self-identity in children. Through her doctoral work, she aspires to add to the creativity research dialogue as well as create curriculum tools that can be used in classrooms.

Susan Schickling

Materials Science and Engineering
College of Engineering

Susan Schickling is a first-year doctoral student in the Materials Science and Engineering department. After earning her undergraduate degree in Materials Science and Engineering with a concentration in Honors Biomaterials from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Susan spent a summer interning with DuPont through IACMI, the Composites Institute. She will be joining Dr. Caroline Schauer’s Natural Polymers and Photonics lab, where she will be investigating novel uses for natural polymer materials, such as electrospinning and 3D printing. In her free time, Susan enjoys knitting and crocheting, as well as researching new ways to use materials for medical purposes.

Rachel Vecchione

Epidemiology
Dornsife School of Public Health

Yin Zhang

Economics
LeBow College of Business

Yin is originally from Guangzhou, China. She completed her bachelor's degree at the University of Leicester and master's degree at University of Warwick in England, where she focused on behavioral economics. After graduating, she joined a multinational insurance broker firm, where she served as an account manager. After working for about three years, she decided to explore other possibilities and further her study in behavioral and experimental economics. In particular, she enjoys learning the psychological reasons behind people’s economic actions.

View Photos of the Welcome Breakfast 10/4/19 [Flickr]