URMC / Psychiatry / Education / Psychology Internship & Fellowship / Doctoral Internship / Scholarly Activities

Scholarly Activities

Interns and fellows engage in a variety of scholarly activities. In addition to research electives, interns engage in leadership projects and fellows work with a mentor on a scholarly project of their choice. Leadership projects aim to enhance interns’ understanding of complex issues facing a clinical service or education program, and expand their ideas about contributions psychologists can make. Fellows choose a scholarly focus that may involve development or evaluation of a program or practice. At the conclusion of the training year, interns and fellows present a poster about their project at the Psychiatry Department’s Trainee Poster Day in June. This event is a 'jewel in the crown' of the education mission in the Department. Trainees in psychology, psychiatry, and marriage and family therapy present their work to faculty, staff and community members during two hours of informal conversations, fun and food.

Trainee Poster Day - June 2024

Poster Day group

2023 - 2024 Internship Leadership Projects

"It would be transformational": Behavioral health needs assessment in Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
Tara Bord, MS
Mentor: Michael Scharf, PhD, Linda Alpert-Gillis, PhD & Katlyn Rice, PhD

Understanding Therapy Engagement among Spanish-Speaking Outpatients
Manuel Ocasio, MS
Mentor: Caroline Silva, PhD

Wellbeing and Community Engagement in Individuals with Newly Acquired Spinal Cord Injuries/Disease (SCI/D)
Ilenia Perez-Palen, MS
Mentor: Leah Adams, PhD & Renee Madathil, PhD

Imposter Phenomenon During Psychology Training: Ways to Normalize and Mitigate
Valery Benitez Santiago, MS
Mentor: Jennifer West, PhD

Pediatric Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome and Body Dissatisfaction
Danielle Scharf, MA
Mentor: Michelle Swanger-Gagne, PhD

Diversifying Access to Suicide Prevention Trainings
Daria Williams, MA
Mentor: Melissa Heatly, PhD

2022 - 2023 Internship Leadership Projects

Mental Health Needs Assessment after Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation
Sarah Adut, MA
Mentor: Paula Horvath, PhD

Advancing Access: A SWOT Analysis for the Deaf Wellness Center
Grady Gallagher, MA
Mentor: Aileen Aldalur, PhD

Integration of Psychological Services for Patients with Advanced Heart Failure
Giselle Gomez, MS
Mentor: Joy Choi, MD & Renee Madathil, PhD

GCHAMPP: Patient Demographics and Relationship Between Parent Psychological Flexibility and Treatment Completion in a Pediatric Population
Emily Hanna, LMSW
Mentor: Michelle Swanger-Gagne, PhD

Show Instead of Tell: Development of Online Video Modules to Teach and Assess Mental Status Examinations
Ellen Hart, MS and So Yu Cicy (Zoey) Ng, MA
Mentor: Laura Cardella, MD

Reduction of Secondhand Smoke Exposure in the Pediatric Cleft & Craniofacial Clinic
Colette Stenz, MA
Mentor: Jennifer West, PhD

Baseline Characteristics Associated with Completion of a Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Loneliness Among Opioid-Using Adults
Sean Womack, MA
Mentor: Lisham Ashrafioun, PhD

2021 - 2022 Internship Leadership Projects

Deaf Wellness Center Needs Assessment
Marisa Bergfield, MA
Mentor: Amanda O'Hearn, PhD

Pediatric Dentistry and Behavioral Health Partnership: Individualized Patient Care
Alexandra Carroll, MA
Mentors: Ritu Shah, DMD, and Jennifer West, PhD

Communicating Child Maltreatment Research to the Public: The Relation to Suicide Risk as a Case Study
Annamarie Defayette, MA
Mentors: Erinn Duprey, PhD, and Corey Nichols-Hadeed, JD

Help Seeking, Lonliness, and Substance Use Consequences in Individuals with Opioid Use Disorders
Denise Fedlan, MA
Mentor: Lisham Ashrafioun, PhD

Understanding Psychiatric and Psychosocial Needs of Living Organ Donors and Transplant Recipients
Kimberly Parkhurst, MS
Mentor: Kristen Holderle, PhD

Persistent Pain Waitlist Workshops: Piloting a Group-based CBT Intervention for Pediatric Pain
Ari Romano-Verthelyi, MS
Mentor: Michelle Swanger-Gagne, PhD

A State-Wide Learning Community Focused on Advancing High-Quality School Mental Health Systems
Jennifer Warmingham, MA
Mentor: Melissa Heatly, PhD

URMC Inpatient Child & Adolescent Eating Disorders Program: Needs Assessment for Psychological Services
Beier Yao, MA
Mentor: Deanna Sams, PhD

2020 - 2021 Internship Leadership Projects

Integration of Psychological Services for Patients with Burns and Medical Trauma: Assessing Needs
Sonia Altavilla, MS, MA and Rae Drach, MA
Mentors: Lauren DeCaporale-Ryan, PhD and Renee Madathil, PhD

Leveraging Technology and Social Media to Disseminate Child Maltreatment Research
Jessica Kusina, MA
Mentors: Erinn Duprey, PhD and Corey Nichols-Hadeed, JD

Implementation and Feasibility of a Behavioral Health Tool in Pediatric Dentistry
Taylor MacLean, MA
Mentors: Rita Shah, DMD and Jennifer West, PhD

The impact of COVID-19 on Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Inpatient Admissions
Leah Reece, MA
Mentor: Deanna Sams, PhD

Evaluation of a Multi-Disciplinary Case Consultation Experience
Kassandra Scioli, MA
Mentors: Laura Cardella, MD and Deanna Sams, PhD

Developing Individualized Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Behavior Management Plans for Adult Inpatient Settings
Caitlin Titus, MS
Mentors: Tara Augenstein, PhD and Marc Swogger, PhD

Characterizing the Lazos Fuertes Outpatient Population: Adventures in Electronic Medical Record Data
Ana Vallejo Sefair, MA
Mentors: Telva Olivares, MD and Caroline Silva, PhD

2019 - 2020 Internship Leadership Projects

Computerized Cognitive Behavioral therapy Mobile App (cCBTvr): Designing a Usability and Feasibility Study
Aileen Aldalur, MA and Sarah Georgianna, MA
Mentor: Wendi Cross, PhD

Creating a Group Intervention for Transition-Aged Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Rachael Arowolo, MS
Mentor: Kristen Davidson, PhD

Predictors of Treatment Utilization in Pretrial Clients
Jia Hui Chaw, MA
Mentor: Marc Swogger, PhD

Expanded School-Based Mental Health: Factors Influencing Successful School and Community Collaboration
Melissa Dudley, MSW
Mentor: Melissa Heatly, PhD

Developing a New Multidisciplinary Education Program in Women's Health
Shiloh Eastin, MS, MA
Mentor: Donna Kreher, PhD

ICARE Rounds Project at Highland Hospital
Jeremy M. Kelly, MAPP, MA
Mentor: Lauren DeCaporale-Ryan, PhD

Pediatric Dentistry and Behavioral Health Partnership: Creating Better Dental Experiences for Patient, Caregiver, and Provider
Elisabeth O'Rourke, MA
Mentor: Jennifer West, PhD

2018 - 2019 Internship Leadership Projects

A Mobile health app that uses VR can increase access to care
Rebecca Etkin and Jonah Meyerhoff
Mentor: Wendi Cross, Ph.D.

I'm Sooo Meta: An Evaluation of the Leadership Project Experience
Shane Kuhlman, M.S.
Mentors: Wendi Cross, Ph.D., and Jennifer West, Ph.D.

PEERS 2: An Experiential and Process-Oriented Social Skills Group for Teens with High-Functioning Autism
Marisa Malone, M.A.
Mentor: Fabienne Bain, Ph.D.

Developing New Integrated Care Services in Women's Health
Evelyn Meier, M.A.
Mentor: Donna Kreher, Ph.D.

Integration of Psychological Services for Patients in Rehabilitation
Daniel Milstein, M.A.
Mentor: Renee Madathil, Ph.D.

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Inpatient Unit: Revision of Clinical Resource Portfolio and Parent Brochure
Abigail Rosen, M.A.
Mentor: Deanna Sams, Ph.D.

Pediatric Behavioral Health in Primary Care: The Relationship Between Checking Out and Showing Up
Catherine Stewart, M.S.
Mentor: Andrew Cohen, Ph.D.

Staff Learning in a "No Hit Zone (NHZ)" Training
Stephanie Loupee, Psy.D.
Mentor: Aubree Guiffre, Ph.D.

Behavioral Health & Wellness Needs Assessment for Outpatient Pediatric Specialty Clinics
Katlyn Rice, Ph.D.
Mentor: Linda Alpert-Gillis, Ph.D.

Taking a Closer Look at Psychological Services in a Skilled Nursing Facility
Katherine Schmieder, Psy.D.
Mentor: Lauren DeCaporale-Ryan, Ph.D.

2017 - 2018 Internship Leadership Projects

Integrating Psychology into Acute Inpatient Psychiatric Treatment for Adults: Improving Interdisciplinary Care
Jessica Conner
Mentor: Deanna Sams, Ph.D.

Clinician Knowledge and Appropriate Use of Evidenced Based Assessment Tools and Practices
Jenna Eisen
Mentor: Fabienne Baine, Ph.D.

Developing an Integrated Computerized CBT Virtual Reality Platform for Treatment of Behavioral Health Conditions
Robert Henderson & Katherine Schmieder
Mentor: Wendi Cross, Ph.D.

Revising Nurse-Led Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Group Curriculum on a Child and Adolescent Inpatient Unit
Micah Ioffe
Mentor: Deanna Sams, Ph.D.

Crisis Managed! Positive Outcomes of a Multi-District, School Crisis Response Training and Support Network
Katlyn Rice
Mentor: Jennifer West, Ph.D.

"We are so lucky to have you on our team": Integrating Behavioral Health Within UR Pediatric Practice
Elyse Rosenberg
Mentor: Kenya Malcolm, Ph.D. and Andrew Cohen, Ph.D.

Using an Online Survey to Better Understand the Department of Psychiatry's Diversity and Cultural Awareness Training Needs
Lindsay Sycz
Mentor: Caroline Nestro, Ph.D., MS, RN