All Students

Jasmine Temple
Jasmine Temple

Hometown: Richmond, VA
Education:

  • B.S. in Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University
  • M.A. in Psychological Sciences from James Madison University

Advisor: Dr. Erika Montanaro
Program Track: Community
Research Interests: Reducing sexual health disparities, health risk behavior intervention, community based participatory research

Hobbies: Painting, cooking, yoga, exploring nature, dog mom activities, binge-watching crime docs, game nights

Annalise Tolley
Annalise Tolley

Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
Education: B.S. in Biology, minor in Psychology from Elon University
Advisor: Dr. Victoria Scott
Program Track: Community
Research Interests: Mitigating racial health disparities through top-down policy change and bottom-up community empowerment; promoting health equity through integrated care, asset-based community development, and community-based participatory research; evidence-based interventions rooted in critical race public health praxis

Hobbies: Cycling, running, anything outdoors, travel, cooking/consuming delicious food

Tran Tran
Tran Tran

Hometown: Saigon, Vietnam
Education: B.A. in Psychology and Theater & Dance from Dickinson College
Advisor: Dr. V. Gil-Rivas & Dr. Jennifer Webb
Program Track: Clinical
Research Interests: Eating disorders among ethnic minorities, multicultural counseling competencies

Hobbies: Dancing, cooking, and watching true-crime documentaries

Rachel Uri
Rachel Uri

Hometown: Charlotte, NC
Education: B.A. in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Advisor: Dr. V. Gil-Rivas & Dr. Jennifer Webb
Program Track: Clinical
Research Interests: Poverty-related stigma, eating behaviors within the context of poverty and deprivation, the impact of food insecurity on mental health, type II diabetes
Hobbies: Spending time outdoors, cooking new recipes, playing with my cat Marley

Kristen Van Swearingen
Kristen Van Swearingen
2nd Year

Hometown: Winston-Salem, NC
Education:

  • B.S. in Psychology, High Point University
  • M.A. in Psychological Science, University of North Carolina Wilmington

Advisor: Dr. Sara Levens
Program Track: Behavioral Science

Research Interests: Broadly, my research interests involve understanding how emotions impact health behaviors such as physical activity and alcohol use. More specifically, I am interested in how daily fluctuations in emotions can impact attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and intention to engage in health behaviors, and the use of health behaviors to cope with stress. My goal with this research is to inform behavior change that may help to guide health promotion interventions. 

Concentration Perspectives: An aspect of the Behavioral Science concentration that sets us apart from other concentrations and programs is our Experimental Seminar. The seminar allows us an opportunity to share research experiences and collaborate with our interdisciplinary faculty in other departments, hear guest speaker presentations, and learn more about career opportunities.

Hobbies: Yoga, paddle boarding, trying new restaurants, watching reality-competition TV, listening to podcasts

Clysha Whitlow
Clysha Whitlow

Hometown: Columbus, Ohio
Education:

  • B.A. in Psychology from East Carolina University
  • B.S. in Rehabilitation Services from East Carolina University
  • M.A. in General Psychology from North Carolina Central University

Advisor: Dr. Jeanette Bennett
Program Track: Community
Research Interests: Physical and mental health disparities, root causes of health inequities, community-based participatory research and evaluation, place-based initiatives, and the connection between stress, coping mechanisms, and racism

Hobbies: Nexflix, volunteering, working out, cooking and trying new restaurants (I love to eat!)