OUR TEAM

Val is a sixth-year doctoral candidate in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program. She began her clinical internship at Boston Children’s Hospital in Health Service Psychology in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Department in Summer 2024. Prior to her graduate training, she graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2015 with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in English. After graduation, Val worked as a research coordinator at Drexel University, as well as a lacrosse coach for Young Quakers Community Athletics (YQCA) through the Netter Center of Community Partnerships at the University of Pennsylvania. More recently, Val worked on an R01 at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Violence Intervention Program, investigating the effectiveness of the Child Family Traumatic Stress Intervention (CFTSI) in reducing post-traumatic stress symptoms in violently injured youth. Val’s current research interests include the influence of trauma exposure on risk and resilience in low-income urban youth, as well as resilience-building through sports. In her spare time, Val enjoys being active, eating cheese fries, lugging her Canon around to take pictures of unsuspecting dogs, and binge-watching Parks and Rec with her cats.

Abbey is a fifth-year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2018 with an honors B.S. in Psychology and a double minor in Creative Writing and Administration of Justice. During college, she served as an undergraduate research assistant in Dr. Daniel Shaw’s Pitt Parents and Children Lab, in which she conducted home assessments with parents and children from low-income communities in the greater Pittsburgh area. After graduation, Abbey worked as a research assistant for Dr. David Kolko, in which worked with programs that provided clinical services to adjudicated youth. Further, she assisted in the R01 submission that aimed to implement early behavioral intervention and parent management training through pediatric offices across Pennsylvania. Abbey’s research interests include violence and delinquency risk factors, as well as other individual and contextual risk factors that act as mediators/moderators of the relationship between developmental factors and conduct problems. In her free time, Abbey enjoys staying active with a yoga practice, reading, and spending time with friends and family.

May is a third-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program. She graduated from the University of Vermont in 2019 with a B.S. in Psychological Sciences. During her time at UVM, May was an undergraduate research assistant in Dr. Timothy Stickle’s Developmental Psychopathology Lab studying gender differences in primary and secondary psychopathy. Upon graduating, May worked as a research coordinator for three years in The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Cancer Center under the direction of Dr. Matthew Hocking. She coordinated studies examining brain mechanisms in youth with Neurofibromatosis Type I and social connectedness in survivors of pediatric brain and solid tumors. May’s current research interests include modifiable risk factors for externalizing disorders in youth and examining outcomes of the integration of behavioral health services in pediatric primary care. In her free time, May enjoys knitting, hiking, and exploring Philadelphia with friends.

Jocelynn is a first-year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program. She graduated from Duke University in 2022 with a B.A. in Psychology and a double minor in Chemistry and African & African American Studies. While at Duke, Jocelynn served as an undergraduate research assistant in Dr. Michael Tomasello’s Developmental Psychology lab studying young children’s development of social and cognitive skills related to cooperation. Upon graduating, Jocelynn worked as a research assistant for two years at the Durham VA Medical Center Integrative Mental Health Program, where she investigated novel clinical interventions for moral injury through a multi-site quality improvement implementation trial. Jocelynn’s research interests include the influence of adversity, particularly traumatic events and racism, on risk and resilience in racial minority youth. In her free time, Jocelynn enjoys reading, playing board games, and spending time with family and friends.

Esmeralda is a fourth-year graduate student in the Developmental Psychology Ph.D. program. She graduated from Temple University in 2018 with a B.S. in Neuroscience. During college, she was a scholar of the NIH funded Maximizing Access to Research Careers program. Through which, she worked in Dr. Lisa Briand’s Behavioral Neurophysiology Lab studying social behaviors and cocaine addiction in animal models. After graduation, Esmeralda was a fellow of the NIH’s Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program at Virginia Commonwealth University. She worked with Dr. Terri Sullivan to investigate the impact of aggression and exposure to violence on adolescent psychosocial health and emotional development within a predominantly racial minority sample. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she gained clinical experience working at a local behavioral health foundation where she assisted in assessments and interventions for trauma-exposed youth struggling with mental health. Esmeralda’s research interests include risk and resilience factors that influence psychosocial and behavioral adjustment outcomes among racial minority youth from disadvantage backgrounds. In her free time, Esmeralda trains for various distance races, explores coffee shops around Philly and serves on the executive board for Temple University Graduate Students’ Association.   

Dominique McKnight is a fourth-year graduate student working with Dr. Philip Kendall in the Child and Adolescent Anxiety Disorders Clinic. Dominique graduated in 2017 with a BA in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn). While at UPenn, she worked as a research assistant for the Center for Autism Research on a study looking at the diagnosis of Autism and related disorders. Following graduation, she worked as a Clinical Research Associate at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, on various studies assessing the safety and efficacy of new cancer treatments. Dominique’s research interest includes predictors of treatment outcome for youth with anxiety. In her free time, she enjoys cleaning, doing her nails, and listening to podcasts.

Sophie Martel is a second-year graduate student working with Dr. Philip Kendall in the Child and Adolescent Anxiety Disorders Clinic. Sophie graduated in 2021 with a BA in psychology from The University of Michigan. Following graduation, she worked as a Postgraduate Research Associate at the Yale Child Study Center in the Anxiety & Mood Disorders Lab researching parent-based treatments to reduce accommodation and a computer-based treatment to reduce social anxiety in adolescents. Sophie is interested in how school-based accommodations can better support students with anxiety disorders, as well as how parent-child and peer relationships impact anxiety in children and adolescents.

Lauren is a junior at Temple University with a major in Psychology. She is a part of the honors psychology research program at Temple in which she will complete her honors thesis before graduating. She enjoys working with children and hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in either clinical or developmental psychology. In her free time, Lauren enjoys going to the gym, adventuring in the city, going to the beach, and trying new food spots with friends. 

Dru is a senior at Temple University majoring in psychology. She is part of the psychology honors program where she is working on her honors thesis. Dru’s research interests include critical education psychology, justice reform work, and community-based research. She previously worked as a research assistant under Dr. Naomi Goldstein at Drexel University where she contributed to a study about Philadelphia’s expungement clinics. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a graduate degree in law, where she plans to study the intersection of psychology and law within education policy reform. Outside of her coursework, Dru works as a curriculum developer and teacher for a math education company, and tutors elementary students. When she’s not working, she enjoys cooking, having dinner parties with friends, and exploring new cafes in the city.

Saukora is a junior psychology major in the College of Liberal Arts at Temple university. She has interests in developmental psychology; specifically in relation to early adulthood and has aspirations to conduct her own research on the matter one day.  Additionally, Saukora is also a part of CLA’s Academic Advising team, where she works as a peer advisor for undergraduate students in the College of Liberal Arts. Outside of any psychology related or advising work, Saukora  spends her time reading as many books as possible and enjoys baking for her family on her off time. 

Rafi graduated from the clinical psychology Ph.D. program in 2024. After completing internship at the New York University Bellevue Hospital, she began a post-doctoral fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Lindsay graduated from the clinical psychology Ph.D. program in 2022. After completing internship at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, she began a post-doctoral fellowship at Alvord, Baker, and Associates, LLC, a private psychotherapy practice in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.

Jenika graduated from the clinical psychology Ph.D. program in 2022. After completing internship at the University of Minnesota Medical School, she began a post-doctoral fellowship at Duke University.

Ijeoma completed graduated from the clinical psychology Ph.D. program and completed internship at Texas Children’s Hospital in 2021. She currently works as a psychologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.