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What have you been up to since graduating from ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾?

I am a pediatric psychologist specializing in the treatment of children and adolescents experiencing chronic pain, migraines, and other chronic medical conditions. My expertise lies in teaching kids cognitive and behavioral skills they can use to manage their physical symptoms and improve their quality of life.

After graduating from ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ College, I earned my PhD in clinical psychology from USC and refined my subspecialty through a postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric pain psychology at Stanford Children’s Health. Over the last year, I transitioned from a career in academic medicine, where I directed the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Pediatric Brain Center Psychology program for seven years, to my current role as co-founder and co-CEO of Streamind Health, an evidence-based digital behavioral healthcare program designed specifically for children with medical conditions and health concerns.

Why psychology?

I’ve always been interested in the flexibility of our thoughts and behaviors, and in the idea that we have the ability to change how we experience the world around us. Additionally, kids are hilarious, and I wanted to learn more about them through developmental psychology.

Are there any classes, professors, or experiences that had a lasting impact on you?

I had the privilege of completing my honors thesis with Samuel Putnam, ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾'s A. Myrick Freeman Professor in Social Sciences. Through his mentorship and support, I gained confidence in my ability to pursue my own academic passions. Additionally, my clinical psychology seminar with Dr. Julie Quimby sparked a specific excitement for therapy that has stayed with me.

What advice would you give to current students or recent graduates interested in your field?

I had never heard of pediatric psychology when I was at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾! Of course, set goals and work toward them, but once you begin the graduate and post-graduate school path, it can feel like there is one “correct” decision or accomplishment at each stage. Be open to learning from your own experiences along the way to discover the areas of work that truly inspire and motivate you.

What is your occupation? What is your current job (roles and responsibilities)?

Graduate Student and Teaching Assistant at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill’s MFA Professional Actor Training Program. Student of acting, teacher of acting.

Resident company member at Playmakers Repertory Theater. Available for all shows cast in season, currently equity performer in world premier of Dairyland. 

How has your ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ education and experience help you and inform the work that you do?

After my theater classes, I entered the Chicago acting community where I immediately found my skills an asset to the organizations I worked with. 

My Psychology classes and liberal arts background meant that I could offer a wider base of knowledge as a collaborator. 

I don’t think I was terribly good in the playwrighting class I took, but in a few years the lessons had settled and when I returned to writing, I found the lessons there and ready to help with some poignant self-started works which were well received.

Has studying Theater and Dance impacted your perspective (personally, professionally, or other)? If so, how?

Theater is a study of humanness. It is perpetual learning, perpetual imagining, perpetual craft of the ephemeral. It is many disciplines, and anyone would be enriched to play a role outside their personal experience and give it the complexity they enjoy in their own lives. It’s a nebulous career path, but it is integral to the person I am today.

Also studying body movement then lets  you analyze how other people carry their frame, and what that might signify for character, so that’s cool.

What are the one or two events, courses or people that stand out in your mind from your time at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾?

It is mostly the friends and the acting  roles I enjoyed while at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾. Physical Theater with Davis Robinson. Cultural and Literary Theory (!!!)

Do you have any advice for current student at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾?

Everyone started somewhere. Your world continues after ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾. Enjoy your time, but know that the skills and knowledge you are developing will require attention in the years to follow (if you want to improve). And always: you are challenged with the tension of being curious and expansive while remembering your privileges.

If you want to think about graduate school for theater and don’t want/can’t have loans for it, google the URTAs (UPTAs, too, for those pursuing a career in theater after graduation)

How has your ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ education and experience helped you and informed the work that you do?

Critical thinking is an essential skill in the work place, which was honed by my liberal arts education at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾. It enabled me to think broadly about many fields, and pursue numerous job opportunities outside of my major.

Has studying Psychology impacted your perspective (personally, professionally, or other)? If so, how?

Studying psychology has had a huge impact on my perspective, in all fields of my life. It brings an ability to work with people from varying backgrounds, with different needs, and different motivations. Working well with people is one of the most important and rarest skill to bring to the work place – and also has huge benefits for interpersonal relationships.

What are the one or two events, courses or people that stand out in your mind from your time at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾?

I formed a very close bond with one of my professors, which has been one of my lasting friendships from ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾. My involvement in the robotics team has also been something that provided me with once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

Do you have any advice for current student at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾?

Soak it all in! Enjoy the friendships at your fingertips and the endless free food while you can J And don’t forget to learn practical things too, like how to read a rental agreement and balance a budget.

How has your ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ education and experience helped you and informed the work that you do?

I owe a huge amount of who I am to ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾, and could go on and on – it’s an extraordinary place. But, it terms of professional development, my psychology professors at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ were passionate about the subjects they taught, and I know that influenced my choice to join the field. And, I was fortunate to have great advice from Professor Slowiaczek and others about navigating the grad school process.

Has studying Psychology impacted your perspective (personally, professionally, or other)? If so, how?

Yes, I would have had a very hard time following the career I chose without majoring in Psychology – deciding to do that after just taking Psych 101 my sophomore year totally changed my path and I’ve never looked back. However, even for folks who don’t pursue a career in psychology, knowing how to think about human behavior from a scientific perspective and be an informed consumer of research is both fascinating and crucial in today’s world.

What are the one or two events, courses or people that stand out in your mind from your time at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾?

Thinking about psychology – I’d go with Professor Slowiaczek’s Language seminar during my senior year. Her enthusiasm for her teaching is infectious and she creates such a warm and engaging atmosphere. I think of her and many of my other ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ professors often when I teach.

Do you have any advice for current student at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾?

Get involved with everything you possibly can! There are so many rich experiences to be had at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾, both academic and extracurricular. And, try to spend a summer on campus if you can. My summer working in Professor Lovett’s lab, living in Brunswick Apartments, and enjoying Maine was 100% the best summer of my life so far.

What have you been up to since graduating from ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾?

I'm working in the information technology field, and have been spending time with technology startups that are doing work that I see as contributing to the common good. I worked at a company that is helping to innovate cancer drug development in the field of pathology. Currently, I'm working with another tech startup, SpectrumAI, that is innovating autism care. These are the types of companies that have a mission that I can really get behind.

Why study the brain?

My favorite thing I gained from being a psychology major and working with the neuroscience department was that it really forced me to think about how external factors within our environment shape the wiring of synapses in our brains and our brain development, which also shape how we interact with our environment. It's very complex and really interesting. It's not just that your brain causes you to interact in a certain way, but also your environment can act as feedback to your body, which then can help shape the brain. The faculty and staff were super friendly and supportive, and they presented numerous opportunities for undergraduates to be able to do research outside of the confines of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ College. I think that's a really unique experience and I encourage people to try and seek out those experiences.