Thursday, April 29, 2010

We Are Pleased To Announce The Department of Psychology
School of Graduate Studies, PhD Student Fellowship Award Winners For 2010!

Back row from left: Erin McInerney-Ernst, Dr. Tamera Murdock, Department of Psychology Chair, David Martinez, Jessica Hamilton. Front Row from left: Amber Hinton-Dampf, Erin Moore, and Laura Hancock. Not pictured: Liz Duval and Starlyn Hawes.
New Awards
Jessica Hamilton - Preparing Future Faculty Fellow for 2010-2011
Jessica’s current research focuses on the effectiveness of coping skills training on emotion regulation using emotion modulation of startle reflex as an objective measure of emotion regulation. She is also interested in adjustment outcomes of children who have incurred trauma, such as maltreatment. Jessica’s faculty mentors are Dr. Diane Filion & Dr. Tamera Murdock.
Laura Hancock - Arthur Mag Doctoral Fellow in Arts & Sciences.
Laura plans to conduct a randomized controlled trial to examine the efficacy of computer-assisted cognitive training in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system that frequently has a negative impact on cognition (skills like memory, attention, and speed of information processing).These deficits are associated with unemployment, social difficulties, problems with medication management, and reduced quality of life. Her faculty mentor is Dr. Jared Bruce.
Amber Hinton-Dampf - School of Graduate Studies McNair Doctoral Fellowship
Amber’s areas of research interests broadly include sexuality, sexual risk behaviors, close relationships, motivation, and cheating. A current project she is working on examines condom use among homosexual adolescent males using the ARRM model. Her faculty mentors are Dr. Tamera Murdock and Dr. Jacob Marszalek.
David Martinez – Chancellor’s Fellowship
David’s area of research interest includes HIV medication adherence and HIV prevention in Latino and African American populations. His faculty mentors in this research are Dr. Kathy Goggin and Dr. Jannette Berkley-Patton.
Erin Moore – Chancellor’s Fellowship
Erin’s research focuses on trying to understanding why specific individuals take more risk with their sexual behavior and the identification of protective factors. She hopes to her apply her knowledge to developing and evaluating sexual health interventions. Her faculty mentor is Dr. Jannette Berkley-Patton.
Continuing Awards
Liz Duval – Chancellor’s Fellowship
For Liz’s dissertation project she will be using neurological (fMRI) and physiological (startle eyeblink) measures to investigate attention and emotional responses to faces in people with and without social anxiety. Her faculty mentor is Dr. Diane Filion.
Starlyn Hawes – School of Graduate Studies McNair Doctoral Fellowship
Her faculty mentor is Dr. Jannette Berkley-Patton.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Congratulations To The Newest UMKC Psi Chi & Psychology Club Members!

On Wednesday April 9th, 2010 at the UMKC Diastole House, the newest members of the UMKC Chapter of the Psi Chi Honor Society and Psychology Club were inducted. The evening kicked-off with a welcome by Psi Chi President Mr. Bryan Fox, who subsequently introduced the current officers of Psi Chi and the Psychology Club, as well as inductees into both organizations.

The Psychology Club Officers for 2010-2011 are:
President: Vyshnavi Reddy, Vice-President : Komal Dasani, Faculty Advisor: Dr. Ricardo Marte

The Psychology Club Inductee’s for Spring 2010 are:
Brodie L. Barnard, Carmen R. Benn, Elizabeth Dains, Donna Dixon, Jessica Drinkard, Amanda Holman Junaid Javed, Monique Johnson, Jennifer Kendall, Danesha Martin, Cody Morrison, Vyshnavi Reddy Derek Renko, Tony Stabler, Jennifer Tung, Janie Vanliew.

The Psi Chi Officers for 2010-2011 are:
President: Ally Bohn, Vice-President: Melanie Somogie, Fundraiser/Service Project Officer: Lauren Buscher, Faculty Advisors: Dr. Jannette Berkley-Patton & Dr. Kym Bennett

The Psi Chi National Honor Society Inductee’s for Spring 2010 are: Brodie L. Barnard, Carmen R. Benn, Lauren K. Buscher, Benjamin B. Clark, Marissa L. Cohen, Rachel E. McConnell, Sarah A. Potts, Vyshnavi S. Reddy, Melanie S. Somogie, Anthony R. Stabler, Richard J. Thompson

Following the induction, Mr. Fox announced Dr. Kymberly Bennett as the 2010 recipient of the F.R.E.U.D. Award. According to Mr. Fox, F.R.E.U.D. stands for “Faculty Recognized for Exceptional Understanding and Dedication; it is Psi Chi's way of saying "Thank You". Dr. Bennett was presented with a certificate and gift of appreciation.

Dr. Leah Gensheimer, the Director of the Undergraduate Psychology Program at UMKC served as the keynote speaker for the evening. She addressed the topic of asking “why questions” vs. “what questions” in order to guide you closer towards your goal. Following her speech, Mr. Fox presented Dr. Gensheimer with a gift of appreciation.

By all accounts, the evening was a great success! Congratulations to the newest members of the Psi Chi Honor Society & Psychology Club!

Photo Credit: Mr. Sam Somogie

Friday, April 2, 2010

On February 15, 2010, the new “Celebrating Excellence” faculty and staff awards ceremony was held at UMKC. Chancellor Morton and Provost Hackett presided over the event lauding the faculty and staff who won specific awards.

The Department of Psychology’s very own Chair and Professor, Dr. Tamera Murdock, won the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Graduate Mentoring! CONGRATULATIONS Dr. Murdock!!

Some of the criteria for this award included:

demonstrated record of graduate teaching excellence

a demonstrated record of chairing graduate supervisory committees with timely completion rates

an established record of mentoring and student professional development as demonstrated by examples such as student publication, external grant funding, and conference presentations

an ability to attract graduate students to UMKC through active recruitment and academic/scholarly reputation; and a demonstrated commitment to diversity in the mentoring process

According to her nomination materials, Dr. Murdock:

has taught nine different graduate courses and successfully mentors graduate students from three different PhD programs: Clinical Psychology, Counseling Psychology, and the IPhD program

has chaired 16 dissertations and 15 thesis committees in her 16 years at UMKC

has served as primary mentor for a PFF Fellow on three separate occasions

exhibits a commitment to diversity in the mentoring process (that) can be seen through a review of the topics her students have selected for their theses, dissertations, and other research endeavors

And, Dr. Murdock’s students:

produce dissertations, theses, and manuscripts that stand out for their conceptual clarity and theoretical integrity

have won dissertation fellowships, chancellor’s fellowships, and Preparing Future Faculty fellowships

have also won national awards including an outstanding Dissertation Award from the National Reading Association and two Outstanding Student Presentation Awards from the American Psychological Association

For more information on the “Celebrating Excellence” awards ceremony and the winner’s of the 2010 awards associated with the ceremony, please see the provost’s website at: http://www.umkc.edu/provost/awards/recipients/2010/default.asp