Eileen Barden
Eileen is a first-year clinical psychology Ph.D. student. Her research interests include: PTSD and relationship functioning, individual and dyadic emotion regulation, and psychophysiological reactivity and recovery. She is currently working on a Dyadic Physiology Study, which examines how relationships effect physiological baseline signals within individuals and between different dyad conditions. Eileen is also currently working on examining trauma and the coregulation of autonomic responses, specifically respiratory sinus arrhythmia.
Prior to graduate school, Eileen worked as a lab manager examining emotion regulation processes in relation to PTSD and depression. Additionally, she worked as a Research Analyst on an RCT examining the treatment of comorbid PTSD and substance use at the Medical University of South Carolina. Eileen received her Bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Maryland – Baltimore County. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and spending time with friends.
Dana Ergas
Dana is a first-year clinical psychology Ph.D. student. Her research interests broadly include couple functioning, gender/sexual minority couples, minority stress, risk and protective factors related to stress and trauma, stress-related growth, and resilience. She is particularly interested in the association between chronic stress from minority identification and stress-related growth. She plans to investigate aspects of minority stress experienced by LGBTQ individuals in an effort to uncover characteristics associated with stress-related growth. This preliminary study will provide a foundation for future research examining the interaction between chronic stress, like minority stress, and acute stress and/or trauma. She is interested in examining whether minority identification development can act as a protective factor in subsequent acute stress.
Prior to graduate school, Dana worked at Weill Cornell Medicine in the Department of Psychiatry where she worked as a research assistant on treatment studies utilizing behavioral activation among individuals with major depression and post-stroke depression. She received her Bachelor's degree in Psychology at Boston University where she worked in a lab conducting research with survivors of human sex trafficking. Dana loves traveling and has so far been to thirteen countries! She hopes to have an opportunity to add to this list in the near future!
Seigie Kennedy
Seigie is a second-year clinical psychology Ph.D. student. Her research interests include couple's intimacy and communication, sexual assault and trauma, and the etiology, progression, and residual effects of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder specifically pertaining to relationship functioning. She is currently working on the Trauma, Self-Esteem, and Sexual Behaviors Study, which examines the relation between prior traumatic experiences, self-esteem, social support, and sexual risk-taking behavior in the college population. This study will gather preliminary data for future research aimed at improving intervention methods for individuals who have experienced trauma and, as a result, may be engaging in risky behaviors.
Prior to graduate school, Seigie worked at an inpatient mental health care facility and was a New York State Certified Sexual Assault Counselor. She received her Bachelor's degree in psychology from the University at Albany, State University of New York. Seigie is also the mother of two four-legged fur babies and is a hard-core Disney fanatic.
Alex B. Wang
Alex Wang is a second-year clinical psychology Ph.D. student. His research interests include couples functioning, savoring and the formation, course, and consequences of attachment relationships. He plans to investigate the association between early childhood trauma, development of insecure attachment styles, poor adult interpersonal and intrapersonal functioning such as Borderline Personality Disorder, and possible interventions. He is currently working on the Couples Savoring Study, which investigates the effects that savoring positive memories have on romantic relationships in a college sample. This preliminary study will provide the foundation to investigate specific mechanisms of savoring to better understand it as a potential brief intervention tool.
Before starting this program, Alex worked as a research manager and counselor at a residential treatment facility for troubled youth in California. He also worked as a study coordinator at Pomona College. Alex received his Bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and International Studies from Vassar College. Alex dreams that one day he will be the proud owner of a dwarf goat whom he will name “sinnamon” and form a secure attachment relationship with.
