Welcome to the official Department of Psychology newsletter!
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Graduate Program in Psychology Ranked #8 in the Nation by US News & World Report
The Graduate Program in Psychological Sciences at Vanderbilt has cracked the top Ten of Doctoral Programs in Psychology in the 2025 US News & World Report survey. The Graduate Program ranks #8, tied with other schools such as the University of Pennsylvania and Northwestern University. The program has enjoyed a remarkable ascent in the rankings over the the past decade, as it was ranked #30 in 2014. The ranking is based on a survey of academics at peer institutions, and thus reflects the program's outstanding reputation in the field.
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Gradute Student PanelGraduate students from both A&S and Peabody spoke to Amy Booth's honors psychology students about applying to and navigating graduate school. Camille Archer and Allie Adamis led a presentation on the process of applying to clinical programs. Melina Mueller spoke and answered questions about cognition and cognitive nueroscience. After, students from other areas (quant/developmental/ccn/neuro) participated in a panel answering questions about their experiences and how this differed from clinical.
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Allie AdamisCongratulations to Allie Adamis who received the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) from NIMH. The award is to enable promising predoctoral students to obtain individualized, mentored research training from outstanding faculty sponsors while conducting dissertation research in scientific health-related fields relevant to the missions of the NIMH.
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Simon Lilburn: Bob Fox Postdoc Award Winner
Simon was nominated for being a model of someone who not only excels in his own research—working with Gordon Logan, Tom Palmeri, and Jeff Schall—but also for his critical role in the scientific vibrancy of our Department, where his collegiality, mentorship, and generosity have made a lasting impact on both students and faculty.
This award, which is granted to a postdoctoral fellow in our department who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in research, is named in honor of Robert “Bob” Fox for his essential role in guiding the evolution of Vanderbilt’s psychology department over a five-decade period starting in the mid-60’s.
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Sarah Jessup: Pat Burns Research Award Winner
Sarah (Olatunji Lab) ranks among the top 1% of graduate students in the clinical science program over the past 15 years, boasting over 30 publications and producing research of exceptional quality that rivals that of junior faculty. Currently a postdoctoral scholar at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, she has developed a novel research program focused on enhancing learning during exposure therapy for anxiety and related disorders, demonstrating her independence and multi-level analytical approach to understanding anxiety-related psychopathology.
Pat Burns touched generations of doctoral students during her nearly four decades of service to Vanderbilt University. In memory of her tireless efforts to help guide our students through all phases of their graduate education, the Department of Psychology establishes a Graduate Student Research Award to recognize outstanding achievement in research by our most outstanding graduate students.
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Jinhyeok Jeong: Hodges TA Award Winner
Jin (Palmeri Lab) has excelled as a teaching assistant, effectively communicating with faculty and students, grading promptly, and fulfilling course responsibilities with a positive and helpful attitude. A graduate student from the Computational Neuroscience course has even nominated him for recognition, highlighting his outstanding contributions to their understanding of the material.
This award recognizes outstanding achievement as a teaching assistant by a graduate student in the Department of Psychology. William Hodges was an undergraduate and a graduate student at Vanderbilt who received his doctorate in 1967.
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Kemberlee Bonnet: Trisha James Staff Award Winner
Kemberlee (Schlundt Lab) specializes in clinical psychology with a focus on the assessment and treatment of anxiety disorders. Her research interests include the role of cognitive processes in anxiety and the development of innovative therapeutic interventions.
In recognition of outstanding performance by a departmental staff member, this award honors the exceptional contributions of Trisha James to the Department of Psychology. For more than 20 years, Trisha exhibited the utmost integrity, intelligence, compassion, leadership, dedication and hard work to her various positions in the business office of the department.
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Isabel Gauthier: Teaching Innovation Award Winner
Isabel Gauthier received this award for her course "Scientific Writing in Psychology and Neuroscience", in which she included several facets dedicated to AI, including using it to prepare better course materials, for in-class activities and teaching students to create, evaluate and share their own writing agent assistants.
This award recognizes a faculty member (continuing track, tenure track, or tenured) in the Psychology Department in the College of Arts and Science who models intellectual risk-taking for their (undergraduate and/or graduate) students by effectively employing creative approaches in course design or innovative pedagogical practices.
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HyeonSeung Lee: Nunnally Dissertation Award Winner
Hanson’s (Park Lab) dissertation, “Personal Space Regulation in Schizophrenia,” explores the psychological mechanisms behind social behavior anomalies and their potential remediation through technology, resulting in 11 publications to date. Currently completing his APA-approved clinical internship in Missouri, he will soon begin a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School, focusing on neuroimaging and behavioral studies in early psychosis populations.
The Jum C. Nunnally Dissertation Award recognizes a recent outstanding doctoral dissertation in the Department of Psychology. He served as chair from 1961-1964 and again from 1967-1970. Under Jum’s leadership, the department grew substantially in stature, including significant increases in both the number and quality of the faculty.
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Lexi von der Lieth
Lexi is a former member of Dr. Maxcey’s lab and 2024 Graduate. Lexi is a newly licensed Registered Nurse and MSN student at the School of Nursing, specializing in Psychiatric-Mental Health. She participates in the Cal Turner Fellowship for Moral Leadership and enjoys supporting classmates as a Pathophysiology tutor. Following graduation, she looks forward to beginning part-time bedside practice in Med-Surg while launching her career as a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. Lexi is also committed to lifelong learning and plans to continue expanding her skills, particularly in cognitive behavioral therapy modalities, to enhance her clinical practice.
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Marty Singer, PhD
Marty Singer — PhD, Vanderbilt University, 1977 — was surprised recently by the announcement that the book he wrote, edited, and published in 1982, based on his PhD thesis, will soon be republished. It is noteworthy that Marty’s research on reading in the 1970s and his book on that work remains fresh and relevant to contemporary interest in the development of reading skills. Marty was one of our department’s many influential graduate students. He had a rewarding professional career outside of academia. Read More...
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Schaefer LabDoes long-term cannabis use cause depression? How does growing up in poverty shape risk of ADHD and addiction? Why does smoking predict greater risk of developing a psychotic illness?
Jonathan Schaefer leads methodologically sophisticated research in developmental psychopathology—how and why mental health problems emerge and change over time. Specifically, the Schaefer Lab focuses on the environmental determinants of mental health: people’s lived experiences, exposures, and the things they consume, and how these influence the brain and behavior. Their goal is to identify modifiable mechanisms so that prevention, policy, and clinical care target what works. Read More...
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Clinical: Tuesday's, 12:00-1:00pm, 316 Wilson Hall
October 7 -- Lawrence Stacey, PhD
October 14 -- McKenzie Roddy, PhD
October 21 -- Rachel Marlowe
October 28 -- Abigail Plunk
CCN: Thursday's, 12:10-1:00pm, 316 Wilson Hall
October 16 -- Justine Hoch, PhD
October 23 -- Ginni Strehle
October 30 -- Kari Hoffman, PhD
Neuroscience: Friday's, 1:25-2:15pm, 316 Wilson Hall
October 3 -- Peter Kaskan, PhD
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