After two years at the center, CIRA bids a fond farewell to one cohort of post- and predoctoral fellows, while we also welcome seven new scholars to our NIMH HIV Prevention Training Program, directed by Drs. Jeanette Ickovics and Nathan Hansen. We pass on our warmest congratulations to our 'graduating' NIMH fellows and wish them well in their further endeavors! Of the postdoctoral fellows leaving the program:
- Dr. Amy Carroll-Scott has been appointed as an Associate Research Scientist, Yale School of Public Health;
- Dr. Jonathan Garcia joins a new Center for Culture, Politics and Health at Columbia
- Dr. Vienna Nightingale has been appointed as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, George Mason University, VA.
As ever, we look forward to retaining strong connections to our fellows and to hearing more about their future successes. Joining continuing CIRA fellows -- postdoctoral fellows Dr. Elizabeth King, Dr. Jaimie Meyer, and Dr. Allecia Reid, and predoctoral fellows Katie Biello and Heather Cole-Lewis, who continue through the fall -- please welcome our new fellows!
Postdoctoral Fellows
Tashuna Albritton obtained her Ph.D. in social work from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Her research focuses on HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infection interventions with minority adolescents, with an emphasis on examining the psychosocial factors affecting sexual risk behaviors. Tashuna's mentor is Dr. Trace Kershaw.
Cristina Cruza-Guet obtained her Ph.D. in counseling psychology from Lehigh University, and completed her clinical internship at the Connecticut Mental Health Center. Cristina's research focuses on the development of community-based and integrated health care interventions for HIV and other chronic diseases among individuals with co-occurring mental health and addictive disorders. She is particularly interested in the intersection between anxiety disorders and addictive behaviors, and in Latino populations. Her mentor is Dr. Nathan Hansen.
Valerie Earnshaw obtained her Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Connecticut. Her research examines the relationship between stigma and health, particularly on HIV. At CIRA, Valerie will continue this research, focusing on the relationship between experiences of discrimination and birth outcomes among pregnant teens and young women. Valerie's mentor is Dr. Jeannette Ickovics.
Lisa Rosenthal obtained her Ph.D. in social and health psychology from Stony Brook University. Her research has focused on prejudice, discrimination, and intergroup relations, including the consequences of being a member of a stigmatized group for social, academic, and health outcomes. Lisa is currently a postdoctoral associate working with her mentor, Dr. Jeannette Ickovics, at Yale's Community Alliance for Research and Engagement (CARE).
Predoctral Fellows
Following his 2010 M.P.H., Javier Cepeda returns to YSPH and is reunited with his advisor, Dr. Robert Heimer, to further his interests in the relationship between drug network characteristics and HIV risk behaviors among injection drug users. This past year he conducted research at the Baron Edmond Rothschild Chemical Dependency Institute in New York.
Isabel Martinez received an M.A. degree in Latin American Studies from California State University, Los Angeles, and will be advised by Dr. Jeannette Ickovics as she pursues an interest in the effects of acculturation on adolescent sexual risk behavior.
Lesley Park received her M.P.H. in Chronic Disease Epidemiology from the Yale School of Public Health. Her main research interests are in long-term outcomes for the aging HIV population, especially the development of cancer among persons living with HIV. Lesley's mentors at CIRA are Drs. Amy Justice and Robert Dubrow.
As always, over the coming weeks the fellows will be engaging with individual CIRA cores with a view to participating fully in the CIRA community. Please join us in welcoming our new colleagues and making them feel at home!
Published: Tuesday, September 6, 2011
