CIRA Bids Farewell and Welcomes New Fellows

After two years at the center, CIRA bids a fond farewell to one cohort of pre and postdoctoral fellows, while we also welcome four 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 fellows leaving the program:

• Jaimie Meyer has been appointed as a Clinical Instructor, Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, AIDS Program, Yale School of Medicine
• Allecia Reid (pictured above at AIDS Science Day 2011) is a new Research Associate at the Brown University Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies
• Cristina Cruza-Guet continues her postdoctoral studies at the Program for Recovery & Community Health at Yale School of Medicine
• Katie Brooks Biello is a new postdoctoral fellow in Global HIV Epidemiology at the Fenway Institute in Boston, MA, with a dual appointment at Harvard School of Public Health
• Heather Cole-Lewis is a new postdoctoral Fellow at Columbia University’s Biomedical Informatics program.

We look forward to retaining strong connections to these parting fellows and to hearing more about their future research.

Joining continuing CIRA fellows -- postdoctoral fellows Tashuna Albritton, Elizabeth King and Valerie Earnshaw, and predoctoral fellows Javier Cepeda, Isabel Martinez and Lesley Park -- are our new fellows:

• Sarah K. Calabrese earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from The George Washington University. Her research focuses on socio-cultural factors influencing sexual risk and wellbeing among a variety of vulnerable populations. During her graduate training, she received an NIMH National Research Service Award (F31) to conduct a mixed methods study examining the implications of racialized sexual stereotypes and perceived partner expectations for sexual wellbeing among HIV-positive and high-risk, HIV-negative African American women. As a postdoctoral fellow at CIRA, Sarah continues to concentrate on prevention research that considers social, structural, and contextual factors related to sexual safety and wellness among the African American community and other underserved groups. Sarah’s mentor at CIRA is Dr. Nathan Hansen.
• Nicole Overstreet received her PhD in social psychology from the University of Connecticut, where she was a NIMH predoctoral fellow in the Social Processes of HIV/AIDS Training Program. Her research interests include body image, stigma, sexual risk behaviors, and the relationship between intimate partner violence (IPV) and HIV risk. Nicole’s dissertation on body image and sexual risk used virtual reality to assess how the experience of body shame affects risky behavioral decisions. In addition, her work considers how the stigmatization of IPV impacts HIV risk behaviors—a perspective that is often overlooked. At CIRA, Nicole continues to foster her research in these domains while pursuing novel intervention and prevention strategies for IPV and HIV. Nicole’s mentor is Dr. Tami Sullivan.
• 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’s mentor is Dr. Jeannette Ickovics.
• Weihai Zhan received his Ph.D. in Population Health Sciences with a concentration in Epidemiology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. His research primarily focuses on the investigation of factors associated with the transmission of HIV/AIDS. He also has conducted research projects in the areas of aging, smoking and alcohol use. At CIRA, Weihai continues to research how coercive mobility, the movement between prison/jail and the community may directly and indirectly influence HIV infection and other health outcomes among individuals with a recent history of non-violent drug offense. Weihai's mentors at CIRA are Dr. Robert Heimer and Dr. Kim M. Blankenship.

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!