Clinical Students
View graduate students in Dr. Buckner’s lab
View graduate students in Dr. Calamia’s lab
View graduate students in Dr. Cohen’s lab
View graduate students in Dr. Copeland’s lab
View graduate students in Dr. Frick’s lab
View graduate students in Dr. Hill's lab.
View graduate students in Dr. Tucker’s lab
Emily Kemp (she/her) is a 6th year clinical psychology doctoral candidate in Dr. Paul Frick's
Developmental Psychopathology Lab who is currently on internship at the Charleston
Consortium at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). In 2014, she graduated
Summa Cum Laude and with Departmental Honors from the University of Texas at Austin
with a B.S. in psychology and minor in sociology. After a 3-year post-bacc position
as a full time research assistant at Yale, she joined LSU in 2018 and received her
M.A. in Psychology from LSU in 2020. Her research interests include underlying mechanisms
with which elevated callous-unemotional (CU) traits develop, neural and cognitive
correlates to conduct disorder and chronic antisocial behavior, and assessment/intervention
techniques for youth with elevated CU traits and behavioral problems. Outside of school,
she enjoys volunteer work with animal shelters, binge listening to podcasts, and trying
new restaurants (bonus points for those with a trivia night).
Paige Weir (she/her) is a 6th year clinical psychology student on internship at UTHealth McGovern
Medical School, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Doctoral Psychology Internship
Program in Houston, Texas. She received her Bachelors of Science from the University
of Hawai'i at Mānoa in Psychology in Fall 2015. After continuing her work as an RBT
for ABA as well as university affiliated community-based research, she began her attending
LSU's Clinical Psychology Program under the mentorship of Dr. Johnny Matson, PhD (retired).
Throughout her graduate career, Paige has gained specialized training in the assessment
and treatment IDDs as well as broader training in emotional and behavioral disorders
in children and adolescents. Her research interests within ASD populations include
parental/caregiver stress and accessibility of assessment/treatment for underserved/rural
populations. More broadly, Paige is interested in research related to program development
of clinical services for children and adolescents. Outside of school, she enjoys traveling,
spending time with her family and pets, and the occasional weekend trip to New Orleans.
Cristina Abarno is a 5th year clinical psychology student in Dr. Copeland's lab. She is currently
completing her internship at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. She received
her Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology from the University of Florida in 2013
and her Master of Arts degree in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College of Criminal
Justice in 2015. Her research interests include identifying transdiagnostic processes
associated with mood and co-occurring substance use disorders to inform treatment
and prevention strategies.
Jeff Powers is a 5th year student in the MOSB lab, currently on internship at the Cincinnati
VA. He grew up in New Hampshire and moved to Kentucky after high school where he enlisted
in the Army as a medic. He had deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan and left service
in 2012. He stayed in KY and graduated from Western Kentucky University in 2017 with
a Bachelor's degree in Psychological Sciences and a minor in History. He continued
his education at WKU and graduated in 2019 with a Master's degree in Psychological
Sciences. His primary interests are in the treatment and prevention of suicide, but
also the issues that are pervasive among veterans and armed forces personnel including
PTSD, substance use, and traumatic brain injury. In his free time he likes to spend
time with his wife, bull terriers, going out new restaurants, and trying to get tickets
from Joe Burrow for Bengals games in Cincinnati.
Nick Oakey-Frost is a 5th year student in the MOSB lab and is currently a Clinical Psychology Intern
at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson, AZ. He graduated from
the University of Utah in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a minor
in Anthropology. For the three years prior to his studies at LSU, Nicolas worked as
the Research Manager for the National Center for Veterans Studies (now STRIVE) with
Dr. Craig Bryan and his team. Nick is interested in continued exploration, refinement,
and understanding suicide risk assessment methodologies. He also maintains his interest
in the identification and refinement of protective/resiliency factors toward and understand
of how these variables differentiate between patients who attempt suicide versus those
who do not. He has also become interested in brief (i.e., single session) interventions
that maximize immediate patient impact and are scalable to the needs of diverse systems
of mental healthcare (e.g., acute inpatient psychiatry, primary care).
Celeste Tevis is a 5th year graduate student in the clinical psychology program. She received her
undergraduate degree from Grove City College with a major in psychology and minors
in social work and sociology in 2017. Prior to graduate school, she provided applied
behavior analysis therapy to children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder
and worked as a research assistant in a gender studies lab. She entered the Ph.D.
program in clinical psychology at LSU in 2019 and received her master’s degree from
LSU in 2022. Her research interests broadly include early identification and treatment
of ASD, as well as the intersection of ASD and Down Syndrome. In her free time, Celeste
enjoys reading, spending time with family, and trying new restaurants!
Erin Vaughan is a 5th year clinical student on Dr. Frick’s team. She graduated summa cum laude
from the University of Notre Dame with a major in psychology and minor in anthropology.
While at Notre Dame, she worked in Dr. Lira Yoon’s Cognition, Emotion, and Emotional
Disorders Lab and Dr. Kristin Valentino’s Development & Psychopathology Lab. Under
Dr. Valentino, she worked as a research assistant on a psychosocial intervention for
maltreated children and completed an honors thesis on the link between maternal sensitivity
and child internalizing and externalizing behaviors in families of different racial
backgrounds. Her research interests include parental influences on callous-unemotional
traits, emotional socialization and the development of empathy in childhood, and parenting
interventions for children with conduct problems and callous-unemotional traits. In
her free time, she enjoys being active, going to the movies, and giving all her money
to coffee shops.
Michaela Brown is a 5th year clinical psychology student on Dr. Frick's team. She received her undergraduate
degree in Psychology with a minor in Early Intervention from Northeastern University
in 2014, and her master's of arts in Psychology of Education from Teacher's College
at Columbia University in 2019. In between her undergraduate and graduate education,
Michaela worked as a developmental specialist, providing home-based early intervention
services to children 0 to 3 and their families. Her research interests include the
early identification and assessment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as well as how
comorbid psychopathology influences ASD symptomatology. Outside of school, she enjoys
spending time with friends, playing with her cats, reading and traveling.
Megan Callahan Leonard (she/her) is a 5th year clinical psychology student on Dr. Ray Tucker and Dr. Ryan Hills' teams. She received her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience with minors in Psychology and Theological Studies from Saint Louis University in 2019. Her research interests include autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the intersection with gender and sexual minorities. Outside of school, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their german shepherd, reading, and trying new recipes.
Julianne Speck (she/her) is a 4th year clinical psychology student on Dr. Frick's team. She received
her undergraduate degree in Psychology and a minor in Italian from the University
of Delaware in 2016. After working as a clinical subjects coordinator on the Adolescent
Brain Cognitive Development Study at the University of Michigan, she was admitted
to the program at LSU in 2020 and received her Master's in clinical psychology in
2023. Her research interests concern the juvenile justice system, specifically the
relationship between mental health and juvenile detention. Outside of school, she
enjoys yoga and exploring the swamps, crawfish, parades, and other cultural experiences
of Louisiana.
Nina Glover (she/her) is a 4th-year graduate student on Dr. Cohen's team. She received her Bachelor
of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Houston in 2018. Her research
interests include examining the causality of co-morbid substance use and emotional
psychopathology within psychosocial contexts (e.g., racial discrimination, microaggressions),
particularly among racially diverse populations, identifying barriers to treatment
for the aforementioned populations, and improving quality and access to mental health
care and resources for underserved communities. In her spare time, she enjoys spending
time with friends, sleeping, and trying new restaurants around town!
Christian Ledet (she/her) is a 4th year clinical psychology student on Dr. Kelley's team. She received
a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Louisiana State University in 2017 and a
Master of Arts in General Psychology from Southeastern Louisiana University in 2020.
Her research interests include examining the efficacy of interventions and routines
for problematic externalizing behaviors among children and adolescents with ADHD.
Outside of school, she enjoys visiting local coffee shops with friends, watching reality
television, and singing karaoke.
Paige Morris (she/her) is a 4th year doctoral clinical psychology student on Dr. Buckner’s team.
She received her undergraduate degree in Psychology from Temple University in 2017.
Before joining the program in 2020, she was a clinical research coordinator on clinical
trials investigating pharmacogenetic treatment approaches and outcomes for alcohol
and opioid use disorder. Paige is interested in examining sex differences in substance
use (especially cannabis use) and psychosocial risk and protective factors, such as
motivational and context-specific factors. She is also interested in harm reduction
approaches and brief online interventions among special populations, such as women,
college students, and individuals with substance use and co-occurring psychiatric
disorders. Outside school, she enjoys cooking, yoga, amateur astronomy, and walking
with her two Australian shepherds.
Luke Miller (he/him) is a 4th year clinical psychology student on Dr. Calamia's team. He received
his undergraduate degree in Psychology from Drexel University in 2020, and his master's
of arts in Clinical Psychology from Louisiana State University. Luke is interested
in the utility of technology (e.g., virtual reality) and positive neuropsychological
factors in the assessment and cognitive rehabilitation of those with acquired brain
injury and dementia. Recently, he has been working with therapists at a local outpatient
rehab to implement a driving simulator program, a resilience intervention, and other
initiatives to track treatment progress. In his free time, Luke enjoys traveling,
cooking (but mostly eating) Mexican cuisine, and obsessing over Pittsburgh professional
sports.
Sarah Pardue-Bourgeois is a 4th year clinical psychology student in Dr. Tucker's lab. She received her undergraduate
and master of arts degrees at Southeastern Louisiana University. Her research and
clinical interests focus broadly on suicide prevention and intervention at the individual
and community levels. In her free time, she enjoys fishing and watching football with
her husband, playing with her two senior dogs, and spending time with her family.
Courtney Goetz is a 3rd year clinical psychology student on Dr. Frick's team. She received her undergraduate
degree in Psychology from Michigan State University. After graduating, she worked
on neuropsychology and mental health research at the University of Michigan and Michigan
State University. She is interested in researching the impact of neighborhood disadvantage
on the development of conduct problems in children and adolescents. In her free time,
she enjoys spending time with her pets, reading, and collecting houseplants.
Katrail Davis is a 3rd year clinical psychology student on Dr. Calamia's team. She is mainly interested
in assessment with underrepresented populations. Particularly, she is interested in
ways to improve neuropsychological measures to help improve health outcomes for aging
adults. Outside of school, Katrail enjoys running, knitting, crocheting, and binge-watching
her favorite tv shows.
Madeleine Hansen is a 3rd year clinical psychology student in the Kelley Lab. A native of Opelousas,
Louisiana, she graduated summa cum laude from Louisiana State University in 2020 with
a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a minor in LGBTQ Studies. Her research interests
include identifying risk and protective factors of the development of psychopathology
in at-risk youth, etiology and treatment of delinquent behavior, and comorbidities
within neurodiverse populations. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with her
pets, spending time at her family's farm, staring at her plant collection, and rearranging
her entire home.
Faith Stoneking (she/her) is a 3rd year student in the Clinical Psychology program. She received
her undergraduate degree in Psychology from Randolph College and her Master of Arts
in Psychology from American University, where she completed her MA thesis on the effects
of viewing thinspiration and fitspiration media content. Her research interests include
comorbid, maladaptive eating and substance use behaviors, specifically within sexual
and gender minority populations, as well as the assessment of body image and understanding
the impacts of social media on mental health. Outside of school, Faith enjoys traveling,
taking her rescue dog Baylor to the dog park, and searching for the best iced coffee
in town.
Morgan Buerke is a 3rd year clinical psychology student who transferred over from the University
of Southern Mississippi with her mentor, Dr. Capron. She received her undergraduate
degree from Kent State University in Ohio, then worked for three years at the University
of Pittsburgh Medical Center, where she became interested in suicide research. Her
current research interests include improving our current suicide risk assessment and
treatment procedures, transdiagnostic thought processes that put someone at risk for
suicide, and novel suicide interventions. She also volunteers for a program partnership
with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics
to reduce youth suicides in the state of Mississippi. Outside of school, she loves
rock climbing and hanging with her cat, Pluto.
Taylor A. Miller (she/her) is a 2nd year clinical psychology student on Dr. Frick's team. She graduated
Summa Cum Laude from Kennesaw State University with a B.S. in Psychology and a minor
in Applied Statistics and Data Analysis. As an undergraduate and after graduation,
Taylor worked as a research assistant in Dr. Woo's Care Informatics Lab, primarily
focusing on biomedical health research and identifying speech-to-text performance
of minority doctors. After graduating, Taylor also completed an internship with Children
and Family Programs, where she was trained in manualized behavioral interventions
and in grant writing. Her research interests include the development of antisocial
behavior, callous-unemotional traits, and psychopathy, as well as research on parenting
interventions for those with conduct problems and justice reform. Outside of the program,
she enjoys painting, yoga, DIY crafts/projects, cooking new vegan recipies, and spending
time with her cats.
Ashlyn Runk is a 2nd year Clinical Psychology student in Dr. Calamia's lab. She received her undergraduate degree in psychological sciences from the University of Mary Washington in 2016, after which she worked as a research coordinator for the Geriatric Neuropsychology Research Program at the University of Pittsburgh. She is broadly interested in the assessment of everyday functional ability in older adults with neurodegenerative disorders, the development of brief technology based measures of functioning and the use of behavioral interventions to maintain or improve independent everyday functional ability in these populations.
Aubree Corporandy is a 2nd year Clinical Psychology student on Dr. Cohen's team. She received her undergraduate
degree in Psychology with a concentration in Human Services and minor in Modern Languages,
Linguistics, and Intercultural Communications from the University of Maryland, Baltimore
County in 2012. After working in research for several years in places such as the
Department of Veterans Affairs and consulting for a budding mental health nonprofit,
she discovered an interest in the use of technology as a means of developing more
efficient ways of conducting research and providing mental health services. In 2021,
she went on to receive a Masters of Business Administration degree with a concentration
in Business Analytics and certification in Nonprofit Management from the University
of San Diego, developing a new set of skills to inform her research interests. Working
primarily in the field of serious mental illness, her research focuses on using language
as means of studying treatment progression, client relationships, and positive psychology
tools. Outside of her time at LSU, she enjoys all sorts of outdoor activities, particularly
hiking with her dog and seeking out interesting new places for their adventures in
the South!
Tyler Hendley is a 1st year graduate student in Dr. Ryan Hill’s Suicide Prevention Research Lab.
Tyler is from Kannapolis, NC, and graduated from Clemson University with a B.S. in
psychology and a minor in life sciences. While at Clemson, he worked in Dr. Robin
Kowalski’s Social Psychology Lab where he researched K-12, college/university, and
mass shootings. After graduation, Tyler was accepted into McLean Hospital/Harvard
Medical School’s Post-Baccalaureate Clinical Fellowship in the Simches Center of Excellence
in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. While at McLean Hospital, he served as a Community
Residence Counselor, Clinical Educator Specialist, and research assistant at the 3East
DBT Adolescent Residential Program. After graduating the fellowship, Tyler rejoined
Dr. Kowalski’s research endeavors to investigate suicidality and mass shootings. His
research interests include suicide prevention in child and adolescent populations,
examining interpersonal processes as they relate to suicidal thoughts and behaviors,
and gun violence on a mass and individual level. In his free time, he likes to fish,
attend sporting events, and listen to live music.
Max Stivers (he/him) is a 1st-year clinical psychology student with LSU's Mitigation of Suicidal
Behavior Lab, advised by Dr. Raymond Tucker. After graduating from NYU with a BA in
Psychology and Philosophy, Max earned his MA in Psychology from Pepperdine University.
He comes to LSU also having contributed to mood disorder and suicide prevention research
in a variety of academic, clinical, and community mental health settings, most recently
serving as a Research Coordinator with the Suicide Care, Prevention, and Research
Initiative at the Uniformed Services University. Moving forward, Max is interested
in investigating facilitators of help-seeking behavior and learning more about the
development of more acceptable and accessible interventions for members of vulnerable
populations.
Halle Fowler (she/her) is a 1st year clinical psychology student in the MOSB lab. She grew up in Georgia in the Blue Ridge Mountains. She received her undergraduate degree in Psychology and History from Brown University in 2022, and her master's degree in Developmental Psychology from Gallaudet University in 2023. Halle's research interests include the prevention and treatment of suicidal thoughts and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), specifically thinking about daily life events that contribute to NSSI, mental health infrastructure in rural areas, and the assessment of suicidal ideation in the Deaf/HOH community. In her free time, Halle enjoys reading and hiking!
Luke Vargo is a 1st year clinical psychology student mentored by Dr. Julia Buckner. He completed his undergraduate degree in Psychology at Middle Georgia State University in 2019 and received a master's degree in Psychological Research at Texas State University during the spring of 2023. His research interests pertain to transdiagnostic mechanisms among substance use and anxiety disorders in hopes of refining available psychological treatments.
Katie Thomas (she/her) is a 1st year clinical psychology student in Dr. Buckner's lab. She received
her undergraduate degree in Cognitive Science from Rice University in 2019. Following
graduation, she worked as a research assistant for the Trauma Research Consortium
at Baylor Scott & White researching occupational-related trauma and evidence-based
mental health care for veterans and first responders. Her research interests include
identifying risk and maintenance factors for substance use in trauma-exposed populations
and the development of evidence-based interventions for trauma and substance use disorders.
Outside of school, she enjoys weightlifting, reading, crocheting, and cuddling with
her rescue dog Moira.
Michael Jaworski is a 1st year Ph.D. student in Clinical Psychology at LSU, associated with the Neuropsychometrics
Research Group (NRG) Lab, guided by advisor Matthew Calamia. Holding a BA and MA in
Psychology from the University at Buffalo, he brings over six years of clinical research
experience from the division of neuropsychology at the Jacobs School of Medicine.
His research interests encompass the integration of technology in assessments, personality's
role in daily functioning, and the intricacies of psychometrics. Beyond academics,
Michael enjoys backing the Buffalo Bills every Sunday, culinary exploration, and occasional
ventures into video gaming.
Hannah Lovato (she/her) is a 1st year clinical psychology student in Dr. Calamia's lab. She received
her undergraduate degree in Psychology from Christopher Newport University and her
master's of science in General Psychology from New Mexico Highlands University. After
school she worked as a research assistant at the Boston VA working on a clinical trial
for TBI. Her research interests include neuropsychological assessment of neurodegenerative
disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and early prediction markers of cognitive decline
like depression and anxiety. Outside of school she likes to sculpt, paint, and play
with her dog.
Austin Starkey (he/him) is a 1st year clinical psychology student with Dr. Hill's team. He received
his undergraduate degree in Psychology and Sociology from Florida State University
in 2018. After graduating, he worked in Dr. Pamela Keels Eating Behaviors Research
clinic for 3 years managing her NIH funded R01 examining biobehavioral indicators
for binge eating disorder. Following this, he worked with Craig Bryan at The Ohio
State University Wexner Medical Center, where he managed clinical trials examining
the effectiveness of Brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on suicide prevention. His
research interests include suicide prevention among transition age youth, namely those
from minoritized and underserved populations. Additionally, he is interested the development
of treatments for non-suicidal self-injurious behavior among adolescents. In his free
time, he spends time with his cats, Dr. Wilson, Angela, and Dwight.
Commitment to Diversity
We encourage applications from individuals with diverse racial, ethnic, and/or cultural backgrounds. Baton Rouge is a racially diverse city and our work in the greater Baton Rouge community allows us to provide clinical services to and conduct research with racially diverse individuals in our community. We take great pride in this diversity. Furthermore, our program is deeply committed to fostering a learning environment that supports cultural and individual differences and diversity. Additionally, “Diversity is fundamental to LSU's mission and the University is committed to creating and maintaining a living and learning environment that embraces individual difference. Cultural inclusion is of highest priority” (see entire LSU Diversity Statement)