Dr. Derek Hopko
Health Psychology and Emotional Disorder Research Lab Group
Research Lab 2006
(Back) From left to right:Jennifer Smith, Maria Armento, Dr. Hopko, Jessica Benton-Wills, Nicole Wolf, Brad Rozell, Sarah Robertson
(Front) From left to right:Melissa Hunt, Meredith Schwartzman, Christen Mullane, Tabitha Miles, Britany Crouch, Sara Smith, Nicole Yonkee
Research Lab 2001
From left to right: Amy Renfro, Melissa Cantu, Laura Chambers, Jen Engle, Meredith Schwartzman,
Maria Armento, Allison Germain, Jodi Beene, Derek Hopko, Rob Bare,
Cara Wright, Julie Crittendon, Kristin Kirksey, Melissa Hunt
Current Graduate Students
Maria E.A. Armento
Fourth Year
Maria is a fourth year student in the clinical program. She successfully graduated with her Masters degree Fall 2006 after defending her thesis which focused on developing the Environmental Reward Observation Scale (EROS) and investigating its validity and reliability.
Her main research interest is in depression, utilizing a behavioral model for understanding its etiology and treatment.
She is currently working as a therapist for Dr. Hopko's research study focused on evaluating and treating depression in medical patients diagnosed with breast cancer using a Behavioral Activation Treatment for Depression (BATD).
Her other interests include the specific tailoring and utilization of a Behavioral Activation Treatment for Depression in lower SES communities, and the relationship between religiosity and affect.
Sarah Robertson
Third Year
Sarah is a third year student in the clinical program. She successfully defended her thesis at the University of Colorado, where she received her Masters degree.
Her thesis focused on frontal lobe functioning across the lifespan. She currently is interested in research regarding depression and anxiety, and has a special interest in older adults.
Sarah also works on the NIMH grant that assesses the efficacy of CBATD for depressed cancer patients.
Christen Mullane
Third Year
Christen is currently a third year student in the clinical program. She graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2005 (B.A.).
She has broad research interests that include studying the relations of gender, race, body image, weight, and psychopathology (i.e., eating disorders, depression and anxiety).
She also is interested in cognitive processes as they relate to individuals social perceptions, and plans to collaborate with researchers in the fields of anthropology, sociology, and medicine in future work.
She currently is working with Dr. Hopko on his grant-funded study that examines the behavioral treatment of depression in cancer patients.
Michael Gawrysiak
Third Year
Mike is currently a third year student in the clinical program. He graduated from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale in 2005.
He spent four years working at SIUC in a neuroscience laboratory studying psychology and addictive behaviors.
His current research interests include neurobiological models of depression, and research supported treatments of depression.
Mike is currently working with Dr. Hopko on his grant-funded study that examines the behavioral treatment of depression in breast-cancer patients.
John P. Carvalho
Second Year
John is currently a second year student in the clinical program.
He graduated from Providence College in 2004 and spent two years working for the Mood Disorders Research Program at Butler Hospital in Providence, RI.
His research interests include depression and anxiety, specifically causal factors related to the two disorders.
He is currently assisting Dr. Hopko in his study of treatment outcome in depressed breast cancer patients.
Lindsey Colman
Second Year
Lindsey is a second year student in the clinical program at UT. She graduated from The University of Tennessee with a B.A. in Psychology in 2006.
Her research interests include cognitive deficits in depression and their impact on problem-solving ability and the relationships between depressive symptoms and early maladaptive schemas. Lindsey is currently working on
Dr. Hopko's grant-funded study that examines the behavioral treatment of depression in cancer patients and also on a project that examines how a brief treatment of test anxiety impacts IQ performance scores for college undergraduates.
Graduates
Julie Crittendon
Masters Degree
Julie successfully defended her Master's Thesis Summer 2004, investigating worry in persons over sixty years of age, specifically, confusion within this population when taking an established worry scale.
This study was a modification of the full scale into a revised, more age appropriate scale. Julie is currently a clinical graduate student at the University of Mississippi.
Rob Bare
Doctoral Degree
Rob successfully defended his dissertation Spring 2006, investigating the relationship between psychopathic traits, anxiety, impulsivity, and executive functioning in a nonforensic population.
Dr. Bare is currently working on a post-doc in Atlanta, GA.
Meredith P. Schwartzman
Post-doc
Meredith successfully defended her dissertation Spring 2006 examining insulin dependent diabetes mellitus in children looking at the affective, behavioral, and social consequences.
Dr. Schwartzman is currently working on a post-doc at the Institute of Living in Hartford, CT.
Melissa K. Hunt
Post-doc
Melissa successfully defended her dissertation Summer 2007, predicting high school truancy among students in the Appalachian South. Dr. Hunt is currently working on a post-doc at the Virginia Treatment Center for Children in Palmyra, VA.
More Pictures
Dr. Hopko with Erick and Melissa
Dr. Hopko with Farrah Hughes