News and Events

Alumni Achievement Award

This award is presented to alumni who have achieved distinction in their chosen field, clearly demonstrated the value of their college education, and maintained a continuing interest in Eastern Michigan University. Generally, recipients have been graduates of Eastern Michigan University for ten to twenty-five years.

Photo of Kevin Alschuler, Ph.D.

Kevin N. Alschuler, Ph.D. (MS06, PHD10)

Associate Professor and Attending Psychologist, University of Washington School of Medicine

Kevin N. Alschuler, Ph.D., is an experienced athlete, coach, and psychologist who helps sports organizations enhance their philosophy, training, and use of sport psychology skills, strategies, and techniques. Kevin currently serves as Associate Professor and Attending Psychologist at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine. Dr. Alschuler has made significant contributions to the area of rehabilitation psychology so much that he received the 2016 Rosenthal Early Career Research Award by the American Psychological Association Division 22, Rehabilitation Psychology.  This award is only given to persons who while in their first 10 years after receiving their doctorate have made significant contributions to research in the area of rehabilitation psychology. He also serves as an EMU ambassador by representing the university and doctoral program on the national level for clinical psychology.  


Scott Brown Memorial Award

2020 Award Recipients


Photo of Michelle Lobermeier
 
Photo of Michelle Lobermeier

 

Michelle Lobermeier, BA

Doctoral Fellow, Clinical Psychology

This year’s recipient of the Scott Brown Memorial Fund is Michelle Lobermeier. Michelle is a second-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology PhD program at Eastern Michigan University. Prior to beginning graduate school, Michelle received a BA in psychology and a BA in music liberal arts from St. Norbert College, located in Wisconsin. Michelle’s research interests focus broadly on examining how early risk and resilience factors affect children’s neurodevelopment and psychological functioning. In Dr. Renee Lajiness-O’Neill’s lab, Michelle is currently working as a research assistant for the PediaTrac Project, which is a longitudinal, multi-site, R01 study funded by the National Institutes of Health. This study is recruiting 600 infant-caregiver dyads with the goal of creating a tool to track multiple domains of infant and toddler development. As Michelle continues her graduate training, she hopes to specialize in pediatric neuropsychology, with the long term goal of working with children and families in an academic medical setting.

"I am very grateful to have been chosen as a recipient of the Scott Brown Memorial Fund. This generous financial support will help offset some of the costs associated with registering for classes and purchasing course materials. I appreciate the opportunity to share my story as a first-generation student and reflect on the support and inspiration I received from others in my life, which allowed me to experience success despite the unique obstacles presented to students like me. In the future, I hope to provide similar support to other first generation students as they join the community of higher education and navigate their own path to success."


Photo of Jasmine Chananna
 
Photo of Jasmine Chananna

 

Jasmine Chananna, BHSc

Doctoral Fellow, Clinical Psychology

Jasmine Chananna is a first-year student in the Clinical Psychology PhD program at Eastern Michigan University (EMU). Jasmine earned a BHSc with an Honors Specialization in Rehabilitation Sciences and a BA with an Honors Specialization in Psychology from the University of Western Ontario (UWO), located in London, Ontario. Prior to beginning graduate studies, she worked as a Research Coordinator at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario in the Mood Research Lab. Under the supervision of Dr. Jefferson, Jasmine is planning to investigate identity formation, racial discrimination experiences, and the psychological adjustment of bicultural individuals. In the future, Jasmine hopes to work with culturally diverse and marginalized individuals in her clinical experiences.

"It is an honor to have been chosen for the Scott Brown Memorial Award. As a first-generation graduate student, this award represents more than just financial support. It represents an opportunity to reflect upon and appreciate all of the people who I have been privileged enough to have help me on this journey. I will be using this funding to offset the cost of books and course registration for the next semester. Further, this award will help me to join the determined and resilient community of first-generation graduate students within the EMU psychology graduate programs. I would like to personally express my gratitude toward Dr. Brown's partner for their generosity and the awards committee for creating this award to recognize first-generation graduate students. This award reaffirms my commitment to supporting others who need help in the future, just as I have been supported thus far."


Photo of Kirstie Herb Neff
 
Photo of Kirstie Herb Neff

 

Kirstie Herb Neff, MS, TLLP

Doctoral Fellow, Clinical Psychology

Kirstie is a fourth-year student in the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program at Eastern Michigan University (EMU). Kirstie earned her bachelor’s degree from Penn State University where she majored in psychology with a neuroscience concentration. Before attending EMU, she worked as a research coordinator in the Program in Eating Disorders and Obesity Research at Drexel University. Kirstie is broadly interested in identifying biobehavioral mechanisms associated with appetite, eating behavior, and weight, particularly in relation to eating disorders and obesity. Under the mentorship of Dr. Karen Saules and Dr. Joseph Breza at EMU, Kirstie is currently investigating relationships between taste perception, eating behavior, and weight. She will be starting a position at the Program for Obesity, Weight, and Eating Research at Yale University next summer.

“I am humbled to be one of this year’s recipients of the Dr. Scott Brown Memorial Award. It seems that far too often the unique challenges of first-generation graduate students are forgotten, so I am sincerely appreciative of the thoughtfulness of Dr. Scott Brown’s partner for creating this scholarship in his memory and supporting students like myself. It is a welcomed reminder of the importance of generosity and giving back. Thank you to all who helped make this fund possible, including Dr. Scott Brown’s partner, donors, and the awards committee; I am hopeful one day I will be in a position to support first-generation graduate students as you all have.”


American Psychological Association Internships

February 21, 2020

Congratulations to our newest cohort of interns! We are pleased to announce that we had a 100% match rate for our interns this year!

  • Tiffany Andersen - Darthmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Neuropsychology Internship
  • Jennifer Battles - VA St. Louis Health Care System, General Internship
  • Kira Boneff - University of Michigan/Rachkam Institute, Child/Adolescent
  • Lilah Clevey - University of Michigan Counseling & Psych Service, Psychology Internship
  • Heather Hennrick - Children's Hospital of Orange County, Psychology Internship
  • Megan Pejsa-Reitz - VA Maryland HCS/Univ Maryland School of Medicine, VA Health Psychology
  • Jerrica Pitzen - The Children's Center Salt Lake, Psychology Internship
  • Stefanie Poehacker - Nationwide Children's Hospital, Pediatric Psychology
  • Morgan Wright - Kenned Krieger Institute/Johns Hopkins/Behav Psych and Neuropsych, Applied Behavior Analysis

Community Behavioral Health Clinic has Moved!

An image of the Campus Wellness Center
 
An image of the Campus Wellness Center

 

Community Behavioral Health Clinic moved to 1075 North Huron River Drive. This facility s named the Campus Wellness Center and houses the Community Behavioral Health Clinic as well as the Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS).


EMU Psychology ABA Program Rated Top 20

August 20, 2019

Our ABA Graduate Programs were rated in the top 20! Check out the interview with Dr. Briggs and Dr. Waltz about how the school works to create a great student experience that helps prepare graduates for a career in applied behavior analysis. Read interview.


Alumni Spotlight

August 16, 2019

Anatol Tolchinsky

A photo of Anatol Tolchinsky.
 
A photo of Anatol Tolchinsky.

 

"I am a graduate from EMU's Clinical Psychology PhD program. After graduating in 2013 I went on to do a Health Psychology fellowship at the Consortium for Advanced Psychology Training and am now the Director of Medical Education for McLaren Greater Lansing Area. In my current job I am responsible for the oversight of 105 resident physicians/fellows, 40 medical students, 7 administrative staff, and roughly 50 teaching faculty. My main role is to ensure that all of our 9 training programs are meeting requirements of training and that their funding is secure and accounted for. I am also responsible for the operational oversight of 3 of our residency clinics and also our medical library. Recently I have also been involved in the strategic planning of the new MSU hospital which is slated to open in the next few years. Additionally, I dedicate at least one half day a week to clinical work in which I see patients in our hospital for various consultative reasons."


Dr. Renee Lajiness-O'Neill Receives Grant Award

September 12, 2018

Congratulations to Dr. Renee Lajiness-O'Neill who has received a grant award for 4.5 million dollars from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

The project, PediaTrac: Web-based Measure to Screen and Track Early Developmental Trajectories aims to further develop, validate, and use a web-based tool developed by her team to identify infants at risk for a host of medical and neurodevelopmental disorders as well as developmental psychopathology using complex modeling methods. There are five institutions and 13 additional faculty including Co-Investigators, Drs. Judi Brooks and Angela Lukomski, from the College of Health and Human Services involved in the project.

Read the full article.


Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program Achieves Longest APA Term of Accreditation Available

May 18, 2018

Congratulations to our Clinical Psychology Doctoral program for achieving 10 more years of accreditation through the APA! The program is fully compliant with the new Standards of Accreditation as evident in being awarded the longest term of accreditation available.

A group photo of the celebration.


Part Time Lecturer Distinguished Teaching Award

A photo of Sharon Nelson receiving her award.
 
A photo of Sharon Nelson receiving her award.

 

March 21, 2018

Congratulations to Sharon Nelson for receiving the Part Time Lecturer Distinguished Teaching Award!


American Psychological Association Internships

Congratulations to the following doctoral students from the clinical psychology program who were successfully matched to national internships, ones accredited by the American Psychological Association. The matching, a very competitive process, occurs only once a year.

The clinical psychology program had a 100% match in Phase I for the following five applicants:

  • Tara Baluck, University of Pittsburgh, Psychology Internship
  • Meagan Carr, Yale University, Community Mental Health Substance Abuse Services
  • Ketrin Lengu, Ann Arbor Veteran’s Administration, Neuropsychology
  • Sharon Nelson, Ann Arbor Veteran’s Administration, Psychosocial Rehab and Recovery for Veterans
  • Jessica Riggs, University of Michigan/Rackham Institute, Child/Adolescent

Also, congratulations to the following doctoral students currently on internship who have attained post-doc positions, beginning in the fall:

  • Lauren Harrison, Stanford University, Pediatric Pain
  • Rachel Kentor, Texas Children's Hospital
  • Kailin Oswald, University of Michigan, Neuropsychology
  • David Phillips, Naval Officer Position in Chicago
  • Ambreen Shahabuddin, Stanford University, Autism Spectrum Disorders
  • Pelin Strebler, Henry Ford Medical Center, Neuropsychology

Eastern Michigan University receives grant to train doctoral students to offer behavioral health services to older patients in southeastern Michigan

EMU is one of just three universities to receive grants from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund to address issues of behavioral health or opioid addiction.

Eastern Michigan University’s doctoral program in clinical psychology has received a grant of $391,098 from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund. The grant will train students to work with persons 65 years and older, who live at home and have difficulties remembering, thinking, or problem-solving in addition to other emotional or behavioral concerns.

Read the full article.


A group photo from the field trip.
 
A group photo from the field trip.

 

CCHP field trip

Friday, April 7, 2017 students from the Psychology 451 (Dynamics of Personality) class, along with their instructor Sharon Nelson, spent the day at the Drs. Nicholas and Dorothy Cummings Center for the History of Psychology museum in Akron, Ohio. The museum is not yet open to the public due to renovations, but the students received a private tour of the new space and upcoming exhibits, before heading to the archives to focus on research.

The class spent the morning learning how to engage in archival research and analyze old documents, including evaluating popular phrenology journals from 1875, listening to the “missing Henonville Songs” recording from the Holocaust, and evaluating testing materials used by psychologists on Ellis Island in the 1900's to determine if immigrants were “mentally fit enough”  to enter the country.

In addition, the students spent the afternoon evaluating personality assessment materials and protocols from the last 100 years. As the first class to be granted access to these materials, they engaged in comparative analysis of how the methods have changed over the decades. The students had a lot of fun critiquing methods from the earlier decades, as well as considering which elements of testing are still an issue or still in use today. The students hope to report some of their findings in a poster at a research conference in the future.

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