People
Meet our graduate students!
Jessica Hill
Jessica is a second-year clinical psychology Ph.D. student. Her research interests include social support, emotion regulation, psychophysiological reactivity and recovery, and risk and resilience factors in relation to the adaptation of individuals and couples following trauma exposure. In her first year, Jessica is examining how laboratory stress paradigms elicit different support behaviors within couples and has begun work on a project identifying predictors of relationship distress outcomes in new Air Force couples prior to their first station of duty. She has an interest in continuing research with military and veteran populations to improve health and well-being, specifically, targeting social support and emotion regulation to promote recovery.
Prior to joining the graduate program at Binghamton University, Jessica was a NIH Diversity Supplement recipient and worked as a research assistant at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System on a multilevel longitudinal study of resilience with new military personnel. Jessica also has experience working on a randomized clinical trial looking at the efficacy of Narrative Therapy in the treatment of chronic PTSD in veterans. She holds a B.A. in Social Justice Outreach, and a M.A. in Counseling and Psychological services.
Melissa Gates
Melissa is a fourth-year clinical psychology Ph.D. student. Her research interests include PTSD and relationship functioning, individual and dyadic emotion regulation, psychophysiological reactivity and recovery, and LGBTQ+ couples. For her Master's thesis, Melissa examined sympathetic nervous system activity (i.e., cardiac impedance) to explore reactivity and recovery in couples exposed to a laboratory stressor. She is also currently working on examining the association among posttraumatic stress, cognitive processing of trauma, and relationship distress. Finally, Melissa is currently leading a team of undergraduate RAs in the thematic coding of qualitative interviews with LGB+ community couples.
Melissa worked as a clinical research coordinator for several federally-funded grants at Massachusetts General Hospital/ Harvard Medical School for two years prior to joining the graduate program at Binghamton University. Melissa is well-versed in multi-method research and is an alumni of the University of Arizona.
CAST Lab Ph.D. Graduates
Eileen Barden
Eileen graduated with her Ph.D. in August 2023. Her research focuses on emotion regulation, physiological responses, and relationship functioning in relation to PTSD and substance use. Eileen completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Central Western Massachusetts VA Health Care System. She is currently on a T23 postdoctoral research fellowship at the Boston VA focused on trauma.
Dana Ergas
Dana graduated with her Ph.D. in August 2022. Her research interests broadly include couple functioning, gender/sexual minority couples, minority stress, stress-related growth, and resilience. Dana completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Syracuse VA. She is currently a postdoc at the Lukin Center for Psychotherapy where she engages in evidence-based practice with individuals and couples.
Alex B. Wang
Alex Wang graduate with his Ph.D. in August 2022. His research interests include couples functioning, savoring and the formation, course, and consequences of attachment relationships. Alex completed his pre-doctoral internship at the Syracuse VA and serves as a Psychologist at the Binghamton VA.
Seigie Kennedy
Seigie graduated with her Ph.D. in December 2021. Her research interests include couple's intimacy and communication, and sexual assault and trauma. Seigie completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Syracuse VA. She currently maintains an online private practice, Ever After Psychology, where she provides evidence-based psychotherapy for individuals and couples in New York and Florida.
Meet our post-baccalaureate & undergraduate students!
Post-baccalaureate and Undergraduate Research Assistants
The CAST Lab has a large team of excellent postbac and undergraduate research assistants!
2023-2024
Juliet Governale; Audrey Huff; Solana McKee; Derek Order; Rebecca Smith
2022-2023
Jordan Berman; Ashley Gance; Lauren Grosz; Juliana Hayden; Seoyoon Kim (McNair Scholar); Kailee Loiodice; Raffaele Lostumbo; Solana McKee; Derek Order; Juliana Quigley ; Hannah Roth
2021-2022
Marianne Bohn; Ashley Gance; Katerina Kleopoulos; Veronica Levin; Kailee Loiodice; Raffaele Lostumbo; Brianna Mannarino; Kaitlyn McCarthy; Derek Order; Juliana Quigley ; Hannah Roth; Julia Schildwachter; Xinni Wang
2020-2021
Meghan Driscoll; Katerina Kleopoulos; Kailee Loiodice; Raffaele Lostumbo; Brianna Mannarino; Kaitlyn McCarthy; Juliana Quigley ; Hannah Roth; Hannah Siegel; Xinni Wang
2019-2020
Violeta Bangiyev; Tisnue Jean-Baptiste; Carolina Frankini; Sarah Foran; Marcela Garcia; Kaitlyn McCarthy; Leanna Poole; Sonu Saju; Camila Cabrera Salazar; Hannah Siegel; Xinni Wang
2018-2019
Carolina Frankini; Sarah Foran; Gustave Leone; Melanie Mendoza-Aguilar; Conor Miro; Blondyne Mukoko; Wing Lam Pang; Leanna Poole; Saba Shahbaz; Brett Silverstein; Julia Sternberg; Allison Tipaldo; Xinni Wang