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All we have is each other
September 2025
First Lab Meeting (9/27/2025)
First Lab Meeting (9/27/2025)
Fall 2025 kicks off with our first lab meeting at Dr. Nguyen’s humble abode. In this meeting, we welcomed two new members to the lab, Nimra and Christine, who are also in the first-year doctoral student cohort.
We shared food (Who else loves Costco pizzas?!). We updated each other with good news. We exchanged insights, especially around how to navigate the ongoing changes in academia and research. Sharing food is a love language. Talking about research over snacks is a form of resilience. Gathering in community is how we keep each other grounded.
Here’s to a productive, connected, and maybe slightly chaotic (in a good way) Fall semester!
Outreach Presentation at IDEAAL (9/16/2025)
Outreach Presentation at IDEAAL (9/16/2025)
IDEAAL (Institute for the Development and Education of Asian American Leaders) is a student organization at Texas A&M dedicated to supporting the leadership development, cultural identity, and support networks of Asian American students. As a first-gen college student and first-gen immigrant from Vietnam, their mission holds a personal place in Dr. Nguyen’s heart and resonates strongly with many members of the lab.
Dr. Nguyen’s presentation, “Embracing Pain, Cultivating Power: Being & Thriving at the Intersection,” draws from both his research and personal philosophy rooted in Pain and Power. The talk explored how embracing our suffering, honoring the humanity behind our pain, and leaning into community can help us reclaim agency, nurture compassion, and cultivate collective strength. Also, yes, he used his full Vietnamese name:
Nguyễn Phan Hoàng Nguyên. A small but intentional choice. In a space focused on identity and community, it felt right to show up fully and to remind us all that names carry stories worth saying.
A huge thanks to Christine and Nimra for graciously joining this outreach effort and sharing a brief presentation on undergraduate research opportunities available through the HEAL Lab.
P.S. Special shoutout to Christine for being the best (and most flattering) photographer!
August 2025
APA Convention 2025
APA Convention 2025
HEAL Represented! Texas A&M Represented!
This was our very first conference together as a lab. What a debut!
Within the lab alone, we had four poster presentations accepted and presented. But our wonderful students didn’t stop there, as they also collaborated with other research teams, bringing the total number of presentations involving HEAL members to seven. A dream team, one might say.
Beyond the presentations, our students made the most of this opportunity: attending workshops, expanding their professional networks, and drawing inspiration from emerging research in the field. But most importantly, it was a time to strengthen our bond, make new memories, and celebrate each other’s growth and achievements.
Dr. Nguyen was one very proud advisor the whole time. (And yes, probably took one too many photos.)
Workplace Discrimination among Midlife Adults with Chronic Pain:
The Longitudinal Buffering Role of Work-to-family Enrichment.
Kristina Hall, Nathan Craven, & Nguyen Nguyen
Psychological Pathways from Daily Discrimination to Pain:
A Longitudinal Mediation Model
Wajiha Masroor, Jayoon Choi, & Nguyen Nguyen
“I Like My Accent, But…”:
A Mixed-Methods Study of College Students with Non-Native English Accents
Charlie Brunt, Nnenna K. Uche, Jayoon Choi, & Nguyen Nguyen
The Role of Intergroup Anxiety and Race Matching in Shaping Friendship Experiences among College Students
Nnenna K. Uche, Sruti Mohankuma, & Nguyen Nguyen
This project is led independently by Nnenna as first author.
Three Generations of Psychologists,
One Photo
Three Generations of Psychologists,
One Photo
In this photo, you see three generations of psychologists: Dr. Nguyen, his advisor: Dr. Shinye Kim (Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison), and his advisee: Nnenna Uche (a psychologist in the making).
This moment captures more than just a snapshot, as it reflects the flow of mentorship, the transmission of wisdom, and the quiet beauty of academic lineage. From one generation to the next, knowledge is passed down, reimagined, and carried forward with care.
A reminder that in this work, research, healing, and advocacy, we rarely walk alone. We stand on the shoulders of those who guided us, while lifting those who come after.
July 2025
Partnered Project: Cultivating Success for Psychology Graduate Students
Partnered Project: Cultivating Success for Psychology Graduate Students
This is a partnered project with Dr. Douglas Knutson (He/Him), Associate Professor and Director of the Counseling Psychology Doctoral Program at Oklahoma State University (OSU). Funded by an APAGS (APA Graduate Students) grant, this year-long initiative focused on cultivating leadership and academic success among historically marginalized psychology graduate students.
The main deliverable includes a comprehensive leadership workbook: a step-by-step resource designed to help students advocate for themselves and their communities, with practical tools rooted in lived experience and academic insight. Moreover, this project also culminated in an in-person conference at OSU on July 18, where Dr. Nguyen had the honor of serving as keynote speaker.
Beyond the two professors, one from HEAL and one from the HEARE Lab (not coordinated, just cosmically aligned), this work was brought to life by two phenomenal graduate students: Sam Jensen from OSU and our very own Nnenna Uche. Their heart, brilliance, and dedication made this project not just possible, but deeply meaningful.
Keynote
Embracing the Shadow: On the Self, the Work, and the Collective.
Dr. Nguyen’s keynote was inspired by Carl Jung’s construct of the “shadow,” exploring the importance of acknowledging and embracing their own shadows: the sticky, dark, arrogant, narcissistic parts of ourselves that are often laced with guilt, shame, and fear. The parts we don’t always like to admit exist, but absolutely shape how we show up in the world. Unless we own these parts with radical honesty (and radical acceptance), they can start to leak into the meaningful work we do, into our leadership, our relationships, and our communities.
But when we do own them, when we bring them into the light, something shifts. We gain more humility and spaciousness. We create room to extend grace, not just to ourselves, but more importantly, to others. And in that, we become more capable of holding others’ mistakes, missteps, and imperfections with empathy and care.
Because leadership and community work aren't built on immaculate ideology. It’s built on our imperfect humanity and on the willingness to invite one another into growth, rather than cast each other out.
Let our shadows inform us, humble us, extend our compassion, and nurture our individual and collective strength. We grow because of each other, not in spite of each other. And if we want to do this work in a way that’s sustainable, we have to learn how to care for ourselves and care for one another!
Aside from the mentor’s keynote, the mentees from HEAL also showed up and showed out with their own workshop presentations.
One was led by Nnenna Uche, titled “Navigating Academic Outreach in Graduate School,” and the other by Christine Cao (our incoming first-year!) on “Managing Time and Stress with Cognitive Tools.”
Both presentations drew in strong attention and praise (dare we say... maybe even more than their mentor’s big speech). Their topics were timely, and they brought such vulnerability, clarity, and energy to skills that are essential but often overlooked in graduate training. Also important to note: they took initiative. Dr. Nguyen did not “make” them present. They volunteered, prepared, and rose to the occasion with so much heart and insight. Truly proud lab moment!
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