I am interested in the link between mental and physical health, specifically the complex relationship present between cardiac disease and depression. My research goals involve studying the effects of breathing training on depression severity as well as the assessment of heart health in depressed individuals using physiologic measures such as heart rate variability.

Sarah is a first year doctoral student interested in clinical pediatric psychology. Her past research explored the effectiveness of maternal strategies on toddlers’ affect. She continues her work in this field by working to integrate emotion regulation skills into therapy for anxious youth.

Shruti Prathip is a 1st-year student doctoral student mainly interested in clinical pediatric psychology. Her past research focused on different aspects of ADHD in college students such as gender differences and Sluggish Cognitive Tempo (SCT). In addition, she has worked on a longitudinal study involving a specific mother-child interaction known as maternal mind-mindedness (MMS). Shruti’s broad interests include depression, anxiety, and trauma – especially under a cross-cultural microscope. One day, she hopes to become a practicing clinical pediatric psychologist in an outpatient hospital setting and advocate for mental health in underserved populations.

Christian is a fourth year student interested in clinical child, adolescent and pediatric psychology. Specifically, she is interested in ADHD, anxiety, and emotion regulation as well as mindfulness, anxiety sensitivity, parent/child interactions, and integrated behavioral health care.

Christine Mullen, M.A., is a fifth year graduate student in the Clinical Medical Psychology program at Mercer University School of Medicine. She received her Master of Arts degree in Clinical Psychology at the University of Central Florida. Christine has published peer reviewed journal articles and book chapters on several topics including: applied neuropsychology, chronic health conditions, and cognitive impairment. She has experience with a variety of clinical populations through her work at Georgia Neurosurgical Institute, Emory University Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, and Shepherd Pathways. She has training in psychological and neuropsychological evaluations for numerous purposes including acquired brain injury, degenerative disorders, and left ventricular assist device, spinal cord stimulator, and bariatric recipient selection and post-treatment monitoring. Training also includes cognitive rehabilitation and psychotherapy for diverse diagnoses in adults. She is the co-founder and president of the Neuropsychology Interest Group at Mercer University and is currently the campus representative for Division 38 and APAGS ACT.