The University of Tulsa - Psychology Newsletter (Winter 2016)

I joined The University of Tulsa in 1989 as a non descript student taking undergraduate psychology coursework. A year later I was admitted into the clinical doctoral program — unaccredited at the time. I remember many, not all, of the faculty: Bob and Joyce Hogan, Robert Nicholson, Mary Ellen O’Connor, Warren Jones, Steve Briggs, Judy Berry, Bruce Carpenter, Tod Sloan, Bob Hansson, Pawel Lewicki. Al Harkness joined the faculty about that time, as did Nelli Vanzetti, Charmine Hartel and others whose faces I recall, but not their names. I think Leonard Zusne had just retired.

I didn’t understand the distinctions between assistant, associate and full professor ranks. My guess is that most of the faculty were junior, and I don’t know if anyone was full — maybe Bob, maybe Joyce. A history of the department suggested, on average, one faculty member left and a new one started each year. I joined the faculty as a visitor in 1999, then tenure-track the next year.

Faculty came, faculty left. In 2007, Dennis Combs left the department to return to his native Texas and was the last TU faculty member to leave for a different university. Hansson retired about then, and Berry in 2013. I don’t think we’re annually losing one/gaining one faculty member any more. And the contrast in rank is stark compared with 1989 (at least my memory of it). Six faculty are full professors: Al Harkness, Mike Basso, Joanne Davis, Elana Newman, Jamie Rhudy and Rob Tett. Another five are associates: Brad Brummel, Lisa Cromer, myself, Anu Narayan and Joanna Shadlow. David Fisher and Jen Ragsdale are the current assistant professors. Megan Ballew is starting her second year as a visiting assistant professor and is director of our new True Blue Neighbors Behavioral Health Clinic. We have 14 experienced faculty, recognized for their achievements in every respect — teaching, research, and service; It is an honor to be associated with this bunch. Our students, colleagues and community have never been better served.

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Notes from the Chair

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A few years ago, a call went out asking for suggestions about how the to-be-renovated Tyrrell Hall might be used. Informally, the clinical faculty considered the idea of a training clinic, but didn’t develop a proposal. Anyway, the university needed classrooms, and that’s what happened. Several months ago, Shadlow and Brummel, the directors of the Center for Community Research and Development (CCRD), and I had occasion to visit with Susan Neal, TU’s vice president for public affairs, research and economic development. Neal heads the university’s True Blue Neighbors (TBN program), with which CCRD had formed an alliance. During one of several enthusiastic meetings, the topic of a training clinic came up. TBN is a big player in the Kendall Whittier neighborhood, and Neal liked the idea of a behavioral health clinic serving the needs of that area, so much so that she agreed to give up her TBN space at 4th Place and Lewis for our use. Shortly thereafter, Neal had occasion to visit with Dr. Gerry Clancy, vice president of health affairs and dean of TU’s new Oxley College of Health Sciences. Neal mentioned the idea of the clinic, Clancy mentioned a probable source of funding. President Stead Upham made a presentation to the source, the Morningcrest Foundation, and now the True Blue Neighbors Behavioral Health Clinic has started operations! The clinic is where our clinical graduate students will begin their practicum experiences under the guidance and supervision of our faculty. We will be forever grateful to the Morningcrest Foundation for making this opportunity available to our students and for creating a critical resource for our community.

John McNulty, Ph.D., ChairDepartment of Psychology

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Outstanding Senior AwardNigel Cook

Outstanding Junior AwardWestley Youngren

Chair’s Choice AwardSavannah Walton

Outstanding UndergraduateResearcher AwardKathryn Thompson

Outstanding CommunityService AwardColleen Wohlrab

Fab Five AwardAttorey AmafulePhilip MeinkothKatherine FeistLauren StanleyJulie Austin

Fall 2014 Undergraduate Awards

In the fall of 2014, the new Graduate Student Lounge was unveiled. The remodel included opening up a wall to increase the lounge space, all new furniture and new appliances. The remodel was funded by a generous donation from Hogan Assessment Systems.

Hogan Assessment Systems was founded in 1987 by Professors Joyce and Robert Hogan while they were full-time faculty at TU, and Robert Hogan was named McFarlin Professor and the chair of the Department of Psychology. Now, more than 25 years later, Hogan Assessment Systems is known as one of the most successful and renowned assessment providers in the world.

Graduate Lounge Remodeled

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Graduate SpotlightAmy Sarraf RenshawIndustrial/Organizational Graduate Student

Research interests: Renshaw is interested in a range of I/O topics including organizational justice, motivation and training with an emphasis on how they are applied to businesses and nonprofit organizations. Renshaw

has had the opportunity to work with Professors Narayan and Brummel on applied consulting projects. Her work with Narayan involved conducting internal and external focus groups for a local nonprofit group to inform their organizational strategy. Brummel, Renshaw and another graduate student worked with a local manufacturing facility to administer and analyze an employee engagement survey and develop recommendations for the organization.

Assistantship: Renshaw works as an academic counselor at the Center for Student Academic Support.

Future plans: After graduating in May, Renshaw plans to find a job in the Tulsa area.

Hobbies: Renshaw is obsessed with her two cats and attempts to keep herself from adopting more. She also enjoys making things and cooking. She and her husband also spend a lot of time working on their 100-year-old house near downtown.

Ashley LouisClinical Graduate Student

Research interests: For the past four years, Louis has been a member of the Study of the Prevention, Adjustment and Resilience to Trauma and Adversity research lab. Her primary research focus has been exploring ways to promote resilience in military families with young children. She is currently in the process of writing her dissertation proposal. She will conduct an Continued on pg. 4

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innovative educational intervention aimed at teaching military parents developmentally appropriate methods of preparing their young children for physical separation caused by deployment. She hypothesizes that child-focused pre-deployment preparation will lead to lower levels of family distress and promote a resilient trajectory among participating military families.

Assistantship: Louis served as the clinical psychology teaching assistant. In the fall of 2014, she taught clinical psychology and behavior change; and in the spring of 2015, she taught the abnormal psychology course. She has been an annual recipient of the Joanne Holbrook Patton Military Spouse Scholarship and the Osage Nation Higher Education Scholarship for the past four years. She has received the Bellwether Fellowship for the 2015-16 academic year.

Nigel CookResearch Interest: Nigel Cook is a senior psychology major primarily interested in studies of poverty and trauma. Specifically, he is interested in the experiences of individuals from low-socio communities and hopes to pursue a career in which he can influence policy decisions addressing the unique needs of these individuals in more holistic ways. Currently, he is a member of Professor Newman’s lab, the Treatment and Assessment Center for Traumatic Stress, where he assists with the Women in Recovery and Journalist Occupational Experiences projects. Cook also has designed his own research project aimed at assessing the subtle ways in which news articles influence the public’s perception of poverty. He spends time volunteering as a math tutor/mentor at Phoenix Rising, a school that caters to

Future Plans: Ultimately, Louis aspires to devote her career in clinical psychology to promoting resilience in young children and their families. She is particularly interested in working with military families as well as with pediatric populations within a primary care setting. She is motivated to serve these specific populations because they are at an increased risk for psychological distress and challenges unique to their life circumstances.

Hobbies: In her spare time, Louis relaxes by reading, cooking and spending time with her husband. When she has the time, she loves to travel around the country to visit family and friends. She also enjoys running and staying active.

the needs of students from low-income families and/or criminal backgrounds.

Future Plans: Since graduating in May 2015, Cook is pursuing a master’s degree of social work at Washington University in St. Louis.

Hobbies: In his free time, Cook enjoys reading comic books and studying the modern mythology of the superhero genre.

Awards: In the fall of 2014, Cook received the Exemplar Character in Service Award for his investment and selflessness in service of the students at Phoenix Rising. Cook was well-loved by the students he tutored; and with his assistance, they passed their state tests. The award was presented by David Richardson, an alumnus of the psychology program (2006).

Alumni Spotlight

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