Medical Student at University of Kentucky’s College of Medicine, Class of 2027

I had the privilege of working on the PATH team as my undergraduate studies came to a close. My primary role was screening patients for our eScreen Study and managing their follow up surveys. Since my time in the lab, I have had the opportunity to work as a medical scribe for a dermatology practice here in Lexington, and have been accepted into the Class of '27 at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine! I will be forever grateful for Dr. Marsac's impact on my perspective of healthcare. I have been able to observe firsthand the importance of continuum of care as a scribe, and I am confident that it will continue to teach and shape me as I advance in my career. I believe a patient’s attitude and emotions have a large impact on the efficacy of their treatment, and I am so grateful to have been able to aid in research aimed at closing communication gaps between pediatric patients, their parents, and their providers.

PATH Lab 2017 to 2019
Doctoral Candidate in clinical psychology at Howard University

Christine Kindler is a PhD candidate in the Clinical Psychology program at Howard University and a member of the Global Community Health Lab. Her overarching research interests include the development and evaluation of culturally-responsive, evidence-based interventions aimed at addressing psychosocial needs that emerge for trauma-exposed individuals and communities. Christine is particularly focused on utilizing participatory action research (PAR) methods to contextualize and implement mental health interventions with community partners, and has been awarded the Peace Scholar Fellowship from the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) in support of her dissertation research. Prior to her doctoral studies, Christine earned a BA in History from the University of Kentucky and MA in Conflict Transformation from Eastern Mennonite University. Christine worked under Dr. Marsac’s mentorship in the PATH Lab for over two years (2017 – 2019), where she gained many foundational research skills by assisting in the development of studies aimed at preventing posttraumatic stress and improved family communication in children with traumatic medical events and their caregivers, including the Cellie Coping Kit for Injury and Cellie Coping Kit for Siblings.

PATH Lab 2016 to 2020
Medical student at the Medical College of Wisconsin

Emma Vallee joined the PATH lab in 2016 and continued to contribute to the program through her studies at the University of Kentucky. In 2020, she earned a BS in Biology with a minor in Psychology, as well as a BA in Chemistry with a minor in Physics. While always interested in pediatrics, working with the PATH team further influenced her decision to pursue a career in medicine and research related to improving quality of life for chronically ill children. Currently a medical student at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Emma will continue with a pediatric residency in 2024, pursuing interests in oncology, critical care, and academic medicine.

PATH Lab 2017 to 2019
Doctoral Candidate in clinical psychology at Howard University

Gemma Ruiz is a last-year PhD candidate in the Health Psychology program at the National Distance Education University of Spain. During her PhD studies she has spent a 6-month research stay in Dr. Meghan Marsac’s lab, PATH at the University of Kentucky. Gemma has a particular interest in understanding resilience and family dynamics of children living with chronic pain and their parents. She is committed to including the voices of patients, families, and healthcare professionals in research. Broadly, her research interests include resilience, family dynamics, father-child relationship, chronic illness, online interventions, treatment adherence, qualitative and quantitative methods, and mixed methods. Her masters’ research consisted of 1) Designing a parental sensitivity scale (PSS) and a pilot study of its application (a key feature was the inclusion of fathers in parent-child interaction assessment), and 2) Promoting resilience in at-risk students and its relation to their academic performance in open classrooms. She is the recipient of an Extraordinary Master’s Thesis Award. 

Tia is fifth year doctoral candidate in clinical psychology at the University of Kentucky, where she is pursuing a concentration in clinical health psychology. Tia's graduate research focuses on the intersection of cancer survivorship and tobacco cessation, with a specific focus on geographic health inequities. Tia also works clinically with patients with chronic pain, substance use disorders, chronic illnesses, insomnia, and other behavioral medicine concerns. Tia will complete her pre-doctoral internship and graduate with her PhD in clinical psychology in summer 2024. Tia joined the PATH Lab as an undergraduate student to receive clinical research training in health psychology. Tia's work in the PATH Lab led her to focus on health psychology for her graduate training.