|  | Past Postdoctoral Fellows at the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center - Monica Fitzgerald (2005-2007)
Monica Fitzgerald received a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Georgia and is currently completing a second year of an NIMH post-doctoral research fellowship at the NCVC. Her research focuses on the impact of family violence and stress on children's emotional development and psychological adjustment, with an emphasis on parent-child interaction patterns. In particular, she is interested in examining the development and socialization of emotion management skills in families and evaluating these skills as potential underlying processes involved in the relation between family violence and outcomes for children. Dr. Fitzgerald is actively involved in the SAMHSA-funded National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) projects conducted at the NCVC, which examine the best ways to transport evidence-based treatments into community-based settings. Dr. Fitzgerald also provides trauma-focused treatment to adults, children and families at the NCVC.
- Michael McCart (2006-2007)
Dr. McCart graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from Marquette University, earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and completed his pre-doctoral internship in Clinical Psychology at the Charleston Consortium Psychology Internship Program at the Medical University of South Carolina. His past and current research efforts focus on the longitudinal functioning and interdisciplinary care of underserved youth and families exposed to interpersonal and community violence. Dr. McCart’s other interests center on examining child, family, and therapeutic process factors that influence treatment outcome, and exploring strategies for overcoming the barriers that low-income families typically face to treatment utilization.
- Regana Contini (2006-2007)
Dr. Contini earned her BA in Foreign Languages and Literature from University of Milano, Italy in 1976. She then attended the graduate program in community psychology at Boston State College, where she earned her MEd in 1981. From 1978 to 1985 she was involved in the psychoanalytic training at the Boston Center for Modern Psychoanalytic Studies. After more than 15 years of clinical work for Charleston Mental Health, she went back to medical school and received her MD from University of Padova, Italy in 2006. Dr. Contini currently is an NIMH Post Doctoral Research Fellow at the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, Medical University of South Carolina. Her clinical research interests include the study of environmental, social, genetic and hormonal factors affecting victimization, post traumatic stress disorder, and substance abuse in women.
- Jennifer Cercone (2004-2006)
Dr. Cercone graduated with Distinction from the University of Virginia in 1996, with a major in Psychology, a minor in Women’s Studies, and a burgeoning interest in violence against women. After a 3-year stint as an employee on the Neurobehavioral Unit at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, MD, where she received training in applied behavior analysis, she entered the doctoral program in Clinical Psychology at the University of Georgia. She subsequently earned her M.S. in 2002 and her Ph.D. in 2004. She completed a pre-doctoral internship, including specialized training in Psychology of Women, at the Medical College of Georgia and Veterans Affairs Medical Center Psychology Residency Consortium in Augusta, GA. As a graduate student, her research focused on aspects of gender symmetry and asymmetry in intimate partner violence. More specifically, while emphasizing that women suffer greater physical and psychological injury as a result of victimization, this work also addressed women’s use of violence so that it could be appropriately contextualized. As a postdoctoral fellow, she continued to investigate the gendered nature of IPV. In addition, she has developed an interest in research that takes into account the complexity of cumulative exposure to interpersonal violence and the associated comorbid outcomes.
- Shannon Self-Brown, Ph.D. (2004 - 2006)
Dr. Self-Brown completed her undergraduate coursework at University of West Florida, receiving her Bachelor's in Psychology in 1995 and graduated Magna Cum Laude. This was followed by her Master's degrees in Psychology in 1997, also at the University of West Florida, after which Dr. Self-Brown worked at the University of California, San Diego, as a research coordinator for an NIH multi-site grant. In 2004, Dr. Self-Brown earned her Ph.D. in Child Clinical Psychology from Louisiana State University. During graduate training, Dr. Self-Brown specialized in clinical and research work with underprivileged youth exhibiting behavioral, psychological, and academic problems. She completed a Pre-Doctoral Internship in Clinical Psychology at the University of Miami Medical Center where she served as part of the Miaimi Child Protection Team and conducted forensic evaluations and psychological treatment for abused and neglected youth. As a fellow at the NCVC, Dr. Self-Brown provided trauma-focused therapy to children and adults who are exposed to, or are victims of, violence. Her research interests include the effects of community and family violence on the psychological functioning of youth, the effects of forensic medical examinations on sexually abused children, and the importance of family environment in the recovery of children exposed to violence.
- Carla Kmett Danielson, Ph.D. (2003 - 2005):
Dr. Danielson completed her undergraduate coursework in 1997 at Ohio University, graduating Summa Cum Laude and with Departmental Honors in Psychology. She earned her M.A. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Dayton in 1999 and her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Case Western Reserve University in 2003. She completed a pre-doctoral internship in Clinical Psychology at the Charleston Consortium Psychology Internship Program. Prior to training at the NCVC, Dr. Danielson's primary clinical interests and research program focused on the classification, assessment, and treatment of child and adolescent mood disorders. As a fellow at the NCVC, she intergrated her previous investigations with her current research and clinical interests, which include the assessment, early internvention, and prevention of mood disorders and substance use in adolescent sexual assault victims. She also is involved in research investigating the role of cultural factors in the assessment and treatment of Hispanic trauma victims.
- Steven Lawyer, Ph.D. (2002 - 2004):
Dr. Lawyer earned his B.A. in Psychology from Western Michigan University in 1995. He attended graduate school at Auburn University, where he earned his M.S. and, in 2002, his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. He completed his pre-doctoral internship training at the University of Mississippi, Jackson VA Medical Center Residencey Training Consortium. Dr. Lawyer is a long-standing member of the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy and has presented his research at numerous national and international conventions. His research interests include the experimental study of environmental, behavioral, and visceral factors that affect sexual decision-making, the impact of drug-facilitated rape on mental health functioning, and the conceptualization, assessment, and treatment of trauma- and anxiety-related disorders.
- Angela Waldrop, Ph.D. (2002 - 2004):
Dr. Waldrop graduated with a B.A. in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Richmond, earned her M.A. in Psychology from Wake Forest University, and earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. She completed her pre-doctoral internship in Clinical Psychology at the Charleston Consortium of the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. Waldrop is a member of the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy, the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, and the American Psychological Association. Her research interests include outcomes and coping related to traumatic experiences, including anxiety disorders, depression, substance use problems, and HIV risk. - Kenneth J. Ruggiero, Ph.D. (2001 - 2003):
Dr. Ruggiero graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from the State University of New York at Buffalo, earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from West Virginia University, and completed his pre-doctoral internship in Clinical Psychology at the Charleston Consortium Psychology Internship Program at the Medical University of South Carolina. His prior and ongoing research efforts examine exposure to violence and other potentially traumatic events in relation to fear, distress, and externalizing behavior. Other interests also center on examining the efficacy, effectiveness, and processes and mechanisms associated with change in psychosocial interventions for victimization-related emotional and behavioral problems. - Alyssa A. Rheingold, Ph.D. (2001 - 2003):
Dr. Rheingold completed her undergraduate coursework in 1996 at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating Cum Laude and with Honors in Psychology. She earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from MCP Hahnemann University. Dr. Rheingold completed a pre-doctoral internship in Clinical Psychology at the Charleston Consortium Psychology Internship Program. Dr. Rheingold is a member of the Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy and the Society for a Science of Clinical Psychology (a section within the Clinical Psychology division of the American Psychological Association), as well as other national psychological organizations. Her main research and clinical interests include those that relate to etiological factors and treatment outcome research of anxiety disorders.
Adrienne E. Fricker, Ph.D. (2000 - 2002) Amy Combs-Lane, Ph.D. (2000 - 2001) Joanne Davis, Ph.D. (1999 - 2001) Jeffrey A. Bernat, Ph.D. (1999 - 2000) Amy Naugle, Ph.D. (1999 - 2000) Ernestine Briggs, Ph.D. (1998 - 2000)
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