Current Lipman Fellows
Meagan Blanchard
B.A. ’24, M.A. in progress
Meagan is studying preclinical models of drug self-administration in Dr. Michael Bardo’s laboratory. Her research tests the hypothesis that an alcohol-tasting cue may serve as a trigger for relapse to fentanyl-seeking. She plans to incorporate additional neuroscience techniques, including immunohistochemistry and in vivo fiber photometry, to deepen her investigation. Meagan is also interested in the translational value of this work to humans who have substance use disorders that involve multiple drugs, particularly alcohol and opioids.
Kristen Buford
Ph.D. in progress
Kristen is pursuing a Ph.D. in experimental psychology under the mentorship of Dr. Matthew Kim. She is focusing on developmental, social, and health psychology. Her research examines how motivation drives changes in health behaviors, including substance use. She aims to make a positive impact on children, families, and society by transforming education through the integration of educational concepts with developmental psychology and neuroscience.
Karallyn Fitisone
M.S. ’25 Psychology, Ph.D. in progress
Karallyn is pursuing a Ph.D. in developmental, social, and health psychology under the mentorship of Dr. Peggy Keller. Her research focuses on the biopsychosocial factors that contribute to problem drinking, examining its societal impact, intergenerational transmission, and the effects of early alcohol exposure.
Eric Ingram
M.S. ’23 Psychology, Ph.D. in progress
Eric is pursuing a Ph.D. in experimental psychology and a graduate certificate in biostatistics under the mentorship of Dr. Justin Karr. His research centers on neuropsychology, with a focus on assessing traumatic brain injuries and concussions. Using within-person models, he aims to develop more targeted and personalized recovery and rehabilitation plans. Through the Lipman Fellowship, Eric has conducted studies with underserved populations, particularly women survivors of intimate partner violence.
Sharon Leong
M.S. ’24, Ph.D. in progress
Sharon is pursuing a Ph.D. in clinical psychology under the guidance of Dr. Justin Karr. Her research examines health outcomes associated with traumatic brain injury among women survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV), a population that often reports elevated alcohol use and alcohol use disorder symptoms. Thanks to the Lipman Fellowship, Sharon co-authored a manuscript on alcohol use among women IPV survivors in Kentucky.
Grace Seymour
M.S. in progress
Grace is pursuing a doctorate in clinical psychology under the mentorship of Dr. Christal Badour, focusing on PTSD symptoms, sleep, and alcohol use. Her current study explores the use of alcohol as a sleep aid among trauma survivors in Eastern Kentucky and the broader Appalachian region, addressing gaps in the literature on PTSD-related motives for alcohol use and highlighting regional disparities. The Lipman Fellowship will be used to provide participant compensation for this research.
Koby Shaykin
M.S. ’22 Psychology, Ph.D. in progress
Koby is pursuing a Ph.D. in cognitive neuroscience under the guidance of Drs. Michael Bardo and Jill Turner. With the Lipman Fellowship, he was able to complete his master’s thesis, which examined the effects of social housing and adolescent alcohol exposure on adult drinking and nicotine co-use.
Thomas Shellenberg
M.S. ’24 Psychology, Ph.D. in progress
Thomas is in the Cognitive Neuroscience program working under the mentorship of Dr. Joshua Lile. He is investigating how individuals with severe alcohol use disorder (AUD) assign value to social rewards. Although social rewards are a key component of many effective AUD interventions, they are not universally effective. One possible explanation is that individuals differ in how they evaluate non-drug social interactions, particularly when these rewards involve real-world constraints such as delays, costs, or uncertainty.
Jillian Silva-Jones
M.A. ’22 Psychology, Ph.D. in progress
Jillian is pursuing a Ph.D. in experimental psychology under the guidance of Dr. Lauren Whitehurst. Her research interests focus on identifying physiological and psychosocial factors associated with the negative health effects of racism and developing interventions to mitigate these impacts among Black Americans.
Former Lipman Fellows
Emily Atkinson
M.S. ’20 Psychology, Ph.D. ’24 Psychology
Emily is a Veteran Affairs staff psychologist at the University of Michigan.
Caleb Bailey
M.S. ’20 Psychology, Ph.D. ’24 Psychology
Caleb is a postdoctoral fellow at the UK Sanders-Brown Center on Aging.
Heather Davis
M.S. ’16 Psychology, Ph.D. '20 Psychology
Heather is an assistant professor of psychology at Virginia Tech. Her research focuses on the risk factors and consequences of disordered eating and related psychopathology, specifically how the role of shame in eating disorders is linked with other issues such as alcohol misuse, depression, anxiety, and self-harm.
Shannon Eaton
M.S. ’18 Psychology, Ph.D. ’21 Psychology
Shannon is an assistant teaching professor at Arizona State University. Her professional interests include the biology of sex differences.
Holley Jamison
M.S. ’20 Psychology, Ph.D. ’24 Psychology
Holley is a postdoctoral fellow at the White River Junction VA Medical Center. Her clinical interests include evidence-based psychotherapy, rural mental health care, PTSD treatment, and exposure-based therapies.
Alexandra Kelly
M.S. ’19 Psychology, Ph.D. ’23 Psychology
Alexandra is a licensed psychologist who specializes in evidence-based therapies for children and adults facing a variety of concerns, including OCD, anxiety, trauma, and psychological testing. Her practice covers Lexington and Louisville.
Cassidy Leibold
M.S. ’22 Psychology, Ph.D. ’25 Psychology
Cassidy is a lecturer in the department, focusing on teaching Introductory Psychology, Research Methodology, and brain and behavior courses.
Hannah Prassel McGee
M.S. ’16 Psychology, Ph.D. ’21 Psychology
Hannah is a licensed psychologist and an adjunct professor of psychology at Eastern Kentucky University. She specializes in generalized anxiety, social anxiety, health anxiety, trauma, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and low self-esteem.
Sarah Peterson
M.S. '17 Psychology, Ph.D. '22 Psychology
Sarah is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Chicago, focusing on research into persistent, heavy, and problematic drinking in adolescents and young adults.
Mia Radevski-Perrin
M.S. ’22 Psychology, Ph.D. ’24 Psychology
Mia is a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Florida. Her most recent research examines the relationship between sociosexuality and sexual interest perception in men who use cannabis.
Beth Ann Rice
M.S. ’15 Psychology, Ph.D. ’18 Psychology
Beth Ann is an associate professor at Slippery Rock University in Sharon, Pennsylvania. Her research focuses on the role of hormones in learning, motivation, and the development of drug addiction-like behaviors. She is exploring potential behavioral and pharmacological treatments for these behaviors.
Elizabeth Riley
M.S. ’15 Psychology, Ph.D. ’20 Psychology
Elizabeth is an assistant professor at the Center for Innovation in Population Health and the Department of Health Management and Policy at the University of Kentucky. She is a member of the Board of Health in Lexington/Fayette County, representing a mental health and substance use-focused perspective.
Jessica Rivera Rivera
M.S. ’18 Psychology, Ph.D. ’21 Psychology
Jessica is a research scientist in the Healthcare Delivery Research Network at MedStar Health Research Institute and a research affiliate in the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. Her research interests include cancer survivorship, colorectal cancer, genetic testing, cancer disparities, behavioral interventions, and implementation science.
Meredith Saunders-Mattingly
B.S. ’13 Psychology, M.S. ’16 Psychology, Ph.D. ’18 Psychology
Meredith is a team trainer and safety AI data trainer at Invisible Technologies. Her work focuses on training large language models to improve their ability to generate accurate responses.
Stephen Semcho
M.S. ’23 Psychology, Ph.D. '24 Psychology
Stephen is a staff psychologist at the University of Kentucky Counseling Center. His interests include transdiagnostic change mechanisms and psychotherapy outcomes.
Justin Strickland
M.S. ’16 Psychology, Ph.D. ’19 Psychology
Justin is an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins Medicine. His research applies behavioral economics as a framework to address public health issues, including addiction and sexual health.
Ashley Strzelecki
Ph.D. ’24 Psychology
Ashley earned her doctorate in experimental psychology and cognitive neuroscience, where she studied neural and hormonal risk factors for alcohol use in young adults.
Hannah White
B.S. ’14 Biology, B.S. ’14 Psychology, M.S. ’16 Psychology, Ph.D. ’20 Psychology
Hannah is an assistant professor of psychological sciences at the University of Missouri. Her research explores cognitive and social development through an interdisciplinary approach that combines behavioral, physiological, and survey methodologies.