By Allison Perry

Growing up in an area heavily impacted by the opioid epidemic, University of Kentucky grad student Samantha Malone knew she wanted to pursue a career that involved research on substance use.

“I’m from East Tennessee, and substance use is huge there,” said Malone, a second-year Ph.D. student in the UK Department of Psychology’s Cognitive Neuroscience program. “So I really wanted to go into neuroscience research involving substance use disorder just because of where I’m from, and I know how big of an impact research like this has on our community.”

Malone was one of the dozens of researchers from UK and beyond presenting a

Dr. Chen joined the University of Kentucky Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center and Department of Neuroscience in early 2020. She came from the Department of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX

She is  an early stage investigator dedicated to advancing knowledge of the biology and treatment of central

nervous system damage, including spinal cord injury (SCI) and ischemic stroke. Initially trained as a molecular

biologist, she studied cellular stress response to proteo-toxicity with my doctoral mentor Dr. Ze’ev Ronai. Seeking

to apply my knowledge in cellular stress signaling to the field of neural repair, she performed postdoctoral training

with Dr. Binhai Zheng, whose lab studies axon regeneration following spinal cord injury. While identifying neuronintrinsic

regulators of CNS axon

University of Kentucky Assistant Professor of Sociology Mairead Moloney is interested in why women who are middle age and older sleep less than the general population – specifically women in Appalachia, who have some of the highest rates of insomnia in the nation.

Moloney wanted to conduct a comprehensive study to learn more about insomnia among women in Appalachia and help address this health disparity, but a sleep intervention study examining cognitive behavioral therapy and sleep medication use was out of her expertise.

Through UK's Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health program, Moloney met UK Associate Professor of Pharmacy Daniela Moga and Assistant Professor of Psychology Christal Badour, whose expertise and research backgrounds were a

By Lindsey Piercy

This week, University of Kentucky graduates are busy preparing to walk across the Rupp Arena stage, shake President Eli Capilouto's hand and accept their long-awaited diploma. That piece of paper signifies the end of a journey — a journey of self-discovery.

Ndeye Matou Amar's journey to Commencement has been filled with overwhelming challenges and inspirational successes. On Dec. 20, she will boldly stand in front of the Class of 2019 — as the selected student speaker — and tell her story of resilience.

When Amar reflects on how far she's come in the last decade, she's overcome with emotion. Ten years ago, she left behind her life in Senegal, West Africa to start a new life in the "Land of Opportunity."

Amar quickly realized opportunities aren't simply attained through

By Ryan Girves

The University of Kentucky Office of Undergraduate Research recently recognized and awarded 19 students with the Oswald Research and Creativity awards. 

The Oswald Research and Creativity Competition was established in 1964 by then President John Oswald as part of the university’s Centennial Celebration. The program is intended to promote creativity in all fields of study and provides annual awards in seven categories. The competition accepts reports, of all forms of creativity, and scholarship by undergraduate students.

Categories include Biological Sciences; Design, including architecture, landscape architecture, and interior

By Jenny Wells-Hosley

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has selected five UK professors to serve in its Clinical Scholars program. From left: Craig Miller, Angela Grubbs, Julie Plasencia, Audrey Darville and Charles Carlson. Photo by Renee Fox.

A team from the University of Kentucky has been selected to participate in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's (RWJF) Clinical Scholars leadership program to address children's health and education in Appalachia.

The UK team of five, which includes a dentist, dietitian, two nurse practitioners and a clinical psychologist, will receive $525,000 for their project "Coordinating Activities to Support Empowerment of Youth (CASEY) Health." The group is focusing on addressing a "wicked problem" in Appalachia by designing and evaluating a health education curriculum for elementary school children in

By Lindsey Piercy

Christia Spears Brown's professional roles as a researcher, teacher and advocate for public policy issues are integrated around her interests in issues of diversity and equality. Pete Comparoni | UK Photo.

When it comes to talking politics with your children, you may think they would rather be playing video games or texting their friends — but that's not exactly true.

With the 2020 U.S. presidential election fast approaching, should the youngest members of society be engaged in the political discussion? If so, how can parents and schools help navigate that conversation.

Findings of a new collaborative study — conducted by researchers at the University of Kentucky, University of Kansas, University of Texas at Austin, Whitman College and University of Texas at Tyler — aim to

By Lindsey Piercy

For more than a decade, Rachel Farr has studied various aspects of family life. More specifically, she's zeroed in on a highly debated topic — adoption among same-sex couples.

As more and more gay and lesbian adults adopt children, their parenting skills are being called into question. As an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Kentucky, Farr has spent her academic career evaluating and answering these questions with research.

"LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) parenting and adoption are both topics that I care deeply about from personal and professional vantage points," she said. "I think it is vitally important that

By Julie Wrinn

Jonathan Golding joined the UK Psychology Department in 1988 and has been an active researcher ever since, achieving full professorship for his investigations into legal decision-making and various aspects of memory, specifically in juror decision-making in victimization cases. A legendary teacher, he has received numerous teaching accolades, most notably Kentucky Professor of the Year (2011) and the Alumni Association's Great Teacher Award (2014).

Where Golding has arguably had the biggest impact at UK, however, is in career counseling, especially for undergraduate psychology majors. After decades of devoting himself to mentoring undergraduates and guiding their career explorations, he began realizing that the possibilities for psychology majors had grown so tremendously that it was impossible to cover the material in a single

By Alyssa Perez

Recent University of Kentucky graduate Christian Soares has been awarded a fellowship worth $8,500 by The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi — the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. Soares is one of 58 recipients nationwide to receive a Phi Kappa Phi Fellowship.

Soares received a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Kentucky. As a Phi Kappa Phi Fellow, Soares will pursue a dual Doctor of Medicine and Master of Public Health at Duke University.

Since its creation in 1932, the fellowship program has become one of the society's most visible and financially well-supported endeavors, allocating $615,000 annually to outstanding students for first-year graduate or

The Lester and Helen Milich Professorship for Children at Risk in the Department of Psychology at the University of Kentucky was established in 2019 by Professor Emeritus Richard Milich in memory of his parents. The Milich Professorship supports the enhancement of clinical child psychology education through the examination of existing research, as well as with the generation of new ideas, concepts and research findings.

Christia Spears Brown, professor and associate chair in the Department of Psychology, has been named the first Milich Professor. As well as an author, researcher and professor of Developmental Psychology, Spears Brown is also the Director of the Center for Equality and Social Justice in the UK College of Arts & Sciences.

The professorship is awarded to a faculty member who:

By Lindsey PIercy

The crimes he committed while lurking in the shadows would eventually put Ted Bundy in the spotlight — and keep him there for more than three decades.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the notorious killer's execution, but America's fascination with Bundy lives on. Most recently, Netflix brought him back into the public eye in a new movie, "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile," starring Zac Efron.

Bundy's ability to live a double life continues to be puzzling. How did he attend college, build a political career and have a long-term relationship all while assaulting and murdering at least 30 women between 1973 and 1978?

Psychology experts have been studying the infamous serial killer for several years.Those experts include Thomas Widiger.

"There

By Lori Adams

The University of Kentucky has released its Dean's List for the spring 2019 semester. A total of 6,562 students were recognized for their outstanding academic performance. 

To make a Dean’s List in one of the UK colleges, a student must earn a grade-point average of 3.6 or higher and must have earned 12 credits or more in that semester, excluding credits earned in pass-fail classes. Some UK colleges require a 3.5 GPA to make the Dean’s List.

The full Dean's List can be accessed by visiting: www.uky.edu/PR/News/DeansList/.

The University of Kentucky is increasingly the first choice for students, faculty and staff to pursue their passions and their professional goals. In the last two years, Forbes has named UK among the best employers for diversity and

By Whitney Hale

The University of Kentucky Office of Nationally Competitive Awards has announced that seven recent UK graduates and four doctoral students have been offered Fulbright U.S. Student Program scholarships. The UK recipients are among approximately 2,000 U.S. students who will travel abroad for the 2019-20 academic year.

Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected based on academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. The program operates in more than 140 countries.

This year's UK students offered Fulbright grants, from a university record 37 applications, are:

By Ryan Girves

Suzanne Segerstrom (left) and Marilyn Campbell (right) both received the Excellent Undergraduate Research Mentor Award.

The University of Kentucky recently honored Marilyn Campbell and Suzanne Segerstrom for their dedication to mentoring with the Excellent Undergraduate Research Mentor Award during the 13th annual Showcase of Undergraduate Scholars.

The most successful people in the world all seem to have one thing in common — a mentor, whether it be a coach pushing them to succeed, a boss taking them under their wing or a professor guiding them in the right direction. Judging by the success of those mentored and research conducted on the impacts of mentoring, one conclusion is certain, mentoring matters. 

The student-nominated award recognizes UK faculty members who have

By Rebecca Longo

Top, l to r: Eli O’Neal, Chase Carleton, Melynda Price (director). Middle: Claire Hilbrecht, Josh Ehl, Carson Hardee. Front: Aileen Tierney, Hannah Thomas, Bria Northington, Daniela Gamez. Not pictured: Will Kueshner, Nicole Blackstone, Megan Yadav.

The University of Kentucky Gaines Center for the Humanities has selected 12 undergraduate students as new scholars for the Gaines Fellowship Program.

The Gaines Fellowship is presented in recognition of outstanding academic performance, demonstrated ability to conduct independent research, an interest in public issues and a desire to enhance understanding of the human condition through the humanities. Founded in 1984 by a generous gift from John and

By Jenny Wells

Suzanne C. Segerstrom, a professor in the University of Kentucky Department of Psychology, is serving as the 2018-19 UK College of Arts and Sciences' Distinguished Professor and will present the annual Distinguished Professor Lecture this week.

Her talk, "Well-being, Immunological Aging, and the Brain," will explore how psychological well-being influences the immune system. The lecture will begin 7 p.m. Thursday, April 25, in the UK Athletics Auditorium in the William T. Young Library.

In 2017, Segerstrom and her team of researchers received a $3.3 million grant from the National Institute on Aging to continue the “Thought, Stress, and Immunity” study, which has been investigating the interactions between psychological and immunological

Psychology/Neuroscience Professors Mark Fillmore and Mark Prendergast received a 5-year,  $1.7 million grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to train the next generation of scientists who study alcohol. These funds will support 5 outstanding graduate students conducting basic or applied alcohol research from across UK's campus. Each student will be supported for a period of 2 years. This funding, from an arm of the National Institutes of Health, is tax payer funded. At UK, we have the ability to study alcohol use, its risk factors and consequences at many levels of analysis and to integrate those findings in a collaborative manner to address our shared goals of better understanding risk factors for alcohol abuse, consequences of alcohol abuse and potential treatments of alcohol abuse.

By Lindsey Piercy

(Left to right) Suzanne Segerstrom and Brett Spear

Two University of Kentucky faculty members were honored for their outstanding contributions to research, mentoring and scholarship at the 2019 University of Kentucky Awards ceremony held April 18.

Suzanne Segerstrom, professor in the Department of Psychology, was presented the 2019 Albert D. and Elizabeth H. Kirwan Memorial Prize, given each year to a faculty member in recognition of outstanding contributions to original research or scholarship, with an emphasis on work produced four years prior to the award.

Brett Spear, professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular

Major: Psychology

Senior Leadership Recruiter at Tesla *

I grew up in the Louisville area and went to Sacred Heart Academy. Go Valkyries!

I loved to play volleyball, tennis and swim. I’ve always loved interior design and art projects.

Growing up, we took a lot of trips in the conversion van, so I’ve actually been to 45 states! Today, my partner Anand and I try to travel as much as we can, but we usually choose a plane over the van :).

I was the kid wearing tie dye and reminding everyone to recycle, which is probably why I ended up at Tesla!