The Clinical Psychology Internship Training Program has awarded competitive research seed grants to five of its residents: Diego Barcala-Delgado, Michelle Chang, Urvashi Dixit, Averi Giudicessi, and Khrystyna Stetsiv.
The grants, totaling approximately $5,000, fund research that recipients can complete during their internship year under a mentor’s supervision. This year’s awardees will conduct research in perinatal cannabis use, suicide risk, dementia risk in Hispanic populations, dietary adherence, and the relationship between grief and cardiovascular health.
“One of the strengths of Brown's internship program is the opportunity for residents to remain actively engaged in research while developing their clinical expertise," said Lauren Weinstock, Ph.D., director of the internship program. "These seed grants allow psychology residents to take greater ownership of their scientific interests, pursue meaningful questions in collaboration with faculty mentors, and contribute to research with important implications for clinical care and public health. We are proud to support their work!”
Research training is a flagship feature of the internship program. All residents participate in faculty research projects for 4-6 hours per week. They may also participate in ongoing clinical research at their clinical sites or undertake their own research projects with a mentor.
See the table below for 2026 seed grant awardees, their mentors, and projects.
| Resident | Mentor | Project |
|---|---|---|
| Diego Barcala-Delgado | Cynthia Battle, PhD | Dyadic Cannabis Use During the Perinatal Period: An Exploratory Study of the Interpersonal Context of Perinatal Cannabis Use |
| Michelle Chang | Zachary Kunicki, PhD | Characterizing trajectories of loss and grief: Longitudinal associations with cardiovascular health and aging |
| Urvashi Dixit | Stefanie Goldstein, PhD | Leveraging Network Analysis to Map the Contextual Dynamics of EMA-Derived Dietary Lapses |
| Averi Giudicessi | Laura Korthauer, PhD | Cultural Adaptation & Stakeholder Perspectives in Dementia Risk-Reduction Intervention for Spanish-Speaking Hispanic/Latino Midlife Adults: A Qualitative Analysis |
| Khrystyna Stetsiv | Heather Schatten, PhD & Gemma Wallace, PhD | Dynamic Interplay of Suicide Risk and Protective Factors: Integrating Nomothetic and Idiographic Models with Real-Time Data |