Hannah D
- Research Program Mentor
PhD candidate at City College of New York
Expertise
Clinical Psychology (Mental Health), Developmental Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Social Psychology, Education (K-12), Neuroscience
Bio
Hi! I'm Hannah, a Clinical Psychology Ph.D. student at the City College of New York. I evaluate and treat children and adult patients with a wide range of symptoms and psychopathology. As part of the research team in the INTERSECT Lab at CCNY, I conduct research on social-emotional development in childhood, the impact of short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy interventions, as well as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health outcomes among college age adults. A graduate of Columbia University, I previously worked at the Barnard Cognitive Development Center exploring the development of spatial numerical cognition across the lifespan. In addition, I was the Research Coordinator and an early childhood teacher at the Barnard Toddler Center. In my free time, I love to run in Central Park, tap dance, test out new recipes, and listen to podcasts.Project ideas
The impact of Covid-19 on mental health
Many people are facing challenges that can be stressful, traumatic, and overwhelming due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Public health actions, such as social distancing, are necessary to reduce the spread of COVID-19, but they can make us feel isolated and lonely and can increase anxiety and depression. Exploring the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on mental health is crucial to helping us understand the widespread effects of this pandemic. This work can critically inform researchers, clinicians, and policy makers in reaching vulnerable populations and designing therapeutic interventions to combat deleterious long-term mental health responses.
The impact of psychotherapy interventions on mental health
Exploring the outcomes of various psychotherapy interventions on mental health is essential to how clinicians provide patient care. Qualifying and quantifying the unique contributions of short term vs. long term therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Psychoanalysis, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Parent-Child Psychotherapy to the treatment of various mental health disorders identified in by the DSM-5 is a key area of study that can ensure that patient's are provided with the best evidence based treatment available. Within this topic of study there is room to explore the policies that inform care and cultural factors that contribute to treatment/outcomes.
The psychology of social media
Social media is changing the way we relate to one another, share information and even form our identities. What is the impact of social media on personality, identity, cognitive, social, and emotional development? How is social media usage changing, and how is it changing us? How can we link theories of reward learning to social media behavior and usage?
Brain & Behavior: Exploring Findings from Developmental Affective Neuroscience
Research has only just begun to probe the "final frontier" of science - the brain. Key questions stemming from the burgeoning field of Developmental Affective Neuroscience include: How does early life adversity impact brain development and psychological functioning across the lifespan? How does the brain shape behavior and how does behavior shape the brain? What are key brain areas involved in the processing of emotions and formation of memories? What is the role of epigenetic factors on the brain and subsequent mental health outcomes?
