Fellows | South Central MIRECC
2020-2022
Alexander Uzdavines, PhD
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Education: I transferred from the San Diego Community College District to the University of California, Irvine where I earned a BA in psychology and social behavior then a MA in social science with a focus in demographic and social analysis. I graduated with a PhD in clinical psychology from Case Western Reserve University.
Research Interests: My primary content-knowledge areas are in quantitative methods, the psychology of religion/spirituality, and primary care mental health with a focus on underserved populations, especially LGBT folks. During the fellowship, my interests have transitioned toward developing and implementing quality improvement projects within the field of health services research itself. I aim to increase the efficiency of the work done by health services researchers and to make this work more accessible and transparent to the Veterans we serve.
Mentors: Drs. Michael Kauth (primary), Jeff Cully, Lilian Dindo, Sylvia Hysong, Kristine Lynch (VINCI).
Hobbies: Videogames, cooking, and cycling.
2019-2021
Darius B. Dawson, PhD
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Location: Houston
Education: I received my PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Texas at Austin and completed a predoctoral fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
Research Interests: My research has broadly focused on health equity in behavioral medicine treatments related to smoking cessation, anxiety, and weight management. My work aims to improve access to behavioral medicine treatment in the primary care setting through development and implementation of brief treatment protocols and assessment of factors associated with successful treatment initiation and completion, specifically for ethnic minority and LGBT individuals.
Mentors: My mentorship team includes Drs. Terri Fletcher, Jeff Cully, Jessica Breland, and Sara Nowakowski.
Rajinder (Sonia) Singh, PhD
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Location: Little Rock
Education: I received my PhD in clinical psychology from Bowling Green State University and completed a predoctoral internship at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston.
Research Interests: My research has broadly focused on contextual behavioral science and health disparities (specific to gender and sexual minority issues).
Mentors: During the fellowship, I hope to learn and transition to implementation in these research areas under the mentorship of Drs. Sara Landes and JoAnn Kirchner.
Hobbies: In my spare time, I enjoy listening to live music, spending time in coffee shops, and searching for farmers markets and food trucks.
2018-2020
Derrecka Boykin, PhD
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Location: Houston.
Education: I received my PhD in clinical psychology from Northern Illinois University and completed my clinical internship at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center.
Research Interests: my research has focused on identifying treatment-malleable risk and resilience factors that contribute to diverse trauma reactions. Recently, I have taken an interest in understanding the impact of trauma on identity formation as it relates to treatment engagement and utilization as well as clinical approaches to treating trauma. I am excited to expand my work toward reducing disparities in health service use among rural and underserved Veterans recovering from trauma.
Hobbies: In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, cooking, and watching Netflix.
Sacha McBain, PhD
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Location: Little Rock.
Education: I received my PhD in clinical psychology from Palo Alto University and completed my predoctoral internship at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
Research Interests: My research has broadly focused on trauma-informed care and patient-provider relationships to improve access to mental health services in medical settings. During the fellowship, I hope to continue my work on the implementation of PTSD screening and technology-based brief intervention after acute injury or illness.
Mentors: Drs. Sara Landes and JoAnn Kirchner.
Hobbies: In my spare time, I enjoy traveling, cooking, and dedicating time to my new venture into organic urban farming.
Last updated: July 8, 2021
