Fellows | South Central MIRECC
2022-2024
Kent D. Hinkson Jr., PhD
Location: Little Rock, Arkansas.
Educational and Military Background: I received my PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Utah and completed a predoctoral internship with the Charleston Consortium (jointly the Ralph H. Johnson VAMC and the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC).
I served in the United States Marine Corps as non-commissioned officer in military intelligence and Special Forces until I was injured and subsequently medically retired. Special thanks to VA Vocational Rehabilitation for funding and supporting my undergraduate and graduate journey!
Research Interests: Suicide prediction and intervention, PTSD intervention and mechanisms (including non-therapeutic interventions like service dogs and equine-assisted fun).
Mentors: Drs. Jeff Pyne and Rick Owen.
Hobbies: Backpacking, hiking, college-level indoor volleyball, and board games. I’m really willing to do almost anything if it involves spending time with people or being in nature!
Other Work: I provide suicide intervention training and workshops (e.g., Crisis Response Planning, Means Safety Counseling, etc.) across the country, and would love to collaborate as your “suicide guy” on your research papers and studies. Hit me up!
Rachele Lipsky, PhD, MSN, PMHNP-BC
Location: Houston, Texas.
Educational Background: I received my PhD in nursing from University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
Research Interests: Gene-environment (GxE) interactions, pharmacogenomics, precision medicine, and trauma.
Mentors: My mentorship team includes Dr. Drew Helmer and Dr. Nathan Kimbrel (Durham VA).
Alan Sheinfil, PhD
Location: Houston, Texas.
Educational Background: I received my PhD in clinical psychology from Syracuse University and completed a predoctoral internship at UTHealth Science Center – Houston.
Research Interests: My research is focused on the intersection of substance use and HIV/sexually transmitted infections (STI) health behaviors in high-risk populations. The ultimate goal of this work aims to develop theoretically-grounded prevention interventions that address substance use and promote adaptive HIV-related health behaviors.
Mentors: My mentorship team includes Drs. Anthony Ecker and Thomas Giordano.
2021-2023
Jessica Meers, PhD
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Location: Houston, Texas.
Education: I received my PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Houston and completed a predoctoral internship at Sepulveda VA in Greater Los Angeles.
Research Interests: My research has broadly focused on behavioral sleep medicine and sleep functioning in the context of women’s health. My work aims to identify the reasons for increased risk of insomnia and affective disorders in women and explore treatment modalities to reduce vulnerability.
Mentors: My mentorship team includes Drs. Sara Nowakowski, Derrecka Boykin, Lilian Dindo, and Deleene Menefee.
Hobbies: A relatively new pastime of mine is gardening. I am enjoying learning to grow all sorts of plants and flowers (to varying degrees of success!).
Maribel Plasencia, PhD
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Location: Houston, Texas.
Education: I received my PhD in clinical psychology from Rutgers University. I completed a predoctoral internship in behavioral medicine at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.
Research Interests: I am interested in studying provider behavior, perspectives, and clinical decision-making within mental health treatment delivery. I am also interested in the implementation of stepped-care models of treatment delivery and the use of non-traditional therapy formats, such as guided self-help.
Mentors: My mentorship team includes Drs. Jeffrey Cully, Natalie Hundt, Terri Fletcher, and A. Rani Elwy.
Marcela (Marci) Weber, PhD
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Location: Little Rock, Arkansas.
Education: I received my PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Mississippi and completed a predoctoral internship with the Southwest Consortium (jointly the Raymond G. Murphy VAMC and the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque).
Research Interests: Rural mental health, resilience and strengths-based approaches to treating and preventing PTSD.
Mentors: Drs. Jeff Pyne and Ellen Fischer.
Hobbies: Backpacking, kayaking, sewing, making jewelry, piano, cooking, and gardening. I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail before graduate school. Between internship and fellowship, I completed the 270-mile Long Trail in Vermont. Since the pandemic began, I also took up home-brewing beer!
Other Work: In March, I gave a TEDx talk on my graduate research about disaster and pandemic resilience. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18XBR3UEDfM
Last updated: January 4, 2023
