BridgesDREAM Lab
Diversity Research and Enhanced Access for Minorities (DREAM)
Location
MEMH 116A, 116B, 121
Congratulations!
Recent Student Milestones
Christin Mujica defended her dissertation. / June 2024
Emily Allen defended her thesis. / May 2024
Alyssa Hartley defended her honor's thesis. / April 2024
Lab Team
Graduate Students
Kaitlyn Chamberlain
Kaitlyn just completed her predoctoral internship and is finishing her dissertation before beginning a postdoctoral fellowship at Dartmouth. She is interested in emotion regulation flexibility in college athletes.
Dulce Diaz Benitez
Dulce is currently on internship at Stony Brook Univrsity in Long Island, NY. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she earned her B.A. in Applied Psychology and minored in Gender and Women's Studies.
After graduating, Dulce worked as the Civic Engagement Coordinator at the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute where she trained youth around topics of community and civic engagement and professional development. Dulce also worked in the Research and Evaluation Unit at the Office of the Chief Judge, Illinois Circuit Court of Cook County, on a MacArthur planning grant aimed at reducing incarceration rates for non-violence offenders. Prior to coming to the University of Arkansas, she worked as the project coordinator at DePaul University on a longitudinal study of a culturally-adapted, school-based intervention for adolescents at risk for anxiety and depression.
Dulce's research interests include the development of community based interventions targeting underserved populations. Dulce is also interested in the mental health and well-being of immigrants, particularly those who are undocumented.
Christin Mujica
Christin is currently on internship at the Medical Univrsity of South Carolina. She completed her undergraduate studies at Tufts University where she earned her B.S. in Clinical Psychology and Community Health. Christin is a Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) fellow. Her current research interests focus on exploring how disriminiation, oppression, and racism (internalized, interpersonal, and sructural) contribute to mental ehalth disparities in Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian folks. She is also interested in finding ways to disrupt the impact of racism on the health of People of Color. Christin's dissertation is focused on exploring how critical consciousness can function as a way to disrupt racism's impact on mental health.
Christin is also interested in teaching and mentoring students. She has taught Introduction to Psychology and Psychology of Diversity. She has also mentored DREAM lab research assistants as they complete honor's theses and apply to graduate programs. Christin would like to ultimately enter academia to conduct research and mentor both graduate and undergraduate students.
Emily Allen
Emily is a fourth year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Central Arkansas, where she earned her B.S. in Psychology. While obtaining her bachelors, she interned as a research assistant for the Health and the Legal System Lab under Dr. Melissa Zielinski, where she focused on health disparities among incarcerated populations. Emily's research interests include exploring the relationship between race/ethnicity and treatment outcomes. Her master's thesis examined if colorblindness moderated perceptions of therapists based on whether they broached racial issues in therapy. She is also interested in improving access to treatment for those in rural communities through integrated behavioral healthcare. Emily serves on the Inclusive Excellence Council for the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, whose purpose is to foster inclusivity and belonging for all members of campus. She is also an APA Minority Fellow, which reflects her dedication to providing behavioral health services to communities of color.
Marley Fradley
Marley is a second year doctoral student studying Clinical Psychology at the University of Arkansas. She completed her undergraduate studies in Psychology and English at the University of Central Arkansas in 2019. Marley's post-baccalaureate professional experiences included working in acute inpatient psychiatric care and coordinating research studies examining trauma, mental and behavioral health, healthcare utilization, and incarceration in Dr. Melissa Zielinski's Health and the Legal System (HEALS) lab at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Marley's current research interests include examining intersections between trauma exposure, PTSD, and the legal system and addressing gaps between evidence-based interventions and populations with exigent treatment needs, such as those with histories of justice involvement, housing insecurity, and chronic mental and behavioral health issues. Her master's thesis examines the efficacy of a self-guided bibliotherapy for PTSD with a population of sexual violence-exposed college students.
Julian Ruiz
Julian is a first year doctoral student. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. Julian worked as a post-bacc research assistant in Dr. Michelle Craske, Dr. Denise Chavira, and Dr. Richard LeBeau's labs. Julian is interested in examining the credibility of culturally adapted cognitive-behavioral treatments in Latine populations. He intends to devote his career to making psychological treatments accessible and effective for the Latine community.
Honors Students
Mattie Berry
Mattie is a junior pre-PA student double majoring in Biology and Psychology. She also has a Medical Humanities minor. She is involved in several programs around campus including Students Advocating for the Environment, the Fulbright Honors College, and the Razorbacks Marching Band. Mattie is also President of the Biology Club and Social Chair for JoyCentric Organization. Her research interests include gendered microaggressions within medical training, specifically residency programs.
Gavin Miller
Gavin is a senior pre-medical student majoring in Public Health and Biology, with minors in Psychology and Medical Humanities. His primary involvements include serving as the President of the Volunteer Action Center, singing with the University of Arkansas Schola Cantorum, volunteering at Circles NWA, and serving as the Treasurer of the Medical Humanities Registered Student Organization (RSO). Gavin has research interests in understanding the impact of social determinants of health on healthcare access and patient satisfaction. In the summer of 2024, he completed an internship at St. Jude doing global population health research.
Mia Iandolo
Mia is a senior pre-medical student majoring in Psychology. She is involved in several on-campus organizations including Alpha Epsilon Delta, Passionate About Literacy, the Fulbright Honors College, and the Razorbacks Marching Band. She is also an active volunteer with Circle of Life Hospice and Fayetteville Animal Services. Mia is currently work on her honors thesis in which she examines the effect of music on anxiety and memory. She is completing this research under the guidance of Dr. Bridges and with the assistance of Reese Myatt, another RA in the DREAM lab. Her hope is that her research will add to the coping skills toolbox for people experiencing psychological trauma.
Ella Eureste
Ella is an honors third-year undergraduate student at the University of Arkansas, majoring in Biology and Psychology. As a research assistant in the DREAM lab, she focuses on identifying barriers to mental health care for historically marginalized populations and is working on her honors thesis which studies racial socialization and imposter syndrome.
Ella's passion for addressing health disparities drives her work in the lab, where she seeks to understand the systemic factors impacting vulnerable communities. She hopes to use her experiences to pursue advanced education in public health and contribute to initiatives that reduce inequities and improve mental health care access for underserved populations.
EJ Lara
EJ is a junior pre-medical student majoring in Public Health with minors in Medical Humanities and Biology. EJ is a member of the Honor's College, the Honor's Path Program, and a mentor coordinator for the pre-health profession association.
Alex Garcia
Alex is a senior double-majoring in Psychology and Music, with a minor in Sociology. He plays the clarinet int he Razorbacks Marching Band and sings with the University of Arkansas Schola Cantorum. He is a member of the Tau Beta Sigma Honorary Band Sorority and serves as DEIA co-chair. In his free time, Alex enjoys listening to music, exercising, and spending time with his dog, Luna. His research interests focus on the impact of Hispanic culture on mental health and the treatment of depression.
Karis Scott
Karis is a junior majoring in Biology and African and African American Studies.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Marbely Rivas
Kelly Summers
Reese Myatt
Brielle White
Emma Maynor
Joyce Ho
Nurian Chavez