BridgesDREAM Lab
Diversity Research and Enhanced Access for Minorities (DREAM)
Location
MEMH 116A, 116B, 121
Congratulations!
Recent Student Milestones
Christin Mujica proposed her dissertation. / July 2023
Cameron Perrine defended his dissertation. / July 2023
Roselee Ledesma defended her dissertation. / May 2023
Linda Guzman defended her dissertation. / April 2023
Taylen Day defended her honor's thesis- a meta-analysis examining historical trauma and health outcomes in Native Americans. / April 2023
Lab Team
Graduate Students
Dulce Diaz Benitez
Dulce is a sixth year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology doctoral program at the University of Arkansas. 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 a fifth year graduate student in the clinical psychology doctoral program at the University of Arkansas. 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 third 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 current research interests include exploring the relationship between racial stereotypes in mental health and treatment outcomes. Her master's thesis seeks to understand if colorblindness moderates perceptions of therapists based on whether they broach racial issues in therapy. She is also interested in improving access to treatment for those in rural communities through integrated behavioral healthcare. She serves on the American Psychological Association's Division 56 I DARE (Inclusion, Diversity, Anti-Racism, and Equity) Task Force where she is committed to improving issues of diversity. 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 first year doctoral student studying Clinical Psychology at the University of Arkansas. She completed her undergraduate studies in Psychology (B.S.) and English (B.A.) at the University of Central Arkansas in 2019. Marley then went on to gain professional experience as discharge coordinator in an acute inpatient psychiatric setting and then as a Clinical Research Associate within Dr. Melissa Zielinski's Health and the Legal System (HEALS) Lab examining trauma, mental and behavioral health, healthcare utilization, and incarceration. In graduate school, Marley intends to conduct research at the intersection of trauma and the legal system as well as identify and address gaps between evidence-based practice and underserved populations, such as those with histories of justice-involvement, housing insecurity, and chronic mental and behavioral health issues.
Honors Students
Mattie Berry
Mattie is a sophomore pre-medical student double majoring in Biology and Psychology. She also has a journalism minor. She is involved in several programs around campus including Students Advocating for the Environment, the Fulbright Honors College, and the Razorback Marching Band. Mattie is also a social media director for the Biology Club. Her research interests include the psychology of gender and how women could be disproportionately affected in social structures.
Gavin Miller
Gavin is a junior pre-medical student majoring in Public Health and Biology, with minors in Psychology and Medical Humanities. Gavin is involved in the Volunteer Action Center as the Chair of the PAL Program, the Associated Student Government as the Director of Academic Affairs, and the All-University Academic Integrity Board as an undergraduate representative. He also enjoys singing with the University of Arkansas Schola Cantorum and volunteering at Northwest Medical Center. Gavin has research interests in how certain social determinants affect childhood and adolescent perceptions of mental health.
Alyssa Hartley
Alyssa is a fourth-year honors student at Fulbright College. She majors in Psychology and minors in Sociology and Gender Studies. She completed her first year at the University of Pittsburgh, then transferred to the University of Arkansas where she will finish her undergraduate degree and graduate in May 2024. While being a student in Arkansas, Alyssa interned at Northwest Arkasnas Psychological Group where she assisted Dr. Richard Back as a secretary as well as scoring psychological tests, among other tasks.
Alyssa is currently working on her Honors Thesis in which she will research help-seeking behaviors among different demographic groups (e.g., gender, race, age, socioeconomic status), and explore perceived and self-stigma regarding seeking help. She is completing this research with the guidance of Emily Allen and Dr. Bridges. Her hope is that her and the lab's reseearch will bring awareness to health disparities experienced by minoritized populations.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Ella Eureste
Astrid Rodriguez
Mia Iandolo
Mia is a junior pre-medical student majoring in Psychology. She is a member of Alpha Epsilon Delta, the Razorback Marching Band, and the Fulbright Honors College. Mia is also an active volunteer with Fayetteville Animal Services. Her research interests center around the impact of culture and the environment on mental health and the accessing of mental health resources.