Kourtney Schroeder, Psy.D.
Clinical Psychologist & Assistant Professor
Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
University of Florida, College of Medicine- Jacksonville
We’re back with another Spring issue, the first of 2024! We hope everyone’s new year has started off positively and energized for growth and learning. What an exciting time for our Division as we launch a new website and a new issue of The Health Psychologist ezine.
Shout out not only to the editorial team for their endless dedication and hard work on every issue but also the website team for launching a wonderful new website!
In this issue, our Health Research Council contributed two outstanding articles for the Research Highlight column focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Dr. Chandra Char provides an overview of an equitable approach that engages communities is essential in every step of the research process, from data collection to results dissemination using a community-focused design. Additionally, Dr. Joshua Eyer described how our Division has utilized targeted strategies to implement and amplify research related to DEI from webinars and programming to awards.
Our president, Dr. Mark Vogel, demonstrates how these four pillars are modeled within our Division: connection, learning, engagement, and growth. He encourages the continuation of these pillars in order to inspire and mold the future of our Division for our community as whole. In our Creative Outlet column, Dr. Grace Kao shares about the experience of many psychologists as they develop in their career, emerging adulthood. She offers normalization of career progression and how she has shaped her professional identity through the differing stages.
Drs. Ellen Joseph and Tiffany Duffing discuss the gut-brain interaction and the disorders that occur as a result. They described the significant impact of discrimination within marginalized communities experiencing these disorders of the gut-brain interaction while advocating for the need for changing the patient’s experience in order to better treat and provide relief for these individuals. In the article written by Madeline Foster, she provides an overview of the intersectionality between chronic pain and depression as well as the role of a health psychologist in the treatment of this comorbidity.
From one of our leaders within the Division, Nicholas Powers, the Communications Chair of the Student Advisory Council, interviewed Dr. Stephanie Brezinski. She is a postdoctoral fellow in psychosocial Oncology who shares her experience as not only a postdoctoral fellow but also in a unique subspecialty of health psychology.
We are grateful for everyone’s contributions and knowledge that is shared with our Division and community to expand the breadth of health psychology!
Please do not hesitate to contact me at thehealthpsychologist@gmail.com if you have any questions or an idea for a piece (one does not have to be a member to contribute).
Kindly,
Kourtney Schroeder, Psy.D.
Editor in Chief, The Health Psychologist