Alumni

Past Graduate Students

Chrissy Kapelewski: Dr. Kapelewski currently works in the Office of Animal Care and Use at the University of California, Berkeley immediately following her thesis defense in 2010.

Jeanette Bennett: In May 2010, Dr. Bennett successfully defended her dissertation which investigated the effect of nicotine on the anti-viral immune response in adolescent mice. She is a post-doctoral fellow on the Comprehensive Training in Oral and Craniofacial Sciences training grant in the Ohio State University College of Dentistry. Her research interest in understanding the effects of health behaviors and psychosocial factors on the immune system has led her to train with Dr. Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, one of the leaders in the psychoneuroimmunology field, at the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research in the Ohio State University College of Medicine. Dr. Bennett brings her specific research interest of how nicotine exposure and smoking affect the immune system to add a new dimension to Dr. Kiecolt-Glaser’s Stress and Health Lab.

Courtney Whetzel: Dr. Whetzel is now a Research Associate and Lab Coordinator of the Behavioral Neuroimmodulation Laboratory (BNIL) at Penn State University immediately following her thesis defense in 2008.

Beth Edwards: Following her final defense in 2007, Dr. Edwards is currently an evaluation coordinator at the Center for Schools and Communities/Center for Safe Schools in Harrisburg, PA.

Isabella Rodrigues: In 2005, Dr. Rodriguez graduated with her Ph.D and took a position as a post-doctoral fellow at the War-Related Illness and Injury Study Center, Department of Veterans Affairs, in New Jersey. Currently, she is working for Quintiles, the world's largest Contract Research Organization to oversee the operations of clinical trials conducted for all of the major pharmaceutical companies in various therapeutic areas, with a greater focus on oncology studies.

Rachel Ceballos: After defending her thesis in 2005, Dr. Ceballos took a position as an affiliate post-doctoral fellow at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Washington State, and is currently a Staff Scientist in their Program for Cancer Prevention. Her research focuses on biobehavioral aspects of stress, obesity and inflammation as a pathway for disease risk. She is currently conducting clinical and community-based research in the areas of cancer and diabetes prevention and control with special attention on minority populations.

Michele (Stine) Riggle: Following the defense of her thesis in 2004, Dr. Stine became an instructor for the Biobehavioral Health (BBH) Department at Penn State University.

Past Undergraduate Students