NYC Gazette

St. John’s University’s Collaborative Health Integration Research Program (CHIRP) students have achieved remarkable success at the Eastern Psychological Association’s annual conference, with all 16 psychology students having their poster submissions accepted and seven of them receiving prestigious awards.

Elizabeth Brondolo, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Director of CHIRP, expressed her pride in the students, stating, "I am incredibly proud of the CHIRP fellows. Each of them worked together and collaborated with our training partners to produce valuable research." She also highlighted the outstanding achievement by mentioning, "Every single poster was accepted, and seven received the Psi Chi EPA Regional Research Award. CHIRP posters claimed just shy of half of the total awards given!"

One of the students, Nicole Benjamin, shared her excitement about being part of CHIRP, saying, "It felt like the perfect opportunity to continue to expand upon the skills I was beginning to develop." Benjamin's award-winning research focused on the impact of Undergraduate TAs on learning outcomes in a psychology research methods course, revealing significant improvements after integrating UTAs.

Reflecting on the enriching experience of participating in the conference, Benjamin expressed, "Participating in the EPA conference was an enriching experience. The ability to present our research to other scientists together is incredibly gratifying."

Danielle Potts, another student, delved into the correlation between discrimination and executive functioning abilities, stating, "Research suggests that discrimination can impact these abilities, with one explanation being that experiencing discrimination is mentally taxing and consumes cognitive resources." Potts' study explored relational schemas as potential mediators between discrimination and executive functioning, with findings supporting their hypothesis.

Gregory Urena, a senior in the University’s psychology program, presented his research on COVID-19 mortality differences between Hispanic and non-Hispanic White patients, uncovering that Hispanics have equal or better health outcomes despite having more disease risk factors. Urena described the conference experience as, "Being a part of an entire convention filled with people with like-minded interests from all walks of life was surreal," highlighting the stimulating and inspiring atmosphere that led to new ideas.

The success of St. John’s University’s CHIRP students at the conference showcases their dedication to valuable research contributions and their commitment to advancing knowledge in the field of psychology.