LAB MEMBERS
2023-2024
Elise Betkowski
(3rd year Undergraduate Student)
Elise is a third year student at DePaul University, pursuing her Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology. Currently, she is interested in behavioral medicine, medication assisted therapy, as well as economic and racial disparities in health.
Alex O'Donnell
(5th year Doctoral Candidate)
Alex received his B.S. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2016 after which he worked as a behavior analysis specialist at Munroe-Meyer Institute's Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders in Omaha, Nebraska. He received his M.S. in psychology from DePaul University in 2020. As a master's student at DePaul, he researched the benefits of natural mentoring relationships on Latinx adolescents' psychological well-being under Dr. Bernadette Sánchez. Alex is interested in combining his research and practical experience with children and families to explore relationship factors which promote healthy behaviors and barriers preventing equitable access to nutrition among low-income communities.
Tetyana Krutsik
(2nd year Doctoral Candidate)
Tetyana received her B.S. in Applied Health Science and Psychology from Wheaton College in 2021. After graduating, she worked as a care coordinator at the DePaul Family and Community Services clinic, helping families in the Oak Park public school district navigate systems and community resources. She also worked as a lab manager under Dr. Charles Liu, examining the impact of COVID-19-related racism on the health of Asian Americans. Tetyana is interested in exploring the role of environmental stressors in the health behaviors and health inequity of children in urban settings.
Mary Takgbajouah
(4th year Doctoral Candidate)
Mary received her B.S in Psychology from DePaul University in 2020. She was involved in research on gender based violence and substance use and addictive behaviors during her undergraduate studies. After graduating she worked as a summer research fellow at the University of North Carolina’s Center for Excellence for Eating Disorders on projects looking at binge eating in Black women, the importance of diversity in genetic studies, and comorbidity of eating disorder pathology and alcohol use. Currently, she is interested in exploring the relationship between trauma and addictive behaviors, including substance use and food addiction.