Current Graduate Students

Tara Weixel, B.A.

Tara Weixel is a first year graduate student in the Wildman lab. She received her B.A. from American University in December of 2016 double majoring in psychology and philosophy. After receiving her bachelor's degree, she worked as a post–baccalaureate research fellow through the Intramural Research Training Award at the National Human Genome Research Institute within the National Institutes of Health (NIH). While at the NIH, she was involved in two clinical research protocols: 1) The Natural History Protocol for the Congenital Disorders of Glycosylation (CDG) and 2) The Undiagnosed Diseases Program (UDP). Her NIH research focused on constructing an illness narrative and needs based assessment for the CDG community, along with analyzing the neurodevelopmental profiles of various CDG subtypes. Her current research interests involve understanding how having a chronic illness (especially, but not limited to, genetic conditions) impacts a child's psychosocial well-being, along with family well-being. Additionally, she is also interested in physician communication–particularly asking, "What is the best way to disseminate medical knowledge to patients, parents, and families in order to promote treatment adherence?"

Nichole Slick, B.A.

Nichole Slick is a second year graduate student in the Wildman lab. She received her B.A. from DePauw University in May 2018 majoring in psychology. While there, she spent a semester interning at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) as part of the Behavioral Oncology research team. While at CHOP, she was involved in a study determining the ways in which interactive sites could assist adolescents with a cancer diagnosis in making the decision to enroll in a clinical trial. This research focused on creating an effective website to increase adolescents– understanding of their diagnosis, encourage communication between adolescents and their parents, and ultimately increase the life span of these adolescents. Her research on the role of these websites has continued at Kent State, where her Master's thesis addresses the role that social media use, as well as trust in youth's doctors, plays on adherence for children and adolescents with sickle cell disease. Additionally, she is also interested in the role that responsibility for treatment between adolescents and parents, as well as shared decision making between adolescents, parents, and physicians plays as it relates to treatment adherence in adolescents with chronic illnesses.

Previous Graduate Students