LAB DIRECTOR
Kelsey A. Bonfils, PhD (she/her)
Kelsey Bonfils is a Nina Bell Suggs Endowed Professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Southern Mississippi and a Clinical and Translational Research Scholar through the Mississippi Center for Clinical and Translational Research (MCCTR) of the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Dr. Bonfils earned her degree from Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis and completed clinical internship at UCLA. In 2020, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship with the Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC) of the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System and the Western Psychiatric Hospital of UPMC at the University of Pittsburgh.
Dr. Bonfils has expertise in the research and treatment of social cognitive deficits in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders and other psychopathology. Dr. Bonfils’ work has revealed significant deficits in empathy, a less-studied social cognitive process in schizophrenia, and examined how sleep disturbance, distress, and emotion regulatory processes intersect with social cognitive abilities for this group. |
Dr. Bonfils is currently conducting studies funded by the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, Mississippi Center for Clinical & Translational Research, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to examine the intersection of sleep disturbance, inflammation, social cognition, and social behavior in participants with and without schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. Dr. Bonfils is driven in her work to apply findings to treatment and optimize outcomes for patients with serious mental illnesses to promote recovery. She is particularly interested in how we may change or expand our current treatment approaches to improve social cognitive gains, including their maintenance over time.
Dr. Bonfils plans to admit a graduate student during the upcoming admissions cycle, to begin in Fall of 2024. Feel free to reach out for more information if you are interested in working with Dr. Bonfils as a graduate or undergraduate student.
Check out videos about the Clinical Psychology PhD Program at USM here!
View Dr. Bonfils' ResearchGate profile here
View Dr. Bonfils' Google Scholar profile here
Dr. Bonfils plans to admit a graduate student during the upcoming admissions cycle, to begin in Fall of 2024. Feel free to reach out for more information if you are interested in working with Dr. Bonfils as a graduate or undergraduate student.
Check out videos about the Clinical Psychology PhD Program at USM here!
View Dr. Bonfils' ResearchGate profile here
View Dr. Bonfils' Google Scholar profile here
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Lily Hammer, M.A., M.P.S.Lillian (Lily) Hammer graduated from Hendrix College with a B.A. in Psychology in 2018. She then went on to attend the University of Maryland where she received an M.P.S. in Clinical Psychological Science. While completing her Master’s, she worked as a research assistant in UM’s Laboratory of Emotion and Psychopathology (LEAP) Lab and began working at the Baltimore Veteran’s Affairs Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC). At the MIRECC she worked on projects ranging from an intervention to increase patient-centered care behaviors in individuals new to mental health treatment, to delivering Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain to individuals with serious mental illness (SMI). Lily joined the SCORS Lab in the Fall of 2021. She is currently a third-year Clinical Psychology doctoral student. Her Master’s thesis examined whether alexithymia and emotion regulation moderate the relationship between sleep and social functioning. Her research interests are primarily focused around negative symptoms and sleep difficulties in SMI populations, as well as the relationship between sexual and gender minority stress exposure and schizophrenia-like experiences. She has multiple active projects assessing these relationships in general population and student samples.
View Lily's ResearchGate profile here. |
Cassi Springfield, M.S.Cassi graduated with a B.S. in Psychology and a M.S. in Psychological Sciences from The University of Texas at Dallas. While completing her master’s, she worked as a research assistant in the Schizophrenia and Social Cognition Lab at UT Dallas, and after graduating, she continued working in the lab as a full-time research coordinator for two years. In her time in the lab, she worked on projects examining determinants of suicidality in psychotic disorders, introspective accuracy (IA) in serious mental illnesses and schizotypy, as well as projects exploring how paranoia impacts day-to-day functioning in clinical and subclinical populations. Cassi joined the SCORS Lab in Fall 2021 as a PhD student in Clinical Psychology and is currently in her third year in the program. Her research interests include social impairment across the psychosis spectrum, the mechanisms underlying these deficits, and the associated functional outcomes. Cassi successfully defended her master’s thesis in Spring 2023. This project identified self-reported sleep disturbance as a novel determinant of IA and confidence about performance for people with schizophrenia-spectrum and bipolar disorders. She plans to expand this line of work in her dissertation.
View Cassi’s ResearchGate profile here. View Cassi's Google Scholar profile here. |
Kendall Beals, B.S.Kendall Beals graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a B.S. in Psychology in 2018. Kendall worked as a lab manager in the War and Peace Lab and the Affect and Social Cognition Lab at UMass Amherst and, 2 years later, as a research assistant in the Vanderbilt Psychotic Disorders Program. She was involved with studies examining physiological responses to intergroup violence, the influence of emotion on emergency room providers' decision making, and the influence of learning-based therapies on processes such as decision-making. Kendall joined the SCORS Lab in Fall of 2022 and is currently a second-year Clinical Psychology PhD student. Her research interests include interoception, emotion, and functioning in individuals with psychosis, with a particular focus on positive symptoms. Kendall's master's thesis examines how interoception relates to other awareness-based measures, like alexithymia and cognitive insight, in a network analysis and how these relationships differ in people with and without high schizotypy.
View Kendall's ResearchGate profile here. |
Monique Barrett, B.Sc.Monique graduated from the University of the West Indies, Mona, in Kingston, Jamaica, with a B.Sc. in Psychology with First Class Honors in 2022. While at UWI Mona, Monique worked in several research labs on projects such as investigating group perceptions and stereotypes within Jamaican society and the relationship between personality traits and psychological distress among Caribbean medical students. Before joining the SCORS lab, Monique was a qualitative interviewer and research assistant on a UNICEF funded grant investigating the changes in internet usage trends among children in Jamaica after COVID-19. Monique joined the SCORS lab in the Fall of 2023 and is a first-year Clinical Psychology PhD student. Her research interests include examining the effects of socioeconomic, cultural, and physiological influences on the social functioning of minoritized individuals who suffer from schizophrenia spectrum disorders. With this research focus, she plans to develop culturally sensitive screening tools and evidence-based interventions.
|
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
Ais'Jah HicksUndergraduate Research AssistantMy name is Ais'Jah Hicks. I am a Senior psychology major. After earning my B.S in Psychology, I plan to attend graduate school and obtain a PhD in clinical psychology. My ultimate goal is to work with people with mental health disorders to acknowledge and address mental health disparities while working to provide proper representation and treatment.
|
Braden WaughUndergraduate Research AssistantMy name is Braden Waugh, and I am a Senior Psychology major here at the University of Southern Mississippi. After obtaining my B.S. in Psychology, I plan on continuing my education in Clinical Psychology. I would like to use this degree to teach at the university level and conduct research, specifically with sexual and gender minority populations and individuals with serious mental illnesses. My hope is that the research I conduct will help reduce negative mental outcomes for these individuals and increase awareness in these areas.
|
B TwilbeckUndergraduate Research AssistantMy name is B. Twilbeck and I am a junior psychology-sociology double major and an Honors Scholar. After I graduate with a B.S. in Psychology in 2025, I plan to pursue higher education in psychology to practice psychology in an applied field. My long-term goal is to practice counseling with a specialization in sexual and gender minorities, as well as research various facets, in order to aid individuals in their pursuit of a higher quality of life.
|
Jaquesha PrestonUndergraduate Research AssistantMy name is Jaquesha Preston and I am a Senior Psychology major. I intend to pursue a master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling after receiving a B.S. in Psychology. My objective is to support underprivileged minority communities that are affected by mental illnesses by giving them the aid and care that they need.
|
Cat DeanResearch AssistantMy name is Catherine Dean. I graduated in May 2023 with a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi. I plan to earn an M.S. in clinical psychology. After earning my degree, I plan to work with people with serious mental illnesses in an inpatient setting.
|
Kameron YatesResearch AssistantMy name is Kameron Yates and I am a senior psychology major. I am obtaining my bachelor's degree from the University of Southern Mississippi in May 2024. I plan to pursue a master's degree in Counseling. My long-term career goal is to become a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist and go into private practice.
|
LAB ALUMNI
Markessa McCoy, B.S.Markessa McCoy served in the lab as an undergraduate research assistant in 2021. She is currently attending a research-oriented psychology master's program.
|
Sophia Oswalt, B.S.Sophia Oswalt served as an undergraduate research assistant in the lab from 2020-2022. She is currently attending a master's program in Counselor Education and Clinical Mental Health Counseling.
|
Iyanna Marshall, B.S.Iyanna Marshall served as an undergraduate research assistant in the lab from 2021-2022. She graduated with honors in the spring of 2022. We look forward to seeing her next steps!
|
Paige Speights, B.S.Paige Speights served as an undergraduate research assistant in the lab from 2021-2022. She graduated with honors in the spring of 2022. We look forward to seeing her next steps!
|
Macey Trexler, B.S.Macey Trexler served as an undergraduate research assistant in the lab from 2022-2023. She graduated in spring of 2023. We look forward to seeing her next steps!
|
Zoe King, B.S.Zoe King served as an undergraduate research assistant in the lab from 2022-2023. She graduated in the spring of 2023 and joined the Marriage and Family Therapy Master's program at USM.
|