Current Graduate Students
Patric Leukel, M.A. – Clinical Graduate Student
Patric Leukel is a sixth-year Clinical Psychology Doctoral student from Bremen, Germany. He graduated from Southern Utah University with Bachelors of Science in Psychology and Biology and a minor in Chemistry in 2019. He recently proposed his Dissertation about loneliness and ambulatory blood pressure. Patric is interested in the effects of psychosocial factors, such as social support and loneliness on chronic health conditions. Patric is currently on internship at Indiana Health Sciences Center in Indianapolis, IN.
Bianca Kirsch, M.A.R. – Clinical Graduate Student
Bianca Lewis is a fifth-year Clinical Psychology Doctoral student from Philadelphia, PA. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from La Salle University, and her Master of Arts in Religion from Westminster Theological Seminary. She is interested in the effects of psychosocial factors on physical health outcomes in adults with chronic illness, with current focuses on social support and forgiveness.
Sophie Kollin, M.A. – Clinical Graduate Student
Sophie Kollin is a fifth-year Clinical Psychology Doctoral student from Farmington Hills,
Michigan. She graduated from Denison University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.
Sophie worked as a Clinical Research Coordinator in the Behavioral Medicine and Clinical
Psychology department at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital prior to coming to the University of
Mississippi. She is interested in studying the psychosocial factors influencing self-management
behaviors among individuals with chronic health conditions. Her dissertation is examining the
relationship between momentary emotion regulation and ambulatory blood pressure.
Katherine Nesbitt, M.A. – Clinical Graduate Student
Katherine Nesbitt is a fourth-year Clinical Psychology Doctoral student from Nashville, TN. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Baylor University in 2021. During her time at Baylor, Katherine worked in and conducted research at an outpatient telehealth clinic serving veterans, first responders, and their families. She is currently interested in studying how resilience can improve disease outcomes among individuals with chronic illnesses. Her thesis was a psychometric study involving the development of a novel measure of diabetes-related resilience.
Colter Clayton, B.S. – Clinical Graduate Student
Rhea Mundle, B.S. – Clinical Graduate Student
Rhea Mundle is a second-year Clinical Psychology doctoral student from Chicago, IL. She graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Biology. Rhea completed her post-bacc as a Clinical Research Assistant at the Road Home Program/TREAT Lab at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. There, she worked on examining outcomes of veterans and trauma-exposed community individuals undergoing intensive formats of Cognitive Processing Therapy. She is currently interested in studying the psychological factors that impact management of serious and chronic medical conditions.
Negin Ghaffari, B.A. – Clinical Graduate Student
Negin Ghaffari is a first-year Clinical Psychology Doctoral student from Los Angeles, CA. She earned her Master of Arts in Psychological Sciences from California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) and her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from California State University, Northridge (CSUN). During her graduate studies, Negin focused on the impact of early life stressors on health behaviors. Her current research interests center on investigating these effects in minority populations, with a particular emphasis on identifying potential resilience factors.
