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Victoria R

- Research Program Mentor

PhD at University of Florida (UF)

Expertise

Abnormal psychology, health psychology/behavioral medicine, PTSD/trauma, health disparities, cervical cancer screening, substance abuse, primary care-mental health integration, reproductive and perinatal mental health, evaluating therapy outcomes, psychology theory, intersection of gender and health

Bio

Hello! My name is Vicki Rodriguez and I am a licensed psychologist. My academic passions include abnormal psychology, health psychology, health behaviors, and PTSD/trauma. I especially love working on issues at the intersections of gender and health as well exploring health disparities in any area and why they exist. In my therapy practice I specialize in reproductive and perinatal concerns, which are also academic interests of mine. When I'm not working with clients or mentees, I love to craft, sew, practice yoga, play with my Havanese puppies, and listen to true crime podcasts.

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

Motivators of and Barriers to Cervical Cancer Screening

In this project, mentees will examine which variables serve as motivators of and barriers to the practice of cervical cancer screening in a certain population. This can highlight which psychosocial variables are associated with this health behavior.

Increasing Awareness of Postpartum Depression and Anxiety

In this project, mentees will research risk and protective factors for postpartum mental health issues and develop original promotional materials (e.g., social media posts, pamphlets, presentations, podcasts, etc.) in order to increase awareness of postpartum mental health issues.

Coding skills

N/A

Languages I know

Spanish, intermediate

Teaching experience

I taught for 5 semesters of undergraduate courses at the University of Florida during my doctoral program. I taught 3 semesters of Abnormal Psychology and 1 semester each of Health Psychology and Eating Disorders. I also mentored a small group of undergraduates (6-10 students) every semester on various community based participatory research projects as part of my research lab duties.

Credentials

Work experience

Private Practice Psychologist (2022 - Current)
Licensed Psychologist specializing in reproductive and perinatal concerns
Veterans Health Administration (2020 - 2022)
Staff Psychologist

Education

Washington University in St. Louis
BA Bachelor of Arts (2010)
Women and Gender Studies
Florida International University
MSW Master of Social Welfare (2012)
Social Work
University of Florida (UF)
PhD Doctor of Philosophy (2020)
Counseling Psychology

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