D. Catherine Walker, Ph.D., Psychology PLLC
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Diplomate, Academy of Cognitive Therapy
Meet the Lab
The BIWED lab meets weekly to discuss progress and challenges in current research projects. One student selects and guides a discussion of a recent relevant research article each week. Most students in the lab are working on projects either as first term research volunteers, for course credit, doing sophomore scholars projects, or senior theses. Students use the lab to get peer feedback prior to poster and paper presentation sessions and to help develop their research ideas.
Current & Recent Students
Syndey Rosensweig, Class of 2022
Sydney is a sophomore double majoring in sociology and psychology. On campus she is a member of Gamma Phi Beta and is involved with c.o.c.o.a house, girls inc., and best buddies. After Union, she hopes to go to graduate school for special ed teaching or mental health counseling.
Nathalie Gullo, Class of 2021
Nathalie Gullo is a Junior Chinese and Psychology double major from New York City. She is currently working on her senior thesis with Professor Walker measuring how seeing oneself through a screen more often while video chatting during COVID-19 can impact one's self esteem. Her favorite activities are reading, running, and spending time with her dog.
Samuel Fogarty, Class of 2020
Sam is currently a senior pursuing a double major in Psychology and Spanish & Hispanic Studies, as well as a minor in Queer Studies. For his thesis, Sam researched the relationship between subcultural appearance ideals (twinks, jocks, and bears) and eating psychopathology in the gay male community. On campus, he has served as president of Union Pride, is a student representative on the Presidential Committee for LGBTQ+ Affairs, is a Senior Intern at the Admissions Office, and works as a Supplemental Instruction Leader. He is also involved in the Body Project and various community service initiatives, as well as Psi Chi, Sigma Delta Pi, and Omicron Delta Kappa. After Union, he would like to pursue a career in LGBTQ mental health through a master's program in Mental Health Counseling.
Emma Houston, Class of 2022
Emma is currently a sophomore studying Psychology and Studio Fine Arts. The first term of her practicum was focused on emotional experience and personality traits, and she completed her practicum with two terms in the BIWED lab. Emma continues to participate in the lab as a volunteer. She assisted fellow BIWED lab member Dominique Toscano with data collection for her thesis project, which examined the role of campus involvement, greek life, and social media use in predicting body image. Along with her participation in the BIWED Lab, Emma works at the Becker Career Center, is a Peer Tutor at the Union College Writing Center, and is a member of the Beta Xi chapter of Sigma Delta Tau sorority. She is a member of Union’s chapter of Psi Chi International Honors Society for Psychology and hopes to be accepted to either a Masters or PhD program following her undergraduate education.
Danny is currently a sophomore studying Neuroscience. Since the fall of 2018, Danny has worked as the Research Assistant in the Male Body Image study ran in the BIWED lab and will begin assisting in the Masculine Honor Beliefs study, as well as helping with data collection for various studies. In addition to his involvement in the BIWED lab, he is a peer leader for the Body Project and works as a Coach’s Assistant for the football team. Danny hopes to be accepted to a PhD program following his undergraduate education.
Jacquelynn Burmester, Class of 2020
Jacquelynn is a Psychology and German Studies double major. On Union’s Campus, she is a member of the Psi Chi and Delta Phi Alpha honors societies, the Delta Phi Epsilon sorority, Hillel, Dickens House, Dinner and Discussion Around Diversity, and German Club. She has previously interned with Albany Medical Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics as
well as Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health. She is currently working on two projects in the BIWED lab: editing
surveys in order to collect data online and editing the final version of her senior thesis “Campus Sexual Assault and the
Onset of Subclinical Eating Disorder Symptoms in Men and Women” with the goal of publication. After Union, Jacquelynn will be working as a research assistant and applying to PhD programs in clinical psychology.
Dominique Toscano, Class of 2020
Dominique is in her senior year at Union College, where she is a psychology major and history minor. For her thesis, Dominique researched if social media, specifically Instagram, and in-person social networks, such as sororities can affect a young woman's body satisfaction and if this relationship is mediated by the internalization of the thin ideal. On campus, Dominique is the President of Psi Chi, the international psychology honor society, the President of the Bowling Club, and a member of Phi Alpha Theta, the international history honor society, and a member of the Order of Omega. After graduation, Dominique hopes to pursue a career in clinical psychology through either a PhD or PsyD program
Meichai Chen, Class of 2020
Meichai is currently a senior double majoring in mathematics and psychology at Union College. In the BIWED lab, Meichai has completed a summer research fellowship and academic year work study collecting data to model the change in anxiety over time during exposure meals in an intensive outpatient program for eating disorders. Meichai plans to apply to PhD programs in quantitative psychology after graduation.
Emily Carrabba, Class of 2020
Emily is currently a senior majoring in psychology at Union College. In the BIWED lab, Emily completed a research practicum, helping to run participants for Sarah Irvine's and Meagan Russell's senior theses. Emily is a peer leader in the Body Project and is the vice president of sustainability in the Student Forum, as a member of Union College's U-Sustain environmental sustainability student group. Emily plans to pursue a career in education after graduation.
Emily Ehrlich, Class of 2019
Emily is currently a graduate student at the University of Indianapolis's Clinical Psychology PsyD program. She completed a double major in psychology and sociology at Union College. Her senior thesis, examining intimate partner violence's relationship with appearance-based self-esteem. Emily is a research coordinator for the grant-funding In the Mirror: Functional Appreciated Bodies (IM FAB) study in the BIWED lab. Emily is a co-author on a recently submitted publication examining outcome predictors in an intensive outpatient program for eating disorders, based on work she did during a research practicum and recently submitted a poster for the International Conference on Eating Disorders to present preliminary findings from the IM FAB study. At Union College, Emily is the president of Active Minds and is a peer leader in the Body Project. Emily plans to apply to PhD programs in clinical psychology this fall.
Michael Stalteri, Class of 2019
Michael is currently a senior neuropsychology major completing a senior thesis focused on feeding issues in children on the autism spectrum. Michael completed a research practicum in the BIWED lab and a summer research fellowship to examine the impact of the Body Project on students' body checking and avoidance and positive body image (functionality focus and appreciation). In addition to his academic work and work in the BIWED lab, Michael is also a Body Project peer leader, tour guide, member of the Dutch Pipers a cappella group, and senior class president, among other things.
Vamshek Srinivasan, B.S., M.B.A. '18
Vamshek graduated as salutatorian in June 2018 and is currently a medical student at Albany Medical School. He completed a research practicum in the BIWED lab in his sophomore year, working on the recently published meta-analysis. Vamshek received funding to present preliminary findings at the International Conference on Eating Disorders in San Francisco in April 2016. Vamshek was third author on the recent publication in the International Journal of Eating Disorders: Meta-Analysis on the Relationships Between Body Checking, Body Image Avoidance, Disordered Eating, and Mood
Meagan Russell, B.S., '18
Meagan is currently working full-time before applying to doctoral programs in clinical psychology. Meagan completed her senior thesis, evaluating the immediate impact of fitspiration and thinspiration images on women's self-esteem, body image satisfaction, and affect, examining whether state and trait appearance anxiety mediate that effect. Meagan will be presenting data from her senior thesis at the 2018 Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies in Washington, DC. Meagan's thesis built directly from her sophomore scholars project, which was a content analysis comparing eating disorders symptoms from thinspiration and fitspiration bloggers on Tumblr.
Julia Brooks, B.S. '17
Julia is currently a graduate student at the University of Chicago at Illinois's Clinical Psychology Ph.D. Program. After graduating from Union College she completed two years as a research assistant at the National Institute of Mental Health. Julia completed her senior thesis pilot testing a body functionality mirror exposure compared to pure unguided mirror exposure. Julia presented her thesis data at the International Conference on Eating Disorders in April 2018 and her thesis is currently under review for publication at Body Image. Julia received summer funding at Union College to collect clinical outcome data at HPA/LiveWell and presented preliminary findings at the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies in October 2016. This paper is currently under review.
Alexandra Morgan, B.S., '18
Alexandra is currently working full time at Klinberg Family Center prior to applying to master's level programs in counseling. Alexandra's senior thesis examined the impact of undergraduates' facebook use on their self-esteem, affect, and body image, specifically the impact that the number of comments and perceived valence of those comments has on those areas of well-being. Alexandra will be presenting data from her senior thesis at the 2018 Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies in Washington, DC.
Sarah Irvine, B.S., '17
Sarah is currently at the Graduate School of Nursing at Yale University. Sarah completed her senior thesis examining the relationship between anxiety and depression and self-defining autobiographical memory and presented her senior thesis at Union College's Steinmetz Symposium.
