Graduate Student Research Symposium

Virtually join Widener University graduate students to celebrate and discuss their research endeavors. Participants encompass students from the College of Health and Human Services as well as the School of Nursing.

The Graduate Research Symposium begins with a poster forum, open to all, on Monday, April 12, 2021, within the Wolfgram Library's Digital Collections. Viewers are encouraged to review all posters and prepare questions for the live, "Meet the Authors"  Zoom discussion on Tuesday, April 20, 2021, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. with the presenting authors.

Presenting authors and authors, who agreed to display to their research within the digital collections, but will not participate in the live Zoom session, are clustered together based on a common theme. Register for one or all Zoom sessions to freely move in and out of Zoom rooms! After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Click here to review the research posters

Check out our RESEARCH AUTHORS and ways to register for the event below!

Experiences of Trauma & Trauma-Informed Care:
Session I 6:00 p.m. 6:50 p.m.
Register in advance for this meeting

Caroline Campbell, "Distress and Wellbeing in Social Workers, Organizations and the Profession", Center for Social Work Education
Lydia DeBiase, "Resource Parents' Trauma Knowledge and Beliefs", Center for Social Work Education
Katie Lawliss, "Let’s Talk About Sex: Even If You Have Cystic Fibrosis", Institute for Clinical Psychology
Jourdan Porter, "Exploring the Psychology of Pregnancy and Childbirth after Sexual Assault", Center for Human Sexuality Studies & Institute for Clinical Psychology
Daniela Weiss-Bronstein, "Chani: Case Presentation of a Modern Orthodox Jewish Client", Center for Human Sexuality Studies

Intervention & Treatment in Practice Settings:
Session I 6:00 p.m. 6:50 p.m. 
Register in advance for this meeting

Hillary Abel, "Post-Concussion Headache and Neurocognitive Performance in Female Collegiate Athletes", Institute for Clinical Psychology 
Deborah Halliday, "Establishing Interrater Reliability of the Lasater Clinical Judgment Rubric", School of Nursing
Cierra Martinez, "CBT Treatment via Tele Social Work Practice", Center for Social Work Education 
Jarika Sharpe, "Interoceptive Exposure: A Proposed Treatment for Panic Attacks", Center for Social Work Education
Arpita Thakore, "Smoking Cessation Teach-Back and Motivational Interviewing Education model for Patients with Hematology, Oncology and Blood Disorders diseases", School of Nursing
Tenzin Dechen, (Digital Collection Only) "Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of an Evidence-based Complementary and Integrative Health Educational Module for Family Nurse Practitioner Students in Pain Management", School of Nursing

Practice Improvement:
Session I 6:00 p.m. 6:50 p.m.
Register in advance for this meeting

James Conley, "Millennial Teachers and Perceptions about Establishing Trust with Principals, Colleagues, Students, and Parents", Center for Education
Brittany Erlsten & Gabrielle Crespo, "Strategic Integration of Occupational and Physical Therapy Services and Leadership in the Chester Community Clinic", Institute for Physical Therapy 
Eric Kuminka, "An Investigation of Relationship Between School Principals' Emotional Competence and Their Performance as Leaders", Center for Education
Laura Rathsmill, "Poly-Attached? The Relationship Between Consensual Nonmonogamy and Attachment Theory: A Literature Review", Center for Human Sexuality Studies
Brianna Swartz, "Need aware vs. Need Blind Undergraduate Admission: Ethical implications", Center for Education
Kristen McLaughlin, (Digital Collection Only) "Employing Rigor in Instrument Development", School of Nursing

Standing with Marginalized Groups: Service to Underserved Populations:
Session II 7:00 p.m. 7:50 p.m.
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Jenn DiBartolomeo, "Bisexual Therapy Clients: Are Therapists Perpetuating Monosexism And Biphobia In The Therapy Room?", Institute for Clinical Psychology & Center for Human Sexuality Studies
Alexandria Gibb, "The Representation of Authentic and Authoritative Voices in Multicultural Young Adult Literature", Center for Education
Alison Leslie, "Analyzing the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act", Center for Social Work Education
Kelley Quinn & Jovie Wilkinson, "Can Trans Women Experience Patriarchal Privilege?: A Review of the Transitions of Gender and Allocated Privileges", Center for Human Sexuality Studies
Josh Hammaker, Alyssa Myers, John Nellett, Stephanie Saylor, John Vizzini, & Gabrielle Crespo, "Transitioning to Telehealth Services in a Student-Run Pro Bono Clinic", Institute for Physical Therapy

Protecting our Future: Children & Families:
Session II 7:00 p.m. 7:50 p.m.
Register in advance for this meeting

Ahminah Cottman, "The Reclaim Yoga Project", Center for Social Work Education
Danyel Forehand, "The Forgotten Voices of Children of Incarcerated Parents", Center for Social Work Education
Bailey Parton & Reanna Thompson, "COVID-19 & Pregnancy: A Plea for Accurate & Easily Accessible Information & Guidelines for Pregnant Women", Center for Social Work Education
Beth Zigmont, "Influences on Adolescent English Learners' (ELs) STEM Self-Efficacy and STEM Career Self-Efficacy", Center for Education
 

Featured Presentation:

Session III 8:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Featured Author Presentation

Ericka McMillan, "An Exploration of White Teachers' Racial Consciousness", Center for Education

Ericka McMillan is a doctoral candidate in the Education Department (Cognitive Studies of Reading) at Widener University. In addition, she has served as a teacher and reading specialist at Widener Partnership Charter School since 2010. In her reading specialist role, she enhances students' cognitive skills in comprehension, vocabulary, phonemic awareness, phonics, and fluency. Prior to working at the Charter School, she served as a kindergarten teacher and a director at a learning center in an affluent city in Delaware County.

Ericka is passionate about educating children, in particular, the children of Chester because she believes in giving back to the community in which she was raised. Moreover, she believes in creating a classroom environment that highlights the triumphs and celebrates the joys of these students' culture and background. 

When Ericka is not busy completing assignments for her doctoral classes, she is spending time with her family or reading books about race and racism.