Upcoming STEM Circuits

Our May STEM Circuit will be an interactive discussion in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month highlighting resources and coping mechanisms for mental health management. We will have both a research perspective as well as a more clinical perspective from a licensed therapist.

We will begin with Dr. Cheng with a workshop discussing mental health, illness, and resources all in the context of the events of the past year.

Recognizing and Navigating Collective Trauma: A Support Space for Chicago Women in STEM Initiative Acknowledging the collective traumas of a global pandemic as well as civil unrest, police brutality and systematic oppression, this presentation aims to increase participants’ awareness of the impact of trauma on our bodies, relationships, and well-being. We will also explore self-care practices and mental health resources on and off campus.

Then we will move towards hearing more of the research perspective to create a stimulating and more integrative discussion. Dr. Gollan will discuss her research and ways to recognize depression in women and reliable cognitive and behavioral strategies that attenuate its effect.

Dr. Gollan’s Research Summary: Doctoral and postdoctoral women face numerous unique stressors during their training, including gender-related obstacles, life-work responsibilities, limited support, and strenuous work demands. Moreover, with the pandemic, women have also encountered losses and hardships. In this talk, I will discuss how to recognize depression symptoms and invite you to consider cognitive and behavioral tools that mitigate the effects of depression. You will be able to use these tools to achieve a positive quality of life and improve productivity.

Registration is complementary! Feel free to bring a friend or colleague and gain some perspective!

Tentative Schedule:

6:00-6:15 : Welcome and Introduction

6:15-7:00 : Dr. Cheng Discussion

7:00-7:20 : Dr. Gollan Discussion

7:20-7:30: Questions for Speakers

Speaker Information:

Dr. Angel Yiting Cheng (she/her) is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist at Northwestern University Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), on the Chicago campus. Dr. Cheng provides bilingual (Mandarin and English) therapy and takes an empowerment approach to support students to increase self-care, engage in self-exploration, and balance wellness. Dr. Cheng also co-facilitates the Building Emotional Well-being Group Therapy Program, that teaches students mindfulness and emotional regulation skills to effectively manage stress and cope with anxiety and mood symptoms.

Dr. Cheng completed her PhD in Counseling Psychology at the University of Iowa, and a postdoctoral fellowship at Northwestern University CAPS. Dr. Cheng is a member of American Psychological Association, and a supporter of National Queer & Trans Therapists of Color Network.

Dr. Jacqueline Gollan earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Washington in 1999, completed her clinical internship at Brown University Medical School in 2000, and her postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School-Massachusetts General Hospital in 2001. She joined the faculty at The University of Chicago from 2001-2006. In 2006, she joined the faculty in the Department of Psychiatry at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She directs the Stress and Depression Lab (SADlab) at the Asher Center. She is an expert on cognitive and behavioral psychotherapies.

Her research aims to identify modifiable psychological mechanisms that optimize the beneficial effect of psychological treatments for mood disorders using functional neuroimaging and computational models and prospective observational cohort studies. She also works on projects that increase access and quality of mental health services by installing behavioral activation treatment programs into a range of medical settings. She has received federal and foundation funding for her research including NIMH, NIA, NIDA, NICHD, BRF, and NARSAD, and NMH.