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My name is Madison Reid, and I am a junior Neuroscience and Psychology double major. I fell in love with the brain sciences after taking introductory neuroscience and psychology courses my freshman year at Sewanee. After hearing about all the research going on in these fields, I knew I found what I wanted to do, and my summer and semester at Yale have been an incredible addition to my path.

During my time here at Yale, I have been researching with Dr. Emily Olfson whose interests include the genetics of childhood and early onset psychiatric conditions with a focus on trichotillomania (hair-pulling), excoriation disorder (skin-picking), anxiety disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. So far, I have done genetic modeling for anxiety disorders, assisted in a meta-analysis of excoriation disorder, and conducted a literature review for the genetics of excoriation disorder and trichotillomania. This is my first exposure to large-scale clinical research, and it has been a wonderful environment to build my research skills in.

In addition to my research, I have been able to shadow and assist with clinical evaluations here at the Child Study Center. This has been one of the best parts of my time at Yale. It is gratifying to be able to help children and their families on the path to better mental health and functioning. In fact, taking part in these evaluations pushed me toward considering a career in clinical practice, something I had never considered before.

I am so grateful that I was able to take part in this program, and I am excited to continue developing the interests that I have fostered here.

Sewanee students Madison Reid (C ’23) and Mehrael Ibrahim (C ’24) spent summer and fall semester 2022 at Yale via the Yale Child Study Center and the Sewanee-At-Yale Directed Research Program. This extended experience on the Yale campus included an extended mentored research opportunities and coursework.

Madison’s summer + semester research was mentored by Dr. Emily Olfson, whose interests include the genetics of childhood and early onset psychiatric conditions with a focus on trichotillomania (hair-pulling), excoriation disorder (skin-picking), anxiety disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. During her time at Yale, Madison was also able to shadow and assist with clinical evaluations at Yale’s Child Study Center and to take the Fall 2022 semester courses Sensory Neuroscience through Illusions and Topics in Clinical Neuroscience.

Mehrael worked with Dr. Thomas Fernandez, whose research aims to uncover the genetic and epigenetic basis of multiple childhood neuropsychiatric disorders, including Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), ADHD, anxiety disorders, Tourette Syndrome, chronic tic disorders, motor stereotypies, and autism spectrum disorders. Mehrael also took semester-long courses in Sensory Neuroscience through Illusions, Neuroscience of Social Interaction, and Developmental Psychology.

The Sewanee-At-Yale Directed Research Program aims to integrate the opportunities and strengths of a dedicated liberal arts education with those of a research-intensive university and medical school. We’re delighted that Madison and Mehrael have explored these possibilities!

Belated and enthusiastic congratulations to Anna Püsök on her acceptance to the Sewanee-At-Yale Directed Research Program! The program offers up to two students per year the opportunity for mentored research experience and coursework at Yale extending across a summer + semester. Although the pandemic delayed Anna’s original plan to begin her time at Yale during Summer 2021, we are delighted that Anna is now in New Haven, actively taking courses and pursuing research under the mentorship of Dr. Denis Sukhodolsky, Associate Professor at the Yale Child Study Center. 

Here are some of Anna’s thoughts from back in November 2021, as she was reflecting on her path to majoring in neuroscience and psychology at Sewanee, and anticipating her upcoming experiences at Yale. 

My name is Anna Püsök and I am a junior Neuroscience and Psychology double-major. I became interested in Neuroscience when I was 16. My best friend and I went to a series of Brain Awareness Week lectures and events hosted by the university in my hometown. I could hold a brain in my hands for the first time and learned about how neuroscience is related to so many various fields. Because neuroscience is not a major in Hungary, I decided to come to the US. I had my first Neuroscience class in my first semester of freshman year, with Dr. Kate Cammack, who became my academic advisor and research mentor later, and I immediately knew that neuroscience is what I wanted to study. Since then, I have been doing research with Dr. Cammack, which has been one of the highlights of my Sewanee experience.

Then, I took Psychology in my second semester of freshman year, and I fell in love with it. I appreciate that I get to study both subjects together because I think the two work together really well: I learn about a person's behavior, personality, and mental disorders in one, and understand all the underlying brain-related mechanisms in the other. After I graduate from Sewanee, I plan to pursue Clinical Neuropsychology, and do both clinical work and research. 

During my semester and summer at Yale, I will be working with Dr. Denis Sukhodolsky, whose research interests include the efficacy of behavioral therapy for children with autism spectrum disorder, anxiety disorders, irritability, and other neurodevelopmental disorders, which pairs perfectly with my research interests and future career path.

I am really excited for my research experience with Dr. Sukhodolsky, to take classes at Yale, and to spend the spring semester and summer in New Haven.