Research Group Director
Dr. Ryan J. Marek
Dr. Marek joined the faculty in Department of Psychology and Philosophy at Sam Houston State University in 2023. He previously was faculty at Sam Houston State University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine and University of Houston-Clear Lake before joining the department. His main focus of research centers around health psychology and assessment psychology, with a particular focus in presurgical psychological assessment and how psychopathology predicts various medical outcomes. Dr. Marek received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a minor in Quantitative Methodology from Kent State University in 2017. He completed numerous practicum placements during his training, including at the Cleveland Clinic and at a rural outpatient mental health facility. He completed his APA-accredited internship at the Medical University of South Carolina where he completed numerous rotations under supervision including weight management, behavioral medicine (including pre-surgical psychological evaluations of patients seeking bariatric, spinal cord stimulator, and solid organ transplant, treatment of chronic pain, and generally helping patients adjust to/manage their medical diagnoses), and conducted neuropsychological evaluations. Dr. Marek also trained numerous master and doctoral level therapists through supervision, teaching, research, and mentorship at his former university, University of Houston-Clear Lake. Dr. Marek’s program of research is focused on understanding how psychological factors contribute to medical outcomes. He currently has over 50 peer-reviewed publications mostly focused on pre-surgical psychological evaluations and how they predict various outcomes. Dr. Marek uses his research to help patients manage risk factors prior to and after surgery to help them achieve good outcomes. He also has interests in psychological assessment and notably uses and studies the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) in his research and practice. He has been recognized by a few national organizations who have awarded him early-career research awards for his work in pre-surgical psychological evaluations. He also is lead author on the book “Presurgical Psychological Assessment: Evidence Based Practices and Procedures”. |
Previous Doctoral Students
Jocelyn Gomez, Psy.D.
Jocelyn is a third-year doctoral student in the Health Service Psychology program. She graduated from Sam Houston State University with a B.S. in Psychology and minor in Criminal Justice and earned a M.A. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Houston-Clear Lake. Following graduation from UHCL, she was a Research Associate II at Shriners Hospital for Children-Galveston/University of Texas Medical Branch. She conducted research using Virtual Reality to facilitate Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Mindfulness Skills for Burn Survivors. Currently, her research focus is integration of behavioral health in primary care settings and how it can help reduce health disparities. She was also a Research Coordinator III at Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital investigating the long-term cognitive effects of photon radiation, proton radiation, and surgery only treatment in pediatric brain tumor patients. She completed her APA-Accredited Internship at Nemours and graduated UHCL with her Psy.D. in 2022. She is currently a post-doctoral fellow at Texas Children's Hospital. Broadly, her research interest involves health and psychological outcomes in pediatric patients who have chronic illnesses. In her spare time, Jocelyn enjoys spending time with her six dogs, binge-watching shows, and reading.
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Cory Knight, M.S., NCC
Cory Knight is a fourth-year doctoral candidate in Healthy Service Psychology at the University of Houston-Clear Lake. He graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Texas at San Antonio and went on to complete a M.S. in Psychology and Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the same institution. His research interests include integrated behavioral health care/PCBH, transdiagnostic approaches to personality and psychopathology, and the implementation of psychological science with traditionally underserved populations. Currently, he is completing his pre-doctoral internship in integrated behavioral healthcare at Community Health of Central Washington. |
Monica Nghiem, M.A.
Monica Nghiem, M.A. is a second-year doctoral student in the Health Service Psychology program. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in Sociology and a minor in Psychology. She obtained her M.A. in Psychology with a concentration in Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of Houston-Clear Lake. She was a graduate research assistant in Dr. Malin and Dr. Ward’s neuroscience lab and focused on preclinical models of morphine tolerance and nicotine dependence. Following graduation from UHCL, she was a Research Assistant at the UT Health Science Center at Houston. She conducted research on preclinical models of ischemic stroke and novel stem cell interventions. She also took part in clinical, neuroimaging research and developed imaging protocols to map out brain lesions and atrophy. Broadly, her research interests include behavioral health and neuropsychological outcome research in brain trauma. In her spare time, Monica likes to eat way too much food, drink an unhealthy amount of coffee, and have a mediocre sleep schedule that is supplemented with sub-par quality naps.
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Savannah Kaye, M.A.
Savannah Kaye is a first-year doctorate student in the Health Services Psychology program. She graduated from The University of Alabama in Huntsville with a B.S. in Biological Sciences, a B.A. in Psychology, and a minor in Chemistry. She received her M.A. in Experimental Psychology from The University of Alabama in Huntsville. Her previous research took place in a social psychology lab where she worked on various projects focusing on music therapy; mental toughness; personality and pain; and social connectedness and its relationship to stress, anxiety, and depression in a college setting. Her research focus was on the influences of personality traits, pain attitudes, and coping strategies on quality of life in chronic pain patients. Broadly, her research interests include personality and health behaviors in patients with chronic illness. In her spare time, Savannah enjoys crocheting, binge-watching Netflix, and spending time in the great outdoors. |
Jelani Daniel, M.A.
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Current Master's Students
Lauren Mickens, B.A.
Lauren is a second-year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology program. She graduated from Baylor University with a B.A. in Journalism with a concentration in Public Relations and a minor in Marketing. As part of her internship at Baylor, Lauren was published in “Historic McLennan County, An Illustrated History”. She was the associate editor of the publication along with compiling research, composing chapters, and photographing historic locations. Lauren is interested in research regarding the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and its use in helping determine psychopathology that can be helpful in predicting patient outcomes during medical interventions. She is especially interested in treatments that may be provided once a mental illness is diagnosed. Lauren’s favorite color is blue, she enjoys going to the movies and adores spending time with her animals.
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Wilmer Lugo, B.A.
Wilmer is a second-year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology program. He is an Army veteran and graduated from American Military University with a B.A. in psychology. Wilmer is interested in research pertaining to the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) in assessing how personality affects psychological treatment outcomes. He is seeking to identify if different individuals respond to treatment differently based on personality. He graduated UHCL with his M.A. and is now in University of Houston's Ph.D. program for Counseling Psychology. He is also interested in the influence of personality in response to trauma and in the decision-making process. Other hobbies include spending time with family, online gaming, and martial arts.
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Other M.A. students who have not supplied bios:
Chris Baulch, B.S.
Janella Chu, B.S.
Kishon Joseph, B.S.
Ryan McAdams, B.A.
Jessica Reyes, B.A./B.S.
Chris Baulch, B.S.
Janella Chu, B.S.
Kishon Joseph, B.S.
Ryan McAdams, B.A.
Jessica Reyes, B.A./B.S.
PAMS Alumni
Debbie Torres, M.A.
Debbie graduated from the M.A. program in Clinical Psychology at UHCL in 2019. Her work in the lab focused on the prediction of post-surgical opioid use using pre-surgical psychological assessment scores. Debbie is now a doctoral student at Sam Houston State University in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program. |
Gabby Gloston, M.A.Gabby graduated from the MA program in Clinical Psychology at UHCL in 2019. She's currently working as a Research Coordinator III at Baylor College of Medicine in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences department. She is currently a doctoral student at University of Alabama - Birmingham.
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