Research Team
Director
Cecelia Valrie, PhD
Dr. Cecelia Valrie is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at VCU with a primary affiliation with the Health Psychology PhD Program and a secondary affiliation in the Clinical Psychology PhD program, Child/Adolescent concentration. She is also affiliated with the Departments of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. Dr. Valrie received her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She was a faculty member in the Department of Psychology at East Carolina University for 11 years before joining the faculty at VCU in 2017.
Her research program focuses on improving the health and well-being of people living with sickle cell disease (SCD) as well as youth and young adults. Dr. Valrie uses health and developmental psychology techniques and theories to study persistent pain, sleep, and health outcomes. She is also focused on testing and improving the implementation and dissemination of effective interventions to improve health outcomes for people living with SCD, youth, and young adults. Dr. Valrie’s research has been funded by numerous agencies, including the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), and the American Society of Hematology. Her work has been published in a variety of scientific journals, including the Journal of Pediatric Psychology, the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, the Journal of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Pediatric Blood and Cancer, Sleep Medicine, and American Psychologist. Dr. Valrie is committed to the translation of her research, with a focus on collaborating with healthcare providers, community members and groups, individuals living with SCD, youth, young adults, and their families to create programs that can work in health care, community, school, and home settings.
"Even a soul submerged in sleep is hard at work and helps make something of the world." - Heraclitus
Graduate Research Assistants
B. Sloan Crawford, MS, MA
Sloan is a 4th year PhD candidate in the Health Psychology Doctoral Program. She received her BS in Psychology from Old Dominion University. She continued her education at Regent University where she received an MS in Psychology and an M.A. in Practical Theology. Sloan's research objective is to develop and implement interventions to improve the self-management of chronic illness and quality of life for individuals with SCD. Her current work focuses on the implementation of nutrition-based interventions for SCD pain.
"A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor" - FDR
M. Clara Hartman, BS
Clara is a 2nd year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program. She received her BS in Psychology from the University of Cincinnati. She was previously a clinical research coordinator at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Clara’s interests include sleep and pediatric chronic and sickle cell pain.
“I’ve learned that people will forget that you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel” – Maya Angelou
M. Clara Hartman Curriculum Vitae
Megan Griffith, BS
Megan is a 1st year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program. She earned her BA in Psychology and Cognitive Science from Case Western Reserve University. Prior to graduate school, she worked as a clinical research coordinator at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Her research interests include studying the factors influencing pain management in pediatric sickle cell disease, especially among children with neurodevelopmental disabilities, and improving the accessibility and implementation of interventions.
“Be curious, not judgmental” – Ted Lasso
Samantha Castro, MA
“Freedom is what you do with what's been done to you” – Jean-Paul Sartre
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Nishka Malhotra
Nishka Malhotra is a Psychology major with a concentration in Applied Psychology and minors in Statistics and Philosophy. She has worked with CEP-Va as a research assistant, where she contributed to evaluating motivational interviewing (MI). Furthermore, Nishka has also received the VCU Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship Summer Fellowship for the Summer 2025. Nishka's ultimate goal is to be a clinical psychologist and to one day open her own practice working with adults. Her hobbies include watching movies, painting, and playing video games.
"Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today." - Malcolm X
Faye Hadikusumo
Faye Hadikusumo is a Psychology major with a concentration in Addiction Studies. Her career goal is to work in rehabilitation and mental health counseling, and she plans to pursue a Master’s degree in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling with a concentration in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She has a passion for creating supportive resources that promote mental and physical well-being. Outside of academics, her interests include painting, baking, and music.
“You must see with eyes unclouded by hate. See the good in that which is evil, and the evil in that which is good. Pledge yourself to neither side, but vow instead to preserve the balance that exists between the two.” -Hayao Miyazaki
Lulu M'Balu Kourouma
Lulu Kourouma is a double major in Psychology and Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Applied Health and Social Sciences and a minor in Pre-Physical Therapy. Her career goal is to attain a doctorate degree and become a travel physical therapist with a specialization in pediatrics or women’s health. Apart from her academic endeavors, Lulu loves to dance, the color pink, and Nutella.
VCU Graduate Alumni
Jelaina Shipman-Lacewell, MA, PhD
Dr. Shipman-Lacewell earned her PhD in Health Psychology in 2024. Her dissertation was titled "The role of sleep and social-ecological supports in the association between racial discrimination and cardiometabolic risk in Black youth." Dr. Shipman-Lacewell's first position after graduating is as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the "Multidisciplinary Research Training to Reduce Inequalities in Cardiovascular Health (METRIC)" T32 at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health.
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Angela Pascale, PhD
Dr. Pascale earned her PhD in Health Psychology in 2023. Her dissertation was titled "Examining allostatic load as a biological mechanism linking childhood adversity and pediatric pain." Dr. Pascale's first position after graduating is a Research Analyst in the Clinical Nursing Research Team at Press Ganey, a leading Human Experience healthcare improvement company centered on reducing patient suffering.
Mona Quarless, MEd, PhD
Dr. Quarless received her PhD Health Psychology in May 2022. Her dissertation was titled: "Shared decision making in adolescence: The role of race and health status." Dr. Quarless' first position after graduating is the Provider Engagement Manager in the office of the Chief Medical Officer at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.