Dr. Melody Altschuler
Melody is an Assistant Research Professor of Health Management and Policy and Psychology and Research Scholar at the University of Kentucky. She received her PhD in Developmental Psychology at the University of Minnesota at the Institute of Child Development, where she was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. She graduated with a B.A. in Psychology and minor Anthropology from Bates College and was a Sara S. Sparrow Fellow in Clinical Neuroscience at the Yale Child Study Center. She also trained at Boston Children's Hospital in the Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience of Harvard Medical School and at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development. In her program of research, she combines perspectives from public health and psychology, as well as her own lived experiences in mental health care systems and as a neurodivergent social compensator. Outside of her passion for all pursuits related to the MINDS Lab mission, some hobbies include running, yoga, lifting weights, ecstatic dancing, making themed Spotify playlists (e.g., the "Wise Mind" skill), and adventuring outdoors with her dog, Serene.
Julianne Bowling
Julie is a first year doctoral student in the MINDS Lab and the Developmental, Social, and Health Experimental Psychology PhD program at the University of Kentucky. She received her B.S. in Psychology with a concentration in Child and Family Psychology and minor in Anthropology from Eastern Kentucky University. Her research considers mental health policy reformation and the developmental effects of childhood poverty. She also has interests in neurodiversity, gender-based violence, and food-related behaviors. She began her research career investigating food insecurity among college students while at Eastern Kentucky University. She enjoys hiking, trips, reading, and collecting rocks/crystals.