Current research efforts of dissertation students for whom I serve as Dissertation Mentor, Chair, and Committee Member are completing their research focused on Developmental, Health and Organizational Psychology. One current research study in collaboration with Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City is examining how painful peripheral neuropathy is experienced by comparing individuals with HIV and those with diabetes, as both groups experience this pain. One difference emerging is the perception of what it means to express pain, and whether it is acceptable to share their pain. In another unrelated qualitative dissertation study of social isolation in the elderly who live alone, current research data is being analyzed utilizing the Colaizzi method and interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA). Early analysis suggests the elderly do not access available resources that might prevent loneliness and isolation. A contact information resource guide for the elderly is being developed, including local, state, and federal programs.
2. How did you come to be a mentor?
Serving as a dissertation research mentor, doctoral candidates bring amazing research ideas to the table, and my goal is to nurture the development of the research proposal and implementation of the research study. Being trained as a Developmental Psychologist, and Physician Assistant, and serving on the Health Psychology Faculty at Walden University, my research focus has been biopsychosocial development over the lifespan, and health psychology is certainly a part of this approach.
3. What do like best about mentoring research?
The exciting aspect of doing research is development of a research study that builds on our current knowledge base in the area of health psychology and human development. Accessing current peer-reviewed research brings home the realization that there are other researchers in the US and around the globe who are interested in learning more about specific developmental and health-related psychological issues. Building our knowledge base, with resulting social change implications is very exciting and very meaningful. I enjoy mentoring doctoral candidates and working with professional Psychologist colleagues, and the team effort is very rewarding.
4. What do you dislike the most about mentoring research?
There are days when the research process can seem long and delayed, but part of the sense of accomplishment is experiencing the day by day revisions and improvement in a research proposal or final research project, and the implementation, dissemination and publication of the research efforts. Success is accomplished by standing up, even when you fall down.
5. Advice for new researchers who would like to be published?
One suggestion for new researchers is to become involved in research that greatly interests you, and in an area where may have personal or professional experience or knowledge. The most common suggestion I give to potential researchers who want to publish is to determine your audience. Who is it that would want to read and understand your research? An approach that is useful is to examine the journals that you cite in your research literature review, and examine those journals as potential sources for publication or presentation at local, regional or national professional organization meetings.
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