Congratulations to Sydni Davila for being awarded the Alfredo D. and Luz Maria P. Gutierrez Fellowship! ​This fellowship is a distinguished award presented annually by the University of Pittsburgh's Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. It supports exceptional full-time doctoral students whose research focuses on Latin America.

Notably, Sydni getting this fellowship marks the first time it has been awarded to a student from the Psychology Department, highlighting her outstanding research skills and dedication to serving Latin American communities. We are so proud of you, Sydni!

Congratulations to  Zainab on the successful defense of her Honors Thesis! Her research explored the moderating role of family cohesion on mental health outcomes following community violence exposure among rural Mexican adults. By focusing on an understudied population, her work makes an important contribution to the literature on trauma and resilience, especially within non-Western, rural contexts. Her findings underscore the protective potential of close family bonds in the face of adversity, and have meaningful implications for culturally informed mental health interventions in underserved communities. A huge accomplishment and a powerful piece of research—well done!

Grace Dupree and Kmaura White presented the MAPI Study: Linking Neighborhood Violence to Mexican Adolescent Psychological and Immune Health at the 25th Annual Undergraduate Student Research Symposium. 

We were honored to share this important research with fellow scholars, faculty, and students, and to contribute to a broader conversation on youth resilience and health disparities. Grace and Kmaura did an outstanding job communicating the relevance and innovation of the project- we’re incredibly proud of their hard work and thoughtful presentation!

Sophia Chen proudly represented our research team at the 25th Annual Undergraduate Student Research Symposium! She presented on Proyecto VENCER: Violence Exposure in College Mexican Emerging Adults and Resilience Study.

We were honored to share our research with a broad academic community and engage in meaningful conversations around resilience, violence exposure, and mental health in underrepresented populations. Congratulations, Sophia - your presentation was outstanding, and we’re so proud of you! 

Congratulations to Amelia Leonard on the successful defense of her Honors Thesis! This achievement is the result of a year of dedication, perseverance, and impressive research abilities. Throughout this rigorous process, Amelia conducted comprehensive literature reviews, developed a detailed analytic plan, analyzed data, and authored a well-researched thesis—all leading up to a successful defense. Her hard work and commitment to research have truly paid off, demonstrating both her analytical skills and strong work ethic!

Congratulations to Brian Kim for successfully defending his Honors Thesis, "Benevolent Harm: Familismo, Corporal Punishment, and Rural Mexican Adolescent Mental Health"! Over the past two semesters, Brian has demonstrated exceptional dedication to his research, from developing his project and conducting in-depth analyses to composing a well-crafted thesis. His hard work and commitment to research have led to this significant academic achievement. We are incredibly proud of his accomplishments and look forward to seeing the impact of his research! Well done, Brian!

The CREAR Lab Team in Mexico had a wonderful time celebrating Paulina’s birthday with Dr. Andrea Medrano, who was there collecting data. Happy birthday, Paulina!

Amelia Leonard, the CREAR Lab Administrative Research Assistant, has successfully proposed her Honors Thesis, "Two Fronts of Trauma: The Differential Effect of Intimate Partner Violence and Community Violence on PTSD in Rural Mexico," to her committee. The thesis proposal was accepted without revisions!

Dr. Andrea Medrano presented "Resilience in the Face of Violence: Protecting the Mental Health of University Students in Mexico" at California State University, Northridge (CSUN)!

Zainab Kabir, an Undergraduate Research Assistant, has successfully proposed her Honors Thesis, "Holding Together in Hard Times: Family Cohesion as a Moderator of Mental Health Amidst Community Violence," to her committee. The thesis proposal was accepted without revisions!

Brian Kim, an Undergraduate Research Assistant, successfully proposed his Honors Thesis to his committee! Benevolent Harm: Familsmo and Corporal Punishment on Adolescent Development in Rural Mexico was accepted with no revisions!

Erika Álvarez, presented at the CREAR Lab Meeting, where she characterized the phenomenon of violence in Mexico, and described the main types of violence, causes and consequences from a multidimensional perspective. The goal of this talk was to understand the complexity, interrelations, and impact violence has on various sectors of the country of Mexico.

Dr. Andrea Medrano, Daniel Labrousse, and Sofia Adame attended the National Latinx Psychological Association (NLPA) conference in Puerto Rico! Dr. Medrano served as the symposia chair, while Labrousse and Adame presented their work, titled "Disentangling Machismo and Caballerismo: Mental Health Help Seeking in Rural Mexico."

The CREAR Lab volunteered at Global Links, a Pittsburgh-based non-profit dedicated to improving health in communities with need. Global links distributes surplus supplies from the US healthcare system to support health programs globally and locally.

Maddie McCray, Undergraduate Research Assistant, represented the CREAR Lab at the Panel for Undergraduate Research! She discussed time management, the skills she's learned through working with a lab/faculty mentor, how to get involved with a lab, and shared advice for maximizing learning!

Dr. Andrea Medrano and Dr. Francheska Alers-Rojas shared insights on their career paths, research programs, and mixed methods designs at Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo! The CREAR Lab and University of Pittsburgh also presented them with a projector as a gift!

Dr. Andrea Medrano, Dr. Francheska Alers-Rojas, and the Mexico RAs began data collection for Wave 1 of Proyecto VENCER!

Dr. Andrea Medrano and Dr. Gabriella Alvarez presented MAPI Study at the Pitt Internal Funding showcase. MAPI: Linking Neighborhood Violence to Mexican Adolescent Psychological and Immune Health, Will explore the links between various forms of violence and physical and mental health factors.

The CREAR Lab attended the Piratas game at PNC Park!