News
September 2023
The Body Mass Index is a tool that has been widely accepted and used across numerous contexts including clinical settings, schools, research, and even by employers. Despite its widespread use, there are several issues with the BMI that make it a harmful tool. In this research report, members of the Strategic Training Initiative for the Prevention of Eating Disorders (STRIPED) delve into the issues posed by the BMI, strategies for de-implementation, and how to advance past the measure. Read the full report here: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/striped/report-bmi-surveillance-de-implementation/
Sending a huge congratulations to Danielle, who successfully defended her thesis and earned her master's degree last week! Her thesis utilized a mixed methods approach to explore multisystemic resilience and anxious-depressed symptoms in Black youth exposed to maternal syndemics. We're so proud of her!!
Congratulations to one of our incredible butterflies, Caitlyn, who recently passed her preliminary exam and dissertation proposal! We're super proud of you and want to recognize all of the hard work that went into putting this together. You rock!!
August 2023
The CHANGE Lab has migrated from Texas A&M to Northeastern University! Congratulations to our fearless leader, Dr. Idia Thurston for becoming the Associate Director of the Institute for Health Equity and Social Justice Research as well as professor in the Departments of Health Sciences and Applied Psychology in the Bouvé College of Health Sciences. We're so excited for this new chapter of the lab!
September 2022
We're so excited to share that Whitney, one of our incredible CHANGE Lab butterflies, knocked her dissertation proposal defense out of the park! She continues to inspire all of us through her brilliance, passion, and leadership. Keep up the great work, Whitney!!
August 2022
We're so excited to announce that Annisa will be joining the CHANGE Lab this upcoming semester as a first year graduate student! She has already been selected to represent TAMU as the new national campus representative for the Society of Pediatric Psychology. We can't wait to see all the incredible things that you accomplish!
July 2022
Congratulations to Whitney Howie on receiving the Departmental Award for Diversity and Advocacy Work! Along with two other students in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Texas A&M University (Kristen Jaramillo and Robyn Douglas), Whitney was selected due to her exemplary service at the departmental, university, and community level. Keep up the incredible work, Whitney!
Congratulations to Danielle Porter, one of the CHANGE Lab's brilliant graduate students, who recently defended her thesis proposal and did an incredible job!!! Congrats, Danielle!! We're so proud of you and your accomplishments!
Oh, how the time flies! Former CHANGE lab butterfly Ghenaya Winanda was accepted into the McLean Post-Baccalaureate Child and Adolescent Fellowship Program in April of this year. It's already June and she's ready to hit the ground running. Congratulations Ghenaya!!!
June 2022
May 2022
After a whirlwind of a semester, our grads are feeling restored, refreshed, and renewed after a much needed trip to Lazy Dog! The (initially suspicious) PB & J Burger and edamame received raving reviews. Here is to a fantastic CHANGE Lab summer!
We want to give a huge shout out to one of our former CHANGE Lab butterflies, Ghenaya Winanda!!! She was recently accepted into the McLean Post-Baccalaureate Child and Adolescent Fellowship Program. We are so so proud of her and can't wait to see the incredible things that she accomplishes!
April 2022
January 2022
Happy New Year from the CHANGE Lab! We're kicking off 2022 with interviews for the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program here at the Texas A&M and we're SO EXCITED to meet all the incredible applicants! We know the interview process can be stressful, so here are a few affirmations to help you along the way:
I deserve to be here.
I will showcase my best self during the interview.
I have unique perspectives and lived experiences that will be of value.
YOU GOT THIS!
Spreading the holiday cheer with holiday books! A huge thank you to United Way of the Brazos Valley for allowing the CHANGE Lab to volunteer at this year's Jingle Book Bash. We had a blast giving out books! Be sure to check out their volunteer page if you'd like to get involved.
December 2021
December 2021
Congratulations to Caitlyn Maye, one of our incredible graduate students in the CHANGE lab, who successfully proposed her thesis entitled: "Using the Bronfenbrenner Model to Explore Risk and Protective Factors associated with Anxious-Depressive Symptoms among Adolescents with 'Obesity.'" You continue to inspire us!
Caitlyn Maye, a third-year graduate student in the CHANGE lab, was elected to be on the Society of Pediatric Psychology's (SPP) Student Advisory Board! Wooo, way to go Caitlyn! You make us proud.
September 2021
August 2021
Dr. Thurston talks with Texas A&M University's student newspaper about the transition back to in-person education for college students.
Hot off the press! In a recent interview, Dr. Thurston offers advice for a smooth transition back to in-person education for children and families. Throughout the interview, she emphasizes the important role of compassion, patience, and social support. Together, we can get through anything.
“If we can center our humanity in this and understand it’s challenging for the adolescents, parents, teachers, and administrators we can navigate this environment as one community.”
August 2021
June 2021
The CHANGE lab family reunited to celebrate the amazing Dr. Thurston's birthday! Our knack for candid (and struggle with posed) photos was realized, Whitney's basketball skills blew us all out of the water, and Dr. Thurston flexed her gardening abilities with her home-grown vegetables. Cheers to summer fun in the scorching Texas sun :')
We're very excited to share that Sami Philip was elected as a member of the Student Advisory Board for the Psychology of Women!! Congrats, Sami!
May 2021
May 2021
Congratulations to the one and only Dr. Idia Thurston for her recent election as an APA Council Rep on the Society of Pediatric Psychology Board! Your strong and fearless leadership inspire us every day! We are grateful for all that you do to spread the CHANGE lab word.
Two CHANGE lab butterflies are onto their next big journey!!! Congratulations to Jennifer Lee and Shivani Desai on your graduation! We are SO grateful to have been part of your journey and experience both of your incredible gifts, and are confident that excellent success lies ahead.
"Texas A&M University has become my home away from home throughout these past four years. The people have I have met have become my second family. I am truly so blessed and thankful that I had to opportunity to grow and experience so much during my time here. Joining the CHANGE Lab was one of the best decisions I made! I am so thankful for Dr. Thurston and all of the graduate students. They have taught me so much and I don’t know what I would do without their constant guidance and support. I have grown into the best version of myself and I couldn’t imagine myself at any other university! Aggieland is truly one of the best places on Earth." -Shivani Desai, Class of 2021
"Coming into A&M, I honestly didn’t know what to expect and what my future looked like. I took a bunch of classes that sounded interesting and was hoping that I would be able to find my passion in something. Through the courses provided, I was truly able to find my calling and learn the limitless possibilities in the field of Psychology. I also met professors who were able to guide me and feed my curiosity with extensive knowledge. When I first read about Dr. Thurston and her work with the CHANGE Lab, it was everything I was looking for. Turns out, it was more than I could have ever imagined. Everyone in this lab is so passionate and intentional with their purpose and their work. I was able to learn what type of research I wanted to continue with and gain research experience and education I wouldn’t be able to find in any other undergraduate lab." - Jennifer Lee, Class of 2021
CONGRATS, GRADS! You will be missed but we are SO proud of you. Once a CHANGE lab butterfly, always a CHANGE lab butterfly.
May 2021
April 2021
Our very own Danielle Porter has been selected as the APA Div 45: "Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race" Campus Rep for Texas A&M! Go Danielle!
We are SO PROUD to announce that two of our amazing undergraduate CHANGE lab members, Lauren Chapman and Sarah Turner, were awarded the Buck Weirus Spirit Award. This is a prestigious award reserved for 55 exemplary students of the entire Texas A&M student body who exemplify spirit and impact on student life through their involvement on campus. Huge congratulations!!!
April 2021
April 2021
We are so excited to share that Dr. Thurston and colleagues' preprint article, "Upending Racism in Psychological Science," was featured as a cover story in the APA Monitor! We are eager for anti-racism practices to transform the field of psychology as we know it.
“We know that those structures exist. We function in a way that highlights those structures, but how can we use our language in a way that shows that structural racism is happening?”
-Dr. I.B. Thurston
We are so excited to welcome the new CHANGE lab undergrad butterflies: Ghenaya Winanda, Jennifer Lee, and Sarah Turner!! Woot woot!!!
January 2021
December 2020
To wrap up the semester, the CHANGE Lab held a Virtual Game Night to share some laughs and words of gratitude.
The CHANGE Lab was awarded funding for their project "Promoting Ethnic Identity to Combat Structural Racism and Improve Health" by the Society of Pediatric Psychology's Anti-Racism & Pediatric Psychology Grant. We can't wait to get started on this important work!!
December 2020
December 2020
Dr. Idia Thurston has been appointed to the national APA Presidential Task Force on Psychology and Health Equity, to promote excellence in community-based clinical and translational health research and develop innovative, culturally centered programs! Way to go!
A editorial that Dr. Idia Thurston co-authored alongside colleagues Drs. Tracy Richmond and Kendrin Sonneville in JAMA Pediatrics, "Weight-Focused Public Health Interventions—No Benefit, Some Harm" came to print! Their work was picked up by CNN! Amazing job!!!
November 2020
October 2020
CHANGE Lab Outing at Corn Maze!
September 2020
Dr. Thurston, Dr. Cecilia Valrie, and Dr. Melissa Santos' "Introduction to the Special Issue: Addressing Health Disparities in Pediatric Psychology" in Journal of Pediatric Psychology comes to online print!
August 2020
Danielle Porter and Sami Philip started their first year in the clinical PhD program and in the CHANGE lab!!! Welcome Danielle and Sami!