Alumni Graduate Students

Picture of Dave AvramDavid Avram

Dr. Avram graduated from CU Denver's Clinical Health Psychology program in Spring of 2020.  He is completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Stride Community Health Center in Denver, where he also completed his pre-doctoral internship. He graduated from Northern Arizona University (NAU) with a post-baccalaureate degree in psychology in 2012. He then pursued graduate work at NAU and earned a master’s degree in clinical health psychology in 2014. His current research explores the connections between psychological resilience and psychological and physical health outcomes in cancer patient and caregiver populations. Additional research interests include the interdependence of patient and caregiver health in palliative care settings, social-behavioral epidemiology and psychoneuroimmunology.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alaina Carr photoAlaina Carr

Alaina L. Carr, PhD completed her pre-doctoral internship at the University of Florida and graduated from the CHP Program in May 2021. She completed her postdoctoral training in the National Cancer Institute (NCI)- funded T32 Cancer Population Sciences Program at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. She is a postdoctoral fellow at North Star Psychological Services in Washington, DC, providing psychotherapy to patients with chronic health conditions.

 

Dr. Carr is a Research Instructor in the Department of Oncology and a member of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program within the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University Medical Center. Her ongoing NCI-funded career development award (K99) combines her interests in developing and evaluating mHealth interventions to improve symptom burden, mental and behavioral health in cancer patients across the care continuum. Dr. Carr was awarded the 2022 Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) Distinguished Student Award: Excellence in Research and currently serves as the 2022-2023 Division 38 SfHP postdoctoral representative.

 

 

 

 

 

Anna Cejka

Dr. Anna Cejka graduated in 2015 and has since worked for Southeast Counseling Center, a group practice, in Parker, Colorado. Her work there includes cancer support groups for survivors of various forms of cancer, generalist individual psychotherapy with teens and adults, treatment for those suffering with chronic pain and chronic illness, and consultation with other support groups on coping with chronic pain and chronic illness. In her free time she loves riding her horse, Mia, playing cello and piano, and enjoying time with her three kids (Bri, Romen, and Miles) and her husband Nathan.  Dr. Cejka and Nathan adopted Bri, a teen from the foster care system, and have enjoyed incorporating her into their family and witnessing all the firsts that come after living her childhood in foster care. 

 

JGeller

Jessica Geller

Dr. Geller completed her clinical postdoctoral fellowship in Health Psychology at the Denver Veteran Affairs Medical Center in September of 2017 and is now a licensed clinical psychologist. Dr. Geller is currently in an Advanced Health Services Research Fellowship through the Denver/Seattle Center of Innovation (COIN) at the VA. Her research is focused in psychosocial oncology on conducting and disseminating dyadic psychosocial interventions targeting oncology patients and their caregivers. In her free time, Dr. Geller sees some private practice patients at Birch Psychology, and enjoys spending time with her partner Mike and their pups, Heidi and Max.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lauren 2020 PhotoLauren Languido

Dr. Languido is currently working as a psychologist at Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI) in the Integrated Behavioral Health Program (Health Center) and the Center for Survivors of Torture. Dr. Languido completed her postdoctoral fellowship in Behavioral Medicine at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. She completed an APA-approved pre-doctoral clinical internship at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, and graduated from CU Denver's Clinical Health Psychology program in the Spring of 2020.  Dr. Languido's clinical and research interests center on bearing witness to the lived experiences of individuals facing medical illness, psychosocial trauma, and social inequity in both "local" and transnational communities. Additionally, she is interested in health advocacy, integrative healthcare, and interdisciplinary approaches to qualitative research and healthcare delivery.  She earned a bachelor’s degree with a dual major in International Studies/Relations and Spanish from DePaul University, and a post-baccalaureate certificate in Pre-Clinical Health Psychology from Northwestern University.

 

 

 

 

Shannon Madore

Dr. Madore is completing the second year of her Health Services Research and Development (HSR&D) Fellowship at the VA Portland HealthCare System. As an HSR&D fellow, she is working on research projects related to patient-physician communication and treatment decision-making among patients with early stage lung cancer, substance use among patients who are prescribed opioid medications, medical cannabis and chronic pain, and the provision of palliative care health services to Veterans. On these topics, she has authored 7 publications (4 first author) in journals such as the Annals of Internal Medicine, Journal of General Internal Medicine, and General Hospital Psychiatry. She has accepted a staff research position at the VA Portland HealthCare System, Center of Innovation. She is also actively applying for career development grant awards through the American Cancer Society and the VA. She and her husband welcomed their third child in early January of 2018.

 

KellieKellie Martens

Dr. Martens works as a staff psychologist in oncology at Henry Ford Health Sciences in Detroit, Michigan. Dr. Martens completed her post-doctoral fellowship at the Detroit VA Medical Center in 2017.  Dr. Martens completed her pre-doctoral internship at Henry Ford Health Sciences and graduated from CU Denver in 2016. Her completed dissertation titled, What Matters Most? Predictors of Quality of Life and Life Satisfaction among young breast cancer survivors (2015) was accepted for presentation at the annual American Psycho-oncology Society meeting in San Diego.