Dr. Renn plans to accept one graduate student for the 2023-2024 academic year.

Doctoral Students

Matthew Schurr 

Matthew Schurr is a current 4th year student in the Clinical Psychology doctoral program. Matthew completed his master’s degree in Applied Psychology in 2019 at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. He has completed clinical practicum rotations in Las Vegas, with an emphasis on neuropsychological assessment. He is currently completing a clinical practicum rotation at Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health – Las Vegas. His research interests include taking a dimensional approach to studying depression treatment in older adults in the context of neurodegenerative diseases. Matthew enjoys playing hockey, water skiing, and spending time with friends.

Tess Walker 

Tess Walker is a second-year student in the Clinical Psychology doctoral program. Tess worked as a research assistant in the THINK FAST lab at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, which focused on technology-based interventions to improve cognition in older adults living with HIV. Tess later received a master’s degree in Psychology from San Diego State University, where she studied mobile health (mHealth) HIV treatment and prevention interventions for sexual and gender minoritized populations. Her research interests broadly include digital mental health interventions, cognitive functioning, and aging with chronic illness. Tess enjoys camping, exploring new places, and spending time outside with friends and her dogs.

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Rakshitha Mohankumar

Rakshitha Mohankumar is a first-year student in the Clinical Psychology doctoral program. She completed her Bachelor’s degree at UC Davis in 2018 majoring in Psychology and minoring in Sociology and Professional Writing. Rakshitha then went on to work at the Palo Alto VA where she worked on research projects focusing on substance use and weight management. She completed her Master’s in Research and Experimental Psychology at San Jose State University in 2022. Her thesis focused on examining culture and its influences on mental health perceptions. Rakshitha’s research interests include exploring cross-culturally stressors, coping strategies, and well-being with individuals who have addiction and or mental health issues and their family members. She is interested in treatment approaches geared towards adults with addiction or trauma-related issues and in pursuing research related to identifying stressors and improving mental and emotional functioning via coping in individuals. Rakshitha enjoys traveling, trying out new restaurants and cafes, and spending time with her pup Denny.

Post-Baccalaureate & Undergraduate Students

Bryce Brown 

Bryce Brown graduated in May of 2021 with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a minor in sociology. Currently he works as a Registered Behavior Technician teaching life skills and providing treatment to children with autism. Bryce’s focus is learning more about anxiety and mood disorders, how they affect individuals, and what can be done to help. Currently he is preparing for graduate school to become a licensed therapist, and conduct research on treatment for individuals with anxiety and mood disorders. In his free time Bryce likes to explore nature through camping, hiking, and backpacking. When he isn’t outdoors he loves the art of aquariums and terrariums to keep the beauty of nature at home too.

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Emily Post

Emily is an incoming senior studying psychology with a minor in neuroscience. She also works as a volunteer for Infinity Hospice Care, along with hoping to start a gerontology club. For research interests, Emily is hoping to conduct research on older adults in order to find ways to aid with the end of life process. After graduation, Emily wants to apply for a Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program, hopefully, one that specializes in geropsychology or research that specializes in aging and older adults. Outside of academics, Emily enjoys playing video games, playing with her cats, reading, and caring for her house plants.

Lab manager

Ting Tong 

Ting received her BA in Psychology in the Fall of 2020. Her research interests focus on exploring how emotional regulation, adverse childhood experiences, and parental psychopathology contribute to the manifestation and maintenance of mood disorders across the individual’s lifespan. She is also interested in identifying difficulties in the assessment, intervention, and help-seeking behaviors among the Asian communities. Her primary focus is to obtain a Ph.D. and become a licensed clinical psychologist. Her professional goals are to work as a practitioner and conduct research at a university. In her spare time, Ting likes cooking, reading, handcrafting, and swimming.

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Collaborations

Dr. Renn also has the good fortune to collaborate with others outside of UNLV, including Dr. Patricia Arean, Dr. Patrick Raue, Dr. Anna Ratzliff, Dr. Oleg Zaslavsky, Dr. Abhi Pratap, and Grace Woodard.

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