Ms. Ioanna D. Kalogiros

I am currently a graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at Michigan State University. I am going to begin my predoctoral clinical internship at Sunset Park Mental Health Center in Brooklyn, NY in the fall 2004. I expect to receive my Ph.D. in the fall of 2005.

I have worked on diverse research projects examining womenÂ’s and childrenÂ’s mental and physical health in areas such as womenÂ’s barriers to seeking health care, parental help-seeking attitudes and concerns, young childrenÂ’s social competence, and parental beliefs about preschool aged childrenÂ’s problem behaviors. My past research experience also consists of assisting in the design and analysis of health services research projects investigating the experience and attitudes of low-income women (WIC) toward health care and social services. My training and survey design experience includes a strong understanding of the importance of comprehensive assessment and intervention of psychological difficulties from a cross-cultural perspective.

My dissertation is an investigation of the role of family functioning and age of onset of weight problems in the internalizing symptoms of overweight adolescents. I recently received a doctoral dissertation grant from the Fahs-Beck Fund for Research and Experimentation as well as a MSU Graduate Student Research Enhancement Award to support the completion of my dissertation. Over my undergraduate and graduate career, I have received several awards and research grants from organizations such as the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation of Michigan, Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, etc.

I have also conducted short and long-term therapy as well as comprehensive testing/assessments of young children, adolescents, college students and adults. In addition, I have worked clinically as a behavioral co-leader of a nationally recognized weight management program, SHAPEDOWN through the Sparrow Weight Management Center (affiliated with Sparrow Health Systesm) in Lansing, MI. My work has included conducting individual and family intake interviews, co-leading groups, and conducting psychometric testing of overweight and obese children and their parents. I also have participated in the development of outcome assessments procedures for the evaluation of group members' (children and parents) physical and mental health. Lastly, I co-designed and obtained funding for a childhood obesity panel discussion/mini-conference that was open to the public.