People

Dr. Z smiling in front of table with Loyola cookies

Dr. Z, Director

Dr. Zoe R. Smith (Dr. Z) is an assistant professor of psychology at Loyola University Chicago.

Pronouns: She/her

Office: Coffey Hall 204
Phone: 773.508.3015
Email: zsmith5@luc.edu
Twitter: @DrZoeRSmith, @ACCTIONLab
Instagram: ACCTIONLab
Faculty Webpage: Dr. Zoe R. Smith, Loyola

Education and Training:

Postdoctoral Fellowship, Pediatric Research, Loyola University Chicago
PhD in Clinical Psychology, Child and Adolescent Concentration, Virginia Commonwealth University
Clinical Internship, Child and Pediatric Intern, University of Chicago
BA in Psychology Kenyon College

Research Interests:

Development of culturally-responsive assessments and interventions for adolescents, particularly adolescents with ADHD and sluggish cognitive tempo.

I advocate through my research, teaching, and service for people from systemically oppressed backgrounds.

I also examine how motivation changes over time and through different contexts.

I examine how measures are created and fit together statistically (psychometrics).

My work is community-centered and healing-based. That means we focus on the strengths of the whole person and help to alleviate any distress.

Recent Courses Taught:

Psychopathology (undergraduate)
Life Span Psychopathology (graduate)
Health Psychology (graduate)

What I do for fun:

I love listening to books on tape, going for walks, eating delicious food (particularly pizza), and exercising. I'm also starting to learn how to play pickleball and it is super fun! I love playing basketball, but I am hopeless at shooting baskets.

Study Coordinator

Terumi Randle

Pronouns: She/Her

Education: Middlebury College, BA in Psychology

Research/Clinical Interest: I am interested in neuropsychology. I would like to work towards assisting with the treatment of neurodivergant and cognitive disorders. I’m especially interested in treatments and interventions that will greatly affect BIPOC communities.

What I do for fun: Reading, writing, cinema watching, and trying new things!

Goals: Pursuing a PhD in Clinical Psychology and becoming an advocate for people of color that are chronically ill and living with conditions that greatly affect their cognition.

Graduate Research Assistants

Marcus Flax

Pronouns: he/his/him

Education:

· Montclair State University, M.A., Clinical Psychology

· Rutgers University-Newark, B.A., Psychology

Status: 1st Year Graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program

Research/Clinical interests: How adverse childhood experiences affect the development of African American youth, understanding the presentation of internalizing disorders in African American boys, addressing and breaking the stigma towards mental health within the African American community, and the development of new interventions to address the specific needs of Black and Brown youth.

What I do for fun: Chess, cooking, painting, being outside in nature, and spending time with family and friends.

Goals: I want to become a child/adolescent clinical psychologist so as to create a child study center at a university to progress youth research for BIPOC communities and inspire more students to become researchers.

Kaleigh Wilkins

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Education:

Loyola University Chicago, M.A., Clinical Psychology
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, B.S., Psychology

Status: 5th year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program
Research/Clinical Interests: exposure to violence and other life stressors present in urban communities; intergenerational trauma in and among ethnic-minority families; race-related stress; trauma-focused psychotherapy; disruptive behaviors in early childhood

What I do for fun: Biking, traveling, crafting/scrapbooking, eating at various Chicagoland restaurants and spending time with family and friends.

Goals: To become a child/adolescent clinical psychologist in an academic medical center conducting research and clinical work.

Lab Manager

Matti Jentz

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Education: B.S., Psychology and minor of Sociology, graduating December 2022

Status: I am currently a senior at Loyola

Research/Clinical interests: ADHD and other mental diagnoses can be very misunderstood and I wanted to be in a group of people who are actively trying to change these stigmas against mental health. Changing the stigma against mental health and giving information out into the community can help so many people reach out and get the help they deserve. On the other hand, I would love to do research on how careers (specifically in the US) can affect parental/guardian mental health which then can trickle down and affect a child's mental health as well.

What I do for fun: This year will be my seventh year of being a part of a rugby team! I currently am a member of the womxn's rugby team here at Loyola. I also love to make fun DIY projects, crafts, and paintings on my down time. Spending any time outside is also one of my favorite things to do.

Goals: Currently I am applying for Industrial Organizational Psychology graduate programs.

Undergraduate Research Assistants

Logan Phengsomphone

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Education: B.S., Psychology 2023

Status: Senior

Research/Clinical Interests: I have a passion for building strong future generations, ACCTION Lab has provided me an opportunity to practice and develop my skills with children and adolescents. There are currently many disparities, inequities, inequalities, and burdens in the system that we live in today that deter individuals from reaching their full potential. ACCTION Lab aligns with my own ambitions as it provides a community-centered approach towards healing and liberation in Chicago for Black, and Latina/o/e youth with ADHD and SCT that I can later extrapolate into other populations to remove those systemic barriers. I follow wherever my curiosity leads me, and it has led me to provide help to the amazing, smart, and creative people with ADHD and SCT.

What I do for fun: In my free time, when the weather is nice, you can catch me spending my time outdoors, either running miles or playing tennis. When the weather is not so nice, I am indoors either listening to music or playing the piano.

Goals: I plan to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology.

Celia Acevedo

Pronouns: She/Her

Education: B.S. in Psychology expected Fall 2022

Status: Fourth Year!

Research/clinical interest: Being a part of ACCTION Lab will be both rewarding and important work in which we spread resources to systemically oppressed populations and help advocate for their voices! I couldn't be more excited and proud to join this team!

What I do for fun: I enjoy diving into a good fiction book, taking care of my plants and garden, and spending time with my dog :)

Goals: I have plans to pursue a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology with current work being completed in rape crisis counseling. My goals for this lab include diversifying my research interests and advocating for whosever voice I possible can!

Essie Humberston

Pronouns: she/her
Education: Loyola University Chicago, B.S., Psychology 2023
Status: Junior, Psychology major and Music minor
Research/Clinical Interests: I am so excited to be a part of the ACCTION lab because I think the work that it is accomplishing is extremely important and will help so many people, especially our youth. I am also excited that ACCTION lab recognizes the effects of systematic oppression and works to gain a better understanding of how this affects youth with ADHD. As someone with ADHD I am so excited to be a part of something that is working toward the betterment of lives of children and adolescents with ADHD today through research and therapy methods.
What I do for fun: I love playing guitar, singing, and hiking!
Goals: I am still figuring out what my specific goals for the future are but I really hope to have a career that is focused on understanding and bettering our society, whether that be with the environment, the use of technology, or mental illness (or all of the above).

Laurel Miskovic

Pronouns: She/Her
Education: B.S. Psychology
Expected Graduation Year: May 2025
Status: Sophomore
Clinal Interests: My personal research interests include exploring the possible relationship between academic burnout and ADHD as well as the effect that co-occurring disorders may have on ADHD development and severity of symptoms. My clinical interests include the diagnostic testing of ADHD and autism in children as well as adolescent psychotherapy.
What I do for fun: I love going for walks along the lake and re-watching comfort T.V. Shows.
Goals: My goal is to obtain my Ph.D. in clinical psychology and work as a pediatric clinical psychologist.

Nina Frankovic

Pronouns: She/her

Education: B.S. Psychology, B.A. Spanish, Expected graduation May 2023

Status: Senior, honors student

Research/Clinical Interest: I am thrilled to begin volunteering with all the talented members of the ACCTION Lab! I appreciate the importance of the research performed by this lab in advocating for children with ADHD who face systemic injustice. I am honored to be a part of the mission to support these youth.

What I do for fun: Self-care in the form of playing piano, crocheting, and watching movies!

Goals: I intend to earn a doctorate in clinical psychology. I would love to focus my efforts on bettering treatments for survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault. In the ACCTION Lab, I look forward to building relationships and practicing productivity with my fellow team members :)

Julianna Collazo Vargo

Pronouns: she/her
Education: B.S., Cognitive & Behavioral Neuroscience and Minor of Psychology, 2023
Status: Senior
Research/Clinical Interests: I want to work towards minimizing the misdiagnosis of neurodivergent youths within underrepresented communities. Within ACCTION Lab, I hope to help adolescents know they aren’t alone and have the support of the community and their families by providing information and resources on mental health.
What I do for fun: I spend most of my time baking for my friends and reading books by the lake. When I’m not studying, I love exploring local restaurants with my friends.

Goals: Currently, my goal is to obtain a PhD in Clinical Neuropsychology in hopes to curate treatments and interventions based on my research. Along with my peers, I want to help eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health and make treatments more accessible to the community.

Postbacs

Eva Darow

Pronouns: She/Her
Education: B.S., Psychology, May 2022
Status: Post-bac
Research/Clinical Interest: I am interested in learning disabilities and behavioral disorders, specifically how they present during and after adolescence. I joined the ACCTION Lab to expand my research skills in the use of assessments and to learn about ADHD and SCT. I am so excited to be a part of this new lab!
What I do for fun: I enjoy playing my cello and spending time with my family and friends.
Goals: I plan to pursue a doctorate in clinical psychology.