Prospective Students

We are very excited to hear you are interested in joining ACCTION Lab!

Please complete this application: RA Application (https://udenver.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_d4FMstssGBcBYy2) 

To be part of this lab, you must be available at XXXX (time figured out soon!) time. RAs in the lab should expect to complete 4-12 hours in the lab each week, some in-person and some on their own time. 

Email Diego.Heimlich@DU.edu and Julianna.CollazoVargas.du.edu for questions!  

A few TikTok Videos and Instagram Reels answer some of these questions too!

TikTok:

Some Info on New and Upcoming Projects Fall 2026

Dr. Z answers questions

Personal Statement Advice

Some Examples of Research Projects

Instagram:

Dr. Z answers questions

Personal Statement Advice

Some Examples of Research Projects

Are you accepting new graduate students for Fall 2027 admission?

• Possibly! See below: 

• The clinical program at DU agreed that all faculty that are able to accept students will review applications. This does not mean that everyone will be able to accept a student, and we typically accept 4-6 students per cycle. 

  • Importantly, this means that although I'm reviewing applications this cycle, that does not guarantee I'll accept a student. 

    • There is a complicated process to determine who gets priority for accepting a student. I accepted a student this past cycle, which lowers my probability, but does not mean I will not accept a student. For applicants that feel they are strong fits for our team, this means they should consider the pros and cons of applying to our program without knowing for sure I can accept a student. 

• Please note that as a clinical faculty we have determined that we cannot meet with applicants prior to interviews for equity reasons.
  
  

What should I do in my application to signal that I want to work with you?

• In your personal statement state your interest in working with me (use Dr. Smith, although I appreciate the use of Dr. Z, it confused other people who read the statements!), why you're interested in ACCTION lab, and how your prior skills/experiences/etc. will help you be successful in my lab.

• I also HIGHLY value lived experience, whatever that may mean to you and I recommend including information in your personal statement or CV when applying directly to work in the ACCTION Lab. We have a big focus on how intersecting identities inform our own knowledge and experience with research and will be something highlighted in lab meetings, individual meetings, classes, clinical work, and more.  

What are you looking for in a graduate student/application?

• There are many different types of students who will be successful in ACCTION Lab. My research is assessment and clinically focused, so students interested in later academic, academic medical centers (AMC), AMC neuropsychological, and research careers will benefit from being in my lab. I aim to recruit students seeking rigorous training in both research and clinical practice as both skill sets inform and improve the other. DU is a clinical science program and research is the focus though student receive excellent clinical training. 

• Students who show and have a strong commitment to serving systemically oppressed youth and their families. Advocacy and dissemination are very important parts of ACCTION lab, so students with experience and interest in these areas will be a good fit. It will be important for students to actively engage in thinking through and discussing how system-level factors affect mental health, particularly for adolescents from systemically oppressed backgrounds. 

• People who are reflective of their own cultural background and how that affects their beliefs and work in the lab. 

• Interest in and experience with community- and school-based work. Experience can look like research, volunteering, clinical work, lived experience, etc. 

• Prior research, clinical, or assessment experience in clinical or developmental populations. 

• Focused on serving adolescents and/or children and their families for graduate school and as a career. 

• A large focus of the lab is working with adolescents with ADHD. Students are not required to have prior experience working with adolescents and families with ADHD but do need to be interested and willing to learn about assessments and interventions for youth with ADHD. 

• Motivated to learn and grow! People that are curious and engaged with work tend to do well working with me. 

What are some research areas I will be able to pursue as a PhD student in ACCTION lab?

• Culturally responsive assessments for Black and/or Latine adolescents with ADHD (See Project CRAFT).

• Creating culturally responsive interventions for adolescents.

• Trauma/Developmental Trauma Disorder/Healing

• Liberation Psychology

• Measurement/psychometric properties of assessment measures.

• Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome (formerly known as Sluggish Cognitive Tempo): 

  • Interventions

  • Measurement

  • Association with impairment (e.g., academic, executive functioning, sleep, neuropsych, anxiety, depression, etc.)

  • Assessment

• As long as students are interested in working with adolescents in community-based research, we can also discuss additional related areas (e.g., comorbidity of anxiety/depression, neuropsychological correlates, etc.) 

What does your mentorship look like?

• There are many aspects to mentorship. I am here to help you reach your goals and I take into account your prior experience and knowledge to help you move forward and grow as a graduate student. 

• I will hold time for 1-hour weekly meetings with graduate students. This will be time to discuss the program, classes, research, clinical work, specific lab-related questions, joys, successes, problem-solving, interests, Chicago, growth areas, and anything else you feel like it would be helpful to discuss related to your goals/values. Students are not required to meet with me each week, but I do suggest when working on thesis/dissertation and grant proposals that we work together closely on the project and have at least bi-weekly check-ins. 

• Mentorship is extremely important to me. I value feedback, I value growth. When I take a graduate student, I'm invested in their growth and success, whatever that looks like for them. 

Am I able to receive mentorship and experience in upper-level statistics?

• Absolutely!! I LOVE talking about stats and learning. I am particularly skilled at psychometric work (CFAs, bifactor analyses), SEM, and LSEM and have experience with HLM/MLM and some experience with qualitative coding. In ACCTION lab we have access to MPLUS and SPSS and I am able to teach students how to use both. I am a stats consultant, so I have a lot of experience with these types of models! 

Can I talk to prior students who have worked with you?

• If you are selected for an interview, you will be able to speak with students who have worked with me.