Education and Training

Doctor of Philosophy, Clinical Psychology
(2006-present)
University of Memphis
Master of Science, General Psychology
(2009)
University of Memphis
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Summa Cum Laude
(2005)
California State University, Stanislaus, CA

Professional Affiliations and Memberships

American Psychological Association (APA)
Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT)
Research Society on Alcoholism (RSA)
Memphis Area Psychological Association (MAPA)

Biographical Sketch

Jessica received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a minor in Spanish from California State University, Stanislaus in December 2005. She began attending The University of Memphis in 2006 under the mentorship of Dr. Murphy. Over the next several years she worked as project coordinator on two brief alcohol intervention studies conducted through the HABIT lab. She completed her thesis, “The effect of drink price and next-day responsibilities on college student drinking: A behavioral economic analysis,” in 2009. She is currently completing her clinical internship at the University of California, San Diego/Veterans Affairs with rotations in alcohol and drug treatment and behavioral medicine. She successfully defended her dissertation, “Behavioral economic measures of the reinforcing efficacy of alcohol as indicators of problem severity in young adults,” in April 2012.

Following the completion of her Ph.D., Jessica has accepted a research postdoctoral fellowship at the San Diego VAMC where she will be involved in clinical trials for the treatment of substance dependence and co-occurring depression and trauma exposure. Her research interests include addictions, behavioral economics, substance abuse and mental health treatment for minority populations, and other health behaviors.