Senior Project Manager & Researcher

sdf5013@psu.edu

Sarah Ackerman is currently a researcher at Penn State in the Prevention Research Center. She received her B.A. in sociology in 2009 and her M.S. in human resources and employment relations in 2011, both from Penn State. She is interested in studying alcohol use and alcohol-related consequences in college populations. Additionally, Sarah is interested in skin cancer prevention programs in high-risk populations.

Selected Publications:

Geisner, I. M., Mallett, K., Varvil-Weld, L., Ackerman, S., Trager, B. M., & Turrisi, R. (2018). An examination of heavy drinking, depressed mood, drinking related constructs, and consequences among high-risk college students using a person-centered approach. Addictive Behaviors, 78, 22-29. PMCID: PMC5783735 [PubMed]

Mallett, K. A., Ackerman, S., Turrisi, R., & Robinson, J. (2015). Rates of sunburn among dermatology patients. JAMA Dermatology, 151(2), 231-232. PMCID: PMC4860264 [PubMed]

Research Technologist

oqc5028@psu.edu

Olivia Christman is currently a research technologist at Penn State in the Prevention Research Center. She received her B.S in Biobehavioral Health with a minor in Psychology in 2017 from Penn State. She is interested in studying mental health and learning disabilities and their effects on decision making, how these individuals behave in social situations, and impacts their condition has on other aspects of their lives. Olivia is also greatly interested in rural healthcare. In the future she plans to attend medical school to become a family physician, with the goal of one day opening a practice near Penn State.

Part-Time Research Assistant

Emma Ammirati is currently a part-time research assistant at Penn State in the Prevention Research Center. She received her B.A. in psychology in 2017 from West Chester University. She is interested in studying facial expressions and nonverbal communication. She also has interests in trauma, stress, pain management, and forensic psychology. In the future, she plans to attend graduate school for clinical psychology.