Prominent Lab Alumni

Former Postdoctoral Fellow

Ashley B. Cole, PhD
Assistant Professor, Oklahoma State University

As a Diversity Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Psychology at OSU, Dr. Cole collaborated with the REACH Lab and assisted with COSMOS assessments. We look forward to continuing to collaborate with her in her new position as assistant professor! Her research examines maladaptive health behaviors, including substance use, overeating, and other self-injurious behaviors in Native Americans, an underserved population who experience health disparities in substance use disorders, obesity, and suicide. In her free time, Dr. Cole enjoys traveling, being outdoors, and watching documentaries on Netflix. Visit her website, linked above, for the most up-to-date information on Dr. Cole's career!

Former Graduate Researchers

Caitlin E. Smith, PhD

As a graduate student in the REACH Lab at OSU, Dr. Smith's research focused on evaluating mechanisms of metabolic impairment that result from problematic behaviors and disease states (e.g., cigarette/e-cigarette smoking, obesity, diabetes). Caitlin's dissertation study, New E-Cigarettes and Metabolic Outcomes (NEMO), evaluated the impact of non-sweet vs. sweet e-cigarette use on glucoregulatory and inflammatory markers. She is also interested in identifying predictors of earl response to obesity treatment (e.g. weight loss success in the first four weeks of intervention) that will inform the development of future brief behavioral weight loss interventions and improve metabolic health. Dr. Smith completed her clinical internship at MUSC and went on to complete her postdoctoral fellowship at Yale University.

Cindy E. Tsotsoros, PhD
Assistant Professor, University of Rhode Island

As an experimental psychology graduate student in the REACH Lab at OSU, Dr. Tsotsoros' research interests included cognitive development and working memory among older adults. With a master’s degree in gerontology, her research primarily focuses on older adults and the aging brain. Currently, her projects examine time perspective, social isolation, psychosocial well-being, and brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) that affect health. Dr. Tsotsoros moved on to a tenure track faculty position at University of Rhode Island. Visit Dr. Tsotsoros' website for the most up-to-date information on her career.

Former Undergraduate Research Assistants

Ashlee Parson, BS

Ashlee graduated from Oklahoma State University in Spring 2016 with her BS in Psychology. She went on to pursue a master's degree in Counseling Psychology at Oklahoma State.

Tayler Jones, BS

Tayler went on to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology after graduating from OSU in Spring 2016.

Ashley Simenson, MPH

Ashley earned her MPH at the University of Pittsburgh and went on to pursue an MD/PhD at the University of Florida.

Emily Fry, BS

Emily went on to pursue a Doctor of Physical Therapy at University of Oklahoma.

Garrison Keithline, BS

Garrison graduated from OSU in 2019 with a degree in physiology. He went on to pursue an MS in Biotechnology at Brown University.