Bio:

Emma received her B.S. from the University of Utah in 2020, where she worked in the Social Development Lab under Drs. Monisha Pasupathi and Cecilia Wainryb studying the processes by which middle school-aged children experience and work through anger. After graduating, Emma worked as the Research Coordinator for Aviva Family and Children's Services, a not-for-profit organization providing mental healthcare, crisis services, and foster care placement to underserved youth in the Los Angeles area. Emma has also served in several leadership roles for various organizations, including Secretary for the University of Utah's Psi Chi chapter; the first-ever Pride Scholar for the University of Utah's Honors College, where she acted as a liaison and advisor for the College on queer student affairs; and a member of the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee at Aviva Family and Children's Services.

Research Interests:

Emma's research interests include how the relationships between biological, psychological, and social health are moderated by an individual's social environment, especially with regard to a person's ability to connect with a community in-person versus digitally, as well as how those relationships affected by the presence of chronic illness. She has a particular interest in understanding how fibromyalgia impacts an individual's ability to connect with others in-person and how that potential lack of face-to-face communication might impact their bio-psycho-social health. She also has a deep interest in understanding how human inclinations toward narratives and play (e.g., storytelling, writing, role-playing, and video games) affect a person's overall wellbeing, especially when chronic illness may inhibit some of these avenues of expression.