Research Assistants

Leigha Bolduc is a Sophomore Psychology major at the University of Vermont originally from Santa Barbara, California. This semester is her first working for Dr. Alessandra Rellini as a Research Assistant in the Sexual Health Research Clinic. Before attending UVM, Leigha worked as an intern and advocate for both the Santa Barbara Rape Crisis Center and for Domestic Violence Solutions and performed counseling work for several social justice and non-profit organizations in Santa Barbara County. Prior to beginning work at the Sexual Health Research Clinic, Leigha also assisted Professor William Falls as a Research Assistant in the Spring Semester of 2008. Upon receiving her Bachelors degree in Psychology (Class of 2011), Leigha hopes to pursue her PhD in Psychology in order to further her work in the clinical psychology field as well as counsel in a private practice setting and for nonprofit organizations within her local community.

Danielle Desrochers is a sophomore at the University of Vermont. She is currently majoring in Psychology, but aspires to double major in Early Childhood Special Education. She spends her summers working with GWARC, supporting children with special needs. This is her first semester as a research assistant in the Sexual Health Research Center under the supervision of Dr. Alessandra Rellini. Danielle is currently assisting with running participants, managing recruitment efforts, and helping to organize other lab-related materials and activities. After graduation, Danielle hopes to continue her psychology education in graduate school while gaining more experience in research pertaining to children with disabilities.

Sarah Roberts

Sarah Roberts is a native Vermonter in her Junior year at UVM with a major in Psychology and a minor in Spanish. She began working at the Sexual Health Research Clinic this summer as part of the McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program under the mentorship of Dr. Rellini. Her summer research involved the impact of sexual self-schemas and family support on the sexual functioning of female survivors of childhood sexual abuse. This research manuscript has been submitted to the annual meeting of the International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health and is pending submission to the Journal of Women's Health. She currently assists with running the current studies in the lab, as well as screening and scheduling participants and managing participant recruitment. Sarah and Dr. Rellini are currently designing a new study on the topic of emotional abuse and neglect and its long-term impacts on women's sexual behavior. In the future she hopes to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology in order to become both a researcher and therapeutic practitioner.