This week's spotlight is Christina Pavlov!
What interested you to pursue a career in STEM?
I was inspired to pursue a career in Psychology by the professors I encountered at my undergraduate university, Santa Clara University. I had many professors whom I adored but two in particular really set my career in motion. The first was Dr. Thomas Plante. I had been enrolled in his Abnormal Psychology class and was fascinated by his stories of private practice and the way that he made it come to life. I had never imagined going to graduate school and he was the first professor to not only talk about graduate school and a career in psychology but to also make it seem accessible. After that experience, I began to dream about what it would be like to pursue a career in Psychology. That lead me to the second professor, Dr. Kirsten Read. I was able to join her lab as an undergraduate research assistant and through the work that I was a part of in that lab, I realized that I really did enjoy the life of a psychology researcher. That experience and her mentorship solidified my interest in applying to graduate school and the rest is history!
How would you describe your work to the public?
My research history revolves around various maternal outcomes. I feel very strongly that women, particularly mothers, are often overlooked in research and I am devoted to doing my best to fill that gap through my research. Currently, I am working on my dissertation which is focused on characterizing the experience of depression during infertility in women as well as evaluating the statistical validity of the current measures of depression being used in populations of women with infertility. My goal for this research is to highlight the unique symptoms that accompany the experience of infertility-related depression in women and to ensure that the future measurement of depression in this population is calibrated properly to those symptoms. Hopefully, this work will act as a step in the right direction to better support women experiencing infertility and infertility treatments.
Outside of the lab, what do you enjoy doing?
Outside of the lab I most of all enjoy spending time with my family and my friends. When I am not hanging out with them, I really enjoy dancing, running, playing the guitar, tennis, and reading. I also really love goofing around with my cat, Pasha; he is an endless source of entertainment. Is there something during your research career that you have really enjoyed or want to share?
Being a graduate student researcher might come with its struggles but it also comes with great joys. I have loved teaching and mentoring. Be able to give back in that regard is incredibly rewarding. The most rewarding part of my research, though, has been the impact that I have seen it make in people who are not even in the research world. I am a new scholar and, as such, I have not curated a very long list of publications, nor have these publications been particularly earth-shattering. However, when I tell people what I am researching, I always am humbled by the openness that people have in often sharing their own experiences with infertility and how they are so grateful that someone is looking into the impact that it has on mental health.
If you can give a piece of advice to the younger generation, what would it be?
My advice to the younger generation of students comes in two parts. First, I would encourage students to not limit their dreams. I never imagined that I would be (or even could be) a scientist until I was half-way through college. Now, looking back at my 20-year-old self who was daydreaming in class about the life of a psychologist, I am so grateful that she didn't run away from her dream because it felt intimidating or not accessible to her. Whatever your dream is, whether it be to pursue a career in STEM or something completely different, don't count yourself out before the fight.
My second piece of advice would be to never lose sight of what is really important in pursuit of that dream. There are plenty of times in your career, especially in the beginning, that you will be tempted or even encouraged to sacrifice things in your life for the good of your career. Some things are worth the sacrifice and some things are most definitely not. Don't confuse the two. Your health, your well-being, and the meaningful relationships in your life mean so much more than a career. Jobs comes with their highs and lows and the last thing you want is to find yourself at a "low" and realize that you have nothing left of yourself.