Back (L to R): Dani, Nicole, Matthew, Natalie, Leah Front (L to R): Liz, Talissa, Alissa, Hayley, Krystal
Back (L to R): Hayley, Matthew, Nicole Front (L to R): Natalie, Talissa, Alissa, Krystal, Liz Not pictured: Dani
(L to R): Krystal, Meghan, Hayley, Liz, Leah, Natalie, Alissa, and Audrey :)
Back (L to R): Dani, Nicole, Matthew, Natalie, Leah Front (L to R): Liz, Talissa, Alissa, Hayley, Krystal
Dysregulated Eating And Mood (DREAM) Team
Alissa Haedt-Matt is an Associate Professor and core faculty member of the Clinical Psychology Program, for which she teaches graduate courses and advises Clinical Psychology Ph.D. students.
Her primary line of research focuses on the intersection of mood/affect dysregulation and eating pathology (i.e., body dissatisfaction, binge eating and related dysregulated eating behaviors, purging, and nonpurging compensatory behaviors). Additional lines of research have, 1) used ecological momentary assessment to test other models of the etiology and maintenance of eating pathology, including psychological, physiological, interpersonal, and environmental factors, 2) contributed to the classification of eating disorders, particularly purging disorder, and 3) enhanced our understanding of eating disorders and body image in a number of different populations (e.g., sexual minorities, gender minorities, Black women, Latina women, male collegiate athletes, and female veterans).
Current Graduate Students
Krystal Badillo
Liz Dougherty
Talissa Dorsaint
Natalie Schwartz
Hayley Perelman
Leah Hecht
Meghan Hansen
Current Graduate Students
Caitlyn Zon, B.S.
Caitlyn is a 2nd-year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology program at Illinois Tech. She joined the DREAM Team in the Fall 2022.
Cheyenne Marani, B.S.
Cheyenne is a 3rd-year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology program at Illinois Tech. She joined the DREAM Team in 2022.
Weilynn Chang, M.S.
Weilynn is a graduate student in the Clinical Psychology program at Illinois Tech. She joined the DREAM Team in 2022.
Isabel joined the DREAM Team in the Fall of 2018, and she currently is a Ph.D. candidate in the Clinical Psychology program at Illinois Tech. Her research interests include examining the impact of risk factors such as culture and gender identity as well as biological factors on the etiology and maintenance of eating disorders. She recently started her pre-doctoral internship specializing in health psychology at the Rush University Medical Center.
Dani joined the DREAM Team in the Summer of 2017, and she is a Ph.D. candidate in the Clinical Psychology program at Illinois Tech. Her research focuses on the relation between military sexual assault and disordered eating in female veterans. She recently started her pre-doctoral internship at the Greater Hartford Consortium between the VA Connecticut and UConn Health.
Dani Sandhu, M.S.
Nicole joined the DREAM Team in the Summer of 2016 and is a Ph.D. candidate in the Clinical Psychology program at Illinois Tech. She is interested in examining novel and transdiagnostic risk and maintenance factors of eating disorder psychopathology. Her recent research has focused on examining sleep disturbances (e.g., sleep deprivation, poor sleep quality) as maintenance factors of disordered eating. Currently, she is collecting data for her dissertation and will start her pre-doctoral internship specializing in health psychology at the Phoenix VA Health Care System in August 2023.
Matthew joined the DREAM Team in the Fall of 2017 and will graduate with his Ph.D. from the Clinical Psychology program at Illinois Tech in Summer 2023. His research primarily explores the intersection of eating disorders with sexual and gender identities as it relates to risk, maintenance, treatment, and recovery. Currently, he is a doctoral intern at the Henry Ford Medical Center, and he will start his post-doctoral fellowship at the Midwest T32 Eating Disorders Research Fellowship at the University of Chicago in Fall 2023.
Graduated Students
Krystal Badillo, Ph.D.
Krystal joined the DREAM Team in the Summer of 2015, and she graduated with her Ph.D. from the Clinical Psychology program at Illinois Tech in 2022. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at the VA Maine Healthcare System. Her research interests include eating disorder treatment and prevention as well as the relationship between social media use and body dissatisfaction. Currently, she is completing her post-doctoral fellowship in health psychology at the White River Junction VA Medical Center and will start as a health psychologist at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Fall 2023.
Liz joined the DREAM Team in the Summer of 2015, and she graduated with her Ph.D. from the Clinical Psychology program at Illinois Tech in 2022. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. Her research focuses on characterizing transdiagnostic risk and maintenance factors for eating disorders, with the goal of identifying modifiable treatment targets. Currently, Liz is a post-doctoral fellow in the Midwest T32 Eating Disorders Research fellowship at the University of Chicago.
Liz Dougherty, Ph.D.
Talissa Dorsaint, Ph.D.
Talissa joined the DREAM Team in the Summer of 2015, and she graduated with her Ph.D. from the Clinical Psychology program at Illinois Tech in 2021. Her research interests include parental factors influencing obesity and eating behaviors in children. Currently, she is a licensed psychologist practicing in Washington, D.C.
Natalie Schwartz, Ph.D.
Natalie joined the DREAM Team in the Fall of 2013, and she graduated with her Ph.D. from the Clinical Psychology program at Illinois Tech in 2020. Her research interests include eating disorders, body image, nutrition, and adolescent health behaviors. Currently, she is a licensed psychologist practicing in Ann Arbor, MI.
Hayley joined the DREAM Team in the Fall of 2014 and graduated with her Ph.D. from the Clinical Psychology program at Illinois Tech in 2020. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at Indiana University's college counseling center, and she completed her post-doctoral fellowship at Yale University's School of Medicine. Her research interests include disordered eating and body image dissatisfaction in collegiate athletes. Currently, she is a licensed psychologist with a private practice in Boston, MA and provides sport psychology and therapeutic services to Division-I athletes at Northeastern University.
Hayley Perelman, Ph.D.
Leah Hecht, Ph.D.
Leah joined the DREAM Team in the Fall of 2012 and graduated with her Ph.D. from the Clinical Psychology program at Illinois Tech in 2019. She completed her pre-doctoral internship and post-doctoral fellowship at Henry Ford Healthcare System with a specialization in health psychology. Her research interests include weight management and disordered eating. Currently, she is a licensed psychologist and behavioral scientist working at WeightWatchers.
Meghan joined the DREAM Team in the Fall of 2012, and she graduated with her Ph.D. from the Clinical Psychology program at Illinois Tech. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Princeton House Behavioral Health and her post-doctoral fellowship at the Medical University of South Carolina. Her research interests include eating disorders, body image, and affect. Currently, she is a licensed psychologist practicing at Living Fully Therapy in Atlanta, GA.
Meghan Hansen, Ph.D.
