Jessica Magidson
E-mail: jmagidson@psyc.umd.edu
Curriculum Vitae

 Bio 

Background Information

I am a second year student working with Dr. Lejuez and Dr. Daughters. I graduated from Dartmouth College in 2006, with a B.A. in Psychology, and minors in Spanish and Women & Gender Studies. As an undergraduate, I worked with Dr. Mark Hegel on a study examining the effectiveness of a brief problem-solving treatment for minor depression in primary care. I examined levels of behavioral activation, coping style, and social problem solving skills as predictors of treatment outcome. Outside of Dartmouth, I worked with Dr. Bruce Rapkin at the Behavioral Health Division of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in NYC on a longitudinal study to evaluate New York's HIV Special Needs Plan (HIV SNP), a Medicaid managed care model for people living with HIV/AIDS. We examined health care utilization, quality of life, physical/emotional health outcomes, and medication adherence over a 5-year period. I conducted clinical interviews and research assessments in English and Spanish and led a project examining the role of children on HIV positive mothers' medication adherence and help-seeking behaviors.

Research Interests

My graduate research interests are a blend of my past undergraduate experiences. My current research focuses on the development and evaluation of a brief, uncomplicated behavioral activation treatment for depressed substance users. Specifically, I am examining the effect of the treatment on reducing depression and substance use treatment dropout, as well as examining how changes in behavioral activation may mediate treatment outcomes. In addition, I am also working with Dr. Daughters in developing and evaluating a behavioral activation treatment for depressed, HIV positive substance users, aimed at improving medication adherence, depressive symptoms, and substance use outcomes. Lastly, I am also involved in prevention-focused HIV research, specifically to explore various behavioral predictors of HIV risk behaviors in an inner-city, illicit drug using sample. In future research, I hope to translate our current treatment manuals into Spanish in order to expand this work to the Latino community.

Personal Interests

I love the outdoors, hiking and playing tennis, exploring DC, and traveling in Latin America!