Rachael Shaw
6th year PhD student
email: rjshaw4@buffalo.edu
M.A. Psychology, University at Buffalo, SUNY
B.A. Psychology; B.S. Human Development, Binghamton University
Rachael is a sixth year doctoral student in the Alcohol Research Lab. She completed her Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees at Binghamton University. More recently she received her Master’s degree at the University at Buffalo. Rachael’s research interests focus on the dynamic relationship between trauma exposure and alcohol use in varying populations, including sexual assault survivors and veterans. She is also interested in exploring the contextual factors that may precipitate sexual assault. Currently, Rachael is working on her dissertation which aims to provide a granular accounting of college women’s consent experiences, and the role that contextual factors, including alcohol, play in consent. In her free time, Rachael loves read books, ride her bike, try new restaurants, and go hiking.
Select Publications:
Shaw, R., & Read, J. P. (2021). The differential effects of verbal sexual coercion and forcible sexual assault on alcohol use and consequence trajectories in the first year of college. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. Advance online publication.
Shaw, R., Colder, C. R., & Read, J. P. (2021). Social goal orientation differentially influences exposure to interpersonal and noninterpersonal trauma. Traumatology. Advance online publication.
Jenzer, T., Cheesman, A., Shaw, R., Egerton, G., & Read, J.P. (2022). The protective role of coping flexibility in problematic alcohol use: do coping motives mediate this association?. Substance Use and Misuse. Advance online publication.
Livingston, J.A, Wiseblatt, A., Biehler, K., Shaw, R., Read, J.P. (under review) College women’s perspectives on a friend-based motivational interviewing intervention to reduce risk of alcohol-involved sexual assault. Journal of Prevention and Health Promotion.
Shaw, R., Paige, K., Livingston, J.A., Colder, C., Read, J.P. (under review) Intoxication and Poor Executive Control Impact the Effectiveness of Sexual Assault Protective Behaviors on the Daily Level. Journal of Interpersonal Violence.
Paige, K.J., Shaw, R., Colder, C. (under review) The Role of Effortful Control in Mitigating Negative
Consequences Associated with Emerging Adult Heavy Drinking. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
Zaso, M. J., Livingston, J. A., Shaw, R. J., Colder, C. R., & Read, J. P. (under review) Contextual influences on sexual assault protective behavioral strategy use: Event-level associations of personal alcohol use and risky interpersonal environments. Psychology of Violence.
Published Poster Abstracts:
Shaw, R.J., Livingston, J.A., Colder, C., Read, J.P. (June, 2021) Intoxication and Poor Executive Control Impact the Effectiveness of Sexual Assault Protective Behaviors on the Daily Level. Poster Presented at the Annual Research Society on Alcoholism Conference; Virtual.
Livingston, J. A., Wiseblatt, A., Biehler, K., Shaw, R.J., & Read, J.P. (June, 2021) College women’s perspectives on a friend-based motivational interviewing intervention to reduce risk of alcohol-involved sexual assault. Poster presented at the Annual Research Society on Alcoholism Conference, Virtual.
Shaw, R.J., C. Pengelly, C. Crinnin, A. Ramon, W. Guyker, C. Cook-Cottone, P. King. (April, 2021) An Examination of Sexual Assault History on Woman Veterans’ Physical Health and Pain Ratings. Poster Presented at the Annual Society of Behavioral Medicine conference; Virtual.
Shaw, R.J., Read, J.P. (June, 2020) An Examination of Alcohol Use and Partner Relationship on Sexual consent Communication. Abstract Published at the Annual Research Society on Alcoholism Conference; Virtual.
Szarafin, P., Shaw, R.J., Read, J.P. (November, 2020) The influence of Sexual Victimization History on the Sexual Consent Process. Poster Presented at the Annual Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Conference; Virtual.
Shaw, R., Radomski, S., Egerton, G.A., & Read, J.P. (2018, June). The Effects of Alcohol Use and Peritraumatic Dissociation on Trauma Memory at High Levels of Peritraumatic Dissociation.. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism, San Diego, CA.
L., Rodriguez, S.N., Meisel, R.J., Shaw, J.P., Read, C.R., Colder. (June, 2018) Associations Between Interpersonal Goal Profiles and Alcohol Use and Sexual Victimization Risk. Poster presented at the Annual Research Society on Alcoholism Conference; San Diego, CA.
Nielsen, K., Shaw, R.J., Fay, A., Dykas, M. (May, 2017) Strong Social Support and Secure Adult Attachment May be Protective Factors Against PTSD Symptom Severity. Poster Presented at the 29th APS Annual Convention; Boston, MA.
Shaw, R.J., (April, 2017) Self-Perception of Drunkenness in Relation to Consent Communication, & Coercion. Poster Presented at the Binghamton University Research Days; Vestal, NY.
Hochberg, S., O’Brien, L., Pappacenna, A., Sanchez, A., Shaw, R. J., Rourke, P., Levis, D. (April, 2016)Unraveling the Mystery of Traumatic Memory: A Case Study. Poster presented at the Binghamton University Research Days; Vestal, NY.
Abby Cheesman
6th year PhD student
email: ajcheesm@buffalo.edu
M.A. Psychology, University at Buffalo, SUNY
B.A. Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Abby is a sixth year doctoral student in the Alcohol Research Lab. She completed her Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. More recently, she received her Master’s Degree at the University at Buffalo. Abby’s research interest focus on the relationship between PTSD, trauma and substance use. Currently, Abby is working on her dissertation which aims to examine the association between substance use (alcohol, marijuana, and co-use) and PTSD symptoms as well as mechanisms that could play a role in this relationship. In her free time, Abby loves to travel, read, and spend time with her cat (Ro) and dog (Tilly).
Select Publications:
Read, J.P., Egerton, G.A., Cheesman, A., & Steers, M. (under review). Classifying Risky Cannabis Involvement in Young Adults Using the Marijuana Consequences Questionnaire (MACQ).
Jenzer, T., Cheesman, A., Shaw, R., Egerton, G., & Read, J.P. (in press). The protective role of coping flexibility in problematic alcohol use: do coping motives mediate this association?
Cheesman, A. & Roelk B. (in press). Intimate partner sexual violence: Trauma-informed care. In T. Shackelford (Ed) Springer Nature Encyclopedia of Domestic Violence.
Cheesman, A., & Read, J.P. (in preparation). Prospective Pathways from Affect and Drug Outcomes: The Role of Refusal Self-Efficacy in the Context of Peer Influences.
Published Poster Presentations:
Cheesman, A. J. & Read, J. (2021, June). Examining the mediating effect of drug refusal self-efficacy on the relationship between affect and drug use predicting consequences. Poster presented at the Research Society on Alcoholism, Virtual
Cheesman, A. J., Egerton, G., & Read, J. (2020, June). Bidirectional relationship between posttraumatic stress symptoms and cannabis and alcohol use: A random intercept cross-lagged panel model. Poster presented at the Research Society on Alcoholism, Virtual
Cheesman, A. J., Egerton, G., & Read, J. (2018, June). Prospective effects of co-use of marijuana and alcohol on posttraumatic stress symptom trajectories. Poster presented at the Research Society on Alcoholism, San Diego, California.
Cheesman, A. J., Sullivan, G., & Stoltenberg, S. (2017, April). FKBP5 rs1360780 genotype associated with binge drinking moderated by sexual victimization. Poster presented at the Undergraduate Research Fair, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE.
Cheesman, A. J. (2016, November). Relationship of number of siblings, family type, and index of self-esteem in UNL students. Poster presented at the NPS/PERK Joint Convention, Bellevue University, Bellevue, NE
Cheesman, A. J., Noetzel, A. G., Sullivan, G., & Stoltenberg, S. (2016, April). Biological sex, not the serotonin receptor gene HTR2A rs6313, is associated with political orientation. Poster presented at the Undergraduate Research Fair, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE.
Aria Wiseblatt
4th year PhD student
email: ariawise@buffalo.edu
B.A. Psychology; B.A. Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, American University
Aria is a fourth-year doctoral student in the Alcohol Research Lab. She completed her Bachelor of Arts degrees at American University in Washington, DC. As an undergrad, she worked in the Behavioral Pharmacology and Health Promotion Laboratory studying nicotine use. In her senior capstone project, she investigated the effectiveness of various coping strategies for women confronted with “thin ideal” images. Aria’s main research interests are alcohol’s impact on sexual victimization as it intersects with differing populations (e.g., racial identity/ethnicity, gender), as well as alcohol’s role in bystander intervention. In her free time, she enjoys running, spending time in Buffalo’s parks, and political podcasts.
Kaitlyn Biehler
5th year PhD student
email: kmbiehle@buffalo.edu
M.A. Psychology, University at Buffalo, SUNY
M.Sc. Psychological Research Methods, University of Exeter
B.S. Brain and Cognitive Science, University of Rochester
Kaitlyn, a native of Buffalo NY, is a fourth-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program and is co-mentored by Dr. Kristin Naragon-Gainey and Dr. Jennifer Read. Kaitlyn completed her B.Sc. in Brain and Cognitive Science from the University of Rochester, in Rochester NY with minors in French and American Sign Language.
After graduation, she worked full-time in emergency medicine before she went on to complete an M.Sc. in Psychological Research Methods with Honors from the University of Exeter, in Exeter England. There she studied the physiological and behavioral effects of an exposure to Loving-Kindness Meditation on those who had undergone trauma, and completed additional work looking at reward processing in youth with early trauma.
Her research interests broadly include self-compassion and mindfulness, their relationships with psychopathology, and mechanisms of change to achieving higher well-being. She is also interested in transdiagnostic processes across disorders and is interested in multi-method measures of psychological constructs and within-person differences. In her free time she loves to sing, read, cook, and spend time outdoors.
Google scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=PFMROy0AAAAJ&hl=en
Emalee Kerr
1st year PhD student
email: emaleeke@buffalo.edu
M.A. in Clinical Psychology, University of Central Florida
B.S. in Psychology, Adrian College
Emalee is a first year doctoral student in the Alcohol Research Lab. She completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology at Adrian College in Adrian, Michigan. More recently, she has received her Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Central Florida. Her research interests focus on the relationship between alcohol use, trauma and PTSD, with a focus on sexual assault. In her free time, she loves to hike with her dog, read, and play music.
Alcohol Research Lab 