Lab News & Alumni Testimonials
NEWS
November 2023
ACT Lab team presenting at the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) and the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) 2023 annual conventions.
June 2023
Maricela Galdamez representing our lab and research at the Pride Celebrations, South Padre Island, TX. It was a significant opportunity to share research and advocate for reducing mental health disparities in this vibrant and supportive setting.
November 2019
ACT Lab team presenting at the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) 2019 annual convention.
November 2018
ACT Lab team presenting at the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) and the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) 2018 annual conventions.
November 2017
ACT Lab team presenting at the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) 2017 annual convention.
April 20, 2017
Reymundo Ortiz has been selected to participate in the National Science Foundation REU site: Training Diverse Undergraduate Teams of Veterans and Non-Veterans to Conduct Trauma Research with Veterans.
Leo Gonzalez has been selected as a Graduate Research Assistant for the School of Medicine at UTRGV. Leo will be funded by the Si Texas Project grant, which focuses on Primary Care and Behavioral Health.MARCH 12, 2017
March 20, 2017
Undergraduate RAs, Carla Montemayor and Reymundo Ortiz presented a poster at the Brain Day organized by UTRGV and the International Museum of Art and Science (IMAS), McAllen Texas.
Dr. Ruby Charak gave a talk on "Exposure to Childhood Victimization: Risk to Resilience" at the Brain Day organized by UTRGV and the International Museum of Art and Science (IMAS), McAllen, Texas.
Testimonials of ACT Lab Alumni
"When I joined the ACT Lab during my second semester of my freshman year in college, the concept of research was so foreign to me: I had absolutely no clue how to conceptualize a research study, how to collect and clean data, how to then analyze and interpret this data, how to write a manuscript… still not sure how I managed to convince Dr. Charak to let me join the lab! Two years later, I have presented numerous posters at international conferences, I have a publication in the books, and another on the way (fingers crossed!), and I would absolutely not be able to say that were it not for the direction, guidance, and mountains of support from Dr. Charak. I am forever grateful for the opportunity she awarded me in allowing me to join her lab all that time ago because doing research in this lab has gifted me with two of the most rewarding years of my undergraduate experience, and certainly of my entire life. Some of the most dedicated, hardworking, and passionate people I’ve ever met work in this lab and it was truly an honor to brainstorm, plan, create, and present important and groundbreaking research with this group. On a more personal note, my time in this lab has fostered my own growth into a human being that more actively notices patterns in the world around her, wonders if there might be connections between those patterns, and seeks to make sense of these connections in such a way that may benefit society as a whole.
Thank you, sincerely, to Dr. Charak and the ACT Lab for the rollercoaster that were the last two years. I will miss this group dearly, but I know that there is lots of great work still to come out of this lab and I can’t wait to see and hear what everyone does next.”
- Lillianne Villarreal, M.D. student at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Texas.