Kate Harris
Former Research Assistant & Project Coordinator
Working in the HEAL Lab gave me purpose, stability, and confidence in myself and my ideas at a time when I needed it most. I would not be the person I am today, nor would I be the researcher I am today, had it not been for the people in the HEAL Lab.
Kate Harris is a second-year Psychology Ph.D. student at Baylor University, working under the mentorship of Dr. Francesca Penner in the Parenting & Intergenerational Resilience (PAIR) Lab. She first joined the HEAL Lab as an undergraduate research assistant and later served as project coordinator for the Writing to Heal study. During her time there, she contributed to two peer-reviewed manuscripts, including one as a lead author.
Kate describes her experience in the HEAL Lab as pivotal to her growth as both a person and a researcher. Entering the lab shortly after changing paths from pre-med, she discovered a deep passion for research and the confidence to envision herself as a leader—skills and values she continues to carry forward in her work today. At the PAIR Lab, Kate mentors undergraduate research assistants on individual projects, teaches RStudio and how to apply statistical models to a research question, and will serve as project coordinator for an upcoming mother-infant study, running structured clinical interviews and mother-infant play tasks.
