Introducing New Graduate Student Lauren Duvall

August 12, 2024 - Shelly DeJong

Meet Lauren Duvall, an incoming graduate student in the Clinical Science research area.

 

Name: Lauren Duvall (she/her) 

Hometown: Brentwood, Tennessee 

Education: Bachelor of Science, Majors – Psychology & Dance 

 

Tell us about your background/experience. 

I grew up in Brentwood, Tennessee, and I attended the University of Alabama majoring in Dance and Psychology. After earning my Bachelor’s degree, I moved to Baltimore, Maryland to work at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in their Center for Autism Services, Science and Innovation (CASSI). At CASSI, I provided evidence-based parent coaching to parents and caregivers of toddlers on the autism spectrum through a study assessing the efficacy of parent-mediated early intervention delivered in-person versus virtually. I was also a part of a pilot study running a trauma informed cognitive behavioral therapy for adolescents on the autism spectrum. 

 

Why grad school?  

Working with young children on the autism spectrum inspired me to continue to my education and clinical training and pursue a graduate degree. 

 

What do you hope to research while you're here? 

I plan to study how to best support autistic children and their caregivers using evidence-based practices and how to improve access to early intervention. 

 

What do you love about Clinical Science? Or why are you interested in it? 

I love the back and forth relationship between clinical practice and research, as I have seen how clinically relevant issues inform research questions and how research findings can improve clinical care. 

 

In your free time, what do you like to do? 

In my free time, I enjoy reading, knitting, and traveling—I recently had the opportunity to travel to Portugal and Spain for the first time! When I’m back home, I enjoy getting involved with community organizations, such as Meals on Wheels, the Maryland Book Bank, and knitting hats for Baltimore City Public Schools. I’m looking forward to learning more about different community organizations in East Lansing this fall!