Meet PSY Student Researcher Rachael Blanchard

December 3, 2025 - Shelly DeJong

Rachael Blanchard, a senior majoring in psychology with a minor in Youth and Society, has been working as a research assistant in Dr. Henry Cowan’s Wellness in Emerging Lives Lab since this past summer. There, she has conducted an extensive literature review synthesizing over 20 scholarly articles on structured psychiatric interviews and psychosocial assessment.  

Recently, Rachael received a Provost’s Undergraduate Research Initiative (PURI) Award to build upon her literature review by assisting with developing a new interview to assess social functioning, well-being, and symptoms for people with serious mental illness.   

 

What drew you to psychology?  

I was drawn to psychology because I took an introductory course in high school and loved it. I specifically love how psychology allows us to understand each other better, encouraging us to approach others with empathy. 

 

Can you tell me about the research that you’ll be doing for your PURI project? 

I’m assisting with the development of an interview for serious mental illness that assesses social and role functioning, well-being, and symptoms across development. With the PURI Award, I’ll be conducting an independent project examining the relationship between raters’ confidence in their assessments and participants’ agreement with those ratings. This work aims to ensure that we are accurately capturing participants lived experiences with mental illness throughout their development. 

 

Why is this research topic important to you? 

This research topic is important to me because the lived experience of people with serious mental illness is often underrepresented in psychological research. Our interview aims to capture this experience in assessment, helping us understand how individuals with serious mental illness find meaning and purpose in their lives, which is an essential element of recovery.   

 

What has surprised you about doing psychology research? 

I’ve been surprised by how long and detailed the research process is, from obtaining IRB approval to pilot testing, participant recruitment, data collection, analysis, and writing up the results. It’s given me a deep appreciation for the time and effort that goes into producing quality research. 

 

How else are you involved at MSU? 

I am a part of the Social Cognition Lab with Dr. Joseph Cesario, and am currently participating in The Challenge MSU, a semester-long competition where I compete against other MSU students in a variety of challenges for a $1,000 prize! 

 

Who has helped you along your journey at MSU? 

I’d like to give a shoutout to Dr. Raffles Cowan for his guidance with research and graduate school applications, and for always taking the time to support and mentor students in their projects. 

 

Favorite MSU memory? 

Going to Akers dining hall the morning after a fun night out with friends and going to Rome to study abroad!