Leah Sodowick, MS

Undergraduate School
Barnard College, Columbia University

Graduate School
Drexel University

Interests & Career Goals

My primary interests are in reproductive health and perinatal mental health. As a socially responsible scientist and practitioner, I am committed to providing identity-affirming, culturally responsive clinical care, amplifying and centering voices that are often unheard, and building bridges across systems and disciplines. I would like to pursue a career that integrates clinical work, supervision, teaching, and research at an academic medical center.

Favorite Pastimes

I love spending time outdoors with my dog, playing tennis, and cooking great meals to share with family and friends.

Why I Chose Duke

I was very confident that Duke’s internship program would advance both the depth and breadth of my skills. I especially appreciated that Duke’s internship program provides trainees with year-long experiences in multiple rotations. Given my strong interest in reproductive health, I was very excited about the unparalleled opportunities to train at the renowned Duke Fertility Center and the Perinatal Mental Health Clinic. I was also very drawn to opportunities to acquire new health psychology experiences and skills through Duke’s very robust Transplant Psychology program. I am so thrilled to have matched at Duke! The institution’s reputation for innovation and emphasis on health equity are truly outstanding.

Research Interests

As an aspiring health psychologist, I am interested in using psychological science to promote the physical and emotional well-being of both medical patients and the medical providers and healthcare professionals who care for them. I have pursued empirical work during my graduate training focused on secondary traumatic stress in nurses working within the high-stakes, technical environment of neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). My doctoral dissertation aims to evaluate individual and organizational predictive risk and protective factors for secondary traumatic stress in a national sample of NICU nurses.

Publications

Sodowick, L., Hartman, A., Geller, P.A., Schwartz, J., Posmontier, B., & Horowitz, J.A. (2023). The benefits of housing intensive outpatient programs in psychology training clinics through the lens of Drexel University’s Mother Baby Connections Program. Association of Psychology Training Clinics (APTC) Bulletin, 20-24.
Geller, P. A. & Sodowick, L. (2023). Pregnancy, an Overview. In Michalos, A.C. (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research (2^nd ed.). Dordrecht: Springer
Sodowick, L., Geller, P.A., & Patterson, C. (2022). Acknowledging and supporting NICU moms this Mother’s Day. Neonatology Today, 17(4), 84-86.
Burke, P., Geller, P.A., Sodowick, L., & Patterson, C. (2022). Extinguishing burnout: Practical recommendations for NICU providers. Neonatology Today, 17(1), 85-89.
Geller, P.A., Nelson, A.L., Hanson, S.G., Sodowick, L., Nsier, H., Shivers, M., Patterson, C., & Maye, M. (2021). NICU policy shifts during uncertain times. Neonatology Today, 16(11), 81-83.

Manuscripts in Preparation

Sodowick, L., Powers, N., & Geller, P.A. A qualitative investigation of secondary traumatic stress and coping strategies in NICU nurses.
Geller, P. A., Sodowick, L., Ettinger, S., & Patterson, C. Parent-provider relationships and effective communication to promote optimal mental health in the NICU: Key advances in the literature.
Geller, P.A., Nelson, A., Maye, M., Sodowick, L., Nsier, H., Hanson, S., Saxton, S., Steinwurtzel, R., Shivers, M., Anderson, M., & Patterson, C. Burnout and psychological distress in NICU Providers: A scoping review of extant research.

Poster Presentations

Sodowick, L., Powers, N., Geller, P.A. (2024, May). “We Feel It Too:” A qualitative examination of secondary traumatic stress and coping strategies in NICU nurses. Oral presentation and poster presented at National Perinatal Association Annual Conference, Anaheim, CA.
Phan, K., Sodowick., L., Hayes, C., Ettinger, S., Patterson, C., Geller, P.A. (2024, May). Weaving connections: Drexel NPASS helps unravel stress in the NICU. Poster presented at National Perinatal Association Annual Conference, Anaheim, CA.
Geller, P.A., Ettinger, S., Sodowick, L., Hayes, C., Elgohail, M., Ma, T., Chang, K., Cui, Y., Patterson, C. (2024, May). Co-creating EmBRACE – A mobile health solution to improve mental health screening and support for NICU parents: Preliminary findings. Poster presented at National Perinatal Association Annual Conference, Anaheim, CA.
Geller, P.A., Nelson, A., Sodowick, L., Nsier, H., Maye, M., Hanson, S., Saxton, S., Steinwurtzel, R., Shivers, M., Anderson, M., & Patterson, C. (2024, May). Examining the toll: A scoping review of psychological distress in NICU providers. Poster presented at National Perinatal Association Annual Conference, Anaheim, CA.
Geller, P.A., Nsier, H., Nelson, A., Maye, M., Sodowick, L., Hanson, S., Saxton, S., Steinwurtzel, R., Shivers, M., Anderson, M., & Patterson, C. (2023, October). Burnout and psychological distress in NICU providers: A scoping review of extant research. Poster presented at Marcé of North America 2023 Conference, Alexandria, VA.
Sodowick, L., Hartman, A., Patterson, C., & Geller, P.A. (2023, April). Raising awareness about perinatal mental health through film: Reflections from Drexel University NPASS’s documentary screening event. Poster presented at National Perinatal Association Annual Conference, Chapel Hill, NC.
Marion Paed, D., Sodowick, L., Phan, K., & Geller, P.A. (2023, April). The need for parental support following prenatal genetic testing. Poster presented at National Perinatal Association Annual Conference, Chapel Hill, NC.
Ettinger, S., Geller, P.A., Sodowick, L., Posmontier, B., & Horowitz, J.A. (2023, April). Progress update from Mother Baby Connections, an intensive outpatient program for perinatal women in Philadelphia. Poster presented at National Perinatal Association Annual Conference, Chapel Hill, NC.
Nsier, H., Geller, P., Nelson, A., Maye, M., Sodowick, L., Hanson, S., Saxton, S., Steinwurtzel, R., Shivers, M., Anderson, M., & Patterson, C. (2023, April). Psychological distress in NICU providers: A scoping review in progress. Poster presented at National Perinatal Association Annual Conference, Chapel Hill, NC.
Hartman, A.R., Albanese, A., Sodowick, L., Phan, K., Marion Pead, D., Patterson, C., & Geller, P.A. (2022, May). Introducing Drexel University’s NPASS: The first psychology student-led chapter of the National Perinatal Association Student Society. Poster presented at National Perinatal Association Annual Conference, Aurora, CO.
Sodowick, L., Narayan, A., Oliver Bucio, G., Castro, G., Schmidt, M., Rivera, L., & Lieberman, A.F. (2018, November). Maternal prenatal and postnatal expressed emotion: Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample to understand affect and attributions about infants. Poster presented at International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C.
Sodowick, L., Cohodes, E.M., Gee, D.G., & Lieberman, A.F. (2017, May). Prenatal substance exposure and prenatal violence victimization associated with offspring trauma exposure in early childhood. Poster presented at Association for Psychological Science (APS) Annual Convention, Boston, MA.