Emily

Shah

Undergraduate School: James Madison University

Graduate School: James Madison University, Psychological Sciences

Doctoral Program: University of Arkansas, Clinical Psychology

Interests & Career Goals: My research and clinical interests are centered on improving access to neurodiversity-affirming care for individuals with neurodevelopmental differences, such as autism. While I am passionate about working with individuals across the lifespan, I particularly enjoy utilizing evidence-based practices to provide caregiver coaching and work with Autistic adolescents as they transition to adulthood. When providing clinical services, I prioritize the therapeutic relationship while utilizing an individualized, flexible, holistic, and strengths-based approach to patient care. 

Looking forward, I aspire for a career where I can effectively bridge the gap between science and practice. My long-term career goal is to work within an academic medical center as a licensed clinical psychologist, where I can provide direct clinical services, collaborate on research, and train the next generation of health service psychologists.

Favorite Pastimes: I deeply value a healthy work-life balance. In my free time, you may find me:

• Relaxing during a quiet night in with my husband and pets - sweet treats, fluffy blankets, and a good tv show are a must.
• Enjoying game nights, karaoke, and other fun activities with friends. 
• Trying out new restaurants or recipes (which most definitely includes grabbing ice cream for dessert). 
• Listening to my favorite music artists – either in the car with the windows down or live at their concerts.

Why Duke? I am so excited to round out my predoctoral training at Duke! During the internship application cycle, Duke’s training program stood out to me because it aligned perfectly with my training goals to gain depth and breadth in autism and child psychology. During my interview, I was blown away by the supportive learning environment that has been nurtured by program leadership, faculty, and trainees. Ultimately, I chose Duke because I wanted to be able to strengthen my clinical, supervision, and research skills in a community dedicated to fostering growth in future health service psychologists.

Research Interests: My research focuses on addressing barriers that prevent Autistic individuals and their families from accessing quality psychological services. I utilize community-engaged frameworks to identify, adapt, and evaluate culturally informed and evidence-based practices for providing autism-affirming care. For example, my dissertation examined the efficacy of group-based Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) with Autistic youth that was adapted alongside an autism community advisory board. Moving forward, I plan to disseminate my findings alongside an adapted treatment manual so that clinicians can deliver PCIT in a way that best fits the needs of Autistic youth and their caregivers. In the future, I hope to collaborate on research efforts focused on adapting and developing interventions that promote well-being in Autistic individuals and their families.