May 20, 2010
Drawn to St. John’s by the chance to serve clients in a
University clinic, a doctoral psychology student has won a stipend
to attend a highly selective, three-day conference that provides
quantitative training for students from backgrounds
underrepresented in the sciences.
Mary-Jane Ojie, a doctoral student in St. John’s
clinical psychology program, is one of only 30 percent of all
applicants selected to attend the 2010
Quantitative Training for Underrepresented Groups (QTUG)
conference, from August 9 to 11 at the University of San Diego.
Even fewer received the $500 travel stipend. The program also
covers Mary-Jane’s costs for the American Psychological Association
(APA) conference that follows.
“I feel privileged to have the opportunities I’ve received at St.
John’s,” said Mary-Jane, who earned her bachelor’s degree in
biology and psychology at the University of Maryland and her
master’s degree in clinical psychology and Education at Teachers
College, Columbia University.
One of those opportunities was the chance to work directly with
clients at St. John’s Center for Psychological Services. “That was
my deciding factor in choosing St. John’s,” said Mary-Jane. “We get
to see patients in our first year.” She also has benefited from
outstanding internship opportunities. One of her professors,
William Chaplin, Ph.D., is a consultant to health studies at
Columbia and NYU; Mary-Jane assists him in analyzing data.
Mary-Jane has permission to use the data — measuring how faith and
other behavior can help prevent second heart attacks — in her own
dissertation. Ultimately she hopes to help children overcome the
emotional impact of physical trauma. “It’s the mind-body
connection,” said Mary-Jane, whose family emigrated from Nigeria
when she was nine. “Through behavioral intervention, I believe we
can prevent childhood illnesses from damaging an entire life.”