Psychology Dean's Medalist setting her own path to health care career

April 28, 2021

Editor's note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable spring 2021 graduates.

Jasmin Ray, the 2021 Dean’s Medalist for the ASU Department of Psychology, is graduating with a major in psychology and a minor in biology and plans on going into graduate school to become a physician assistant with an emphasis in child behavioral studies. Jasmin Ray, Dean's Medalist in the ASU Department of Psychology Jasmin Ray is the 2021 Dean’s Medalist for the ASU Department of Psychology. Download Full Image

Ray is personally interested in how intergenerational trauma from war or poverty can impact the lives of children through indirect parenting practices. Her family escaped from the Cambodian genocide and built a life for Ray in the United States, however, she had to figure out much of the college experience for herself, such as applying, gaining research experience and finding her path to graduation.

“I’m just interested in learning how the families of people who survive trauma, such as the Cambodian genocide or the Armenian genocide are impacted by those events, both in the short and the longer term. While those people are struggling with their own mental health, they are raising their families in spite of that,” said Ray.

While Ray won’t personally tell you how incredible she is, it was apparent from the very beginning of her time as an undergraduate research assistant in the Arizona Twin Project that she is special.

“Jasmin has been a trailblazer for her peers and her family," said Leah Doane, associate professor of psychology and area head of the Developmental Psychology PhD program. Doane is also the co-principal investigator of the Arizona Twin Project. "Jasmin is a first-generation college student and a child of Cambodian refugees. Her high levels of tenacity, intelligence and commitment to the well-being of others echo ASU’s missions of inclusion, discovery and responsibility to the communities we serve.”

Ray is part of the behavioral coding team on the project and helps to transcode data for the longitudinal study. She is particularly curious about the idea of nature versus nurture and how genetics plays in the long-term outcomes of the twins.

The Twin Project features research by three female faculty leads: Doane, Associate Chair Mary Davis and Professor Kathryn Lemery-Chalfant.

“It has been so inspiring to see a female-dominated lab where everyone is so inclusive," said Ray. "They made such an outright effort to be inclusive towards their RAs — during the summer during the period of unrest (political and social), they really took the time to make it known that all of their RAs were accepted. It was so amazing to see these three different women come together to make such a huge study and organized group of people. I think as women, we owe it to other women to go into these fields. These female experiences shape how we approach research, study medicine. Having diverse perspectives and bringing forth experiences is super important, especially in health care.”

Ray conducted her honors thesis on research data from the project as well, examining the relationship between the importance of culture and parenting practices on children’s health and adjustment.

“Her thesis examined whether parents’ traditional or mainstream cultural values or qualities of parenting, i.e., warmth, authoritarianism, were associated with children’s diurnal cortisol patterns and whether such associations were different for majority, i.e., European American, as opposed to minority, i.e., Latinx, families,” said Doane.

While her experience at ASU featured extensive time in the research lab, Ray also found time to work in a neurorehabilitation unit for traumatic brain injury, and as a patient care technician at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. She also served as a teaching assistant within the Department of Psychology, mentoring and tutoring other undergraduate students.

Immediately after graduation, she is taking a gap year to get patient experience while working at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. She then plans on applying to PA school, with an emphasis in child behavioral studies.

Robert Ewing

Marketing and Communications Manager, Department of Psychology

480-727-5054 robert.ewing@asu.edu

Renowned McCarthy Institute, led by intellectual property expert David Franklyn, becomes part of ASU Law

Photo of McCarthy Institute Executive Director David Franklyn at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at ASU

The Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University announces the addition of the McCarthy Institute and Executive Director David Franklyn to the college's Intellectual Property Law Program.The McCarthy Institute brings with it a growing community of professionals focused on scholarship and research in the areas of trademark law, branding and consumer perception. Franklyn, who is...

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Renowned McCarthy Institute, led by intellectual property expert David Franklyn, becomes part of ASU Law

April 28, 2021

The McCarthy Institute brings with it a growing community of professionals focused on scholarship and research in the areas of trademark law, branding and consumer perception. Franklyn, who is considered among the nation’s leading intellectual property and technology law experts, will direct the institute in addition to his newly appointed position as ASU Law distinguished professor of practice. Photo of McCarthy Institute Executive Director David Franklyn at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at ASU The McCarthy Institute and Executive Director David Franklyn are joining ASU Law's Intellectual Property Law Program. Franklyn will direct the institute in addition to his newly appointed position as ASU Law distinguished professor of practice. Download Full Image

“David and the McCarthy Institute will transform and elevate our IP Law Program and add strength to our fantastic Center for Law, Science and Innovation,” ASU Law Dean Douglas Sylvester said. “We are thrilled to welcome David and look forward to his leadership. Under David’s leadership, the McCarthy Institute has engaged the best scholars in the world and, with the already substantial assets here at ASU Law in the field, we are confident ASU Law will quickly become one of the leading centers for thought and engagement in intellectual property in the country.”

The McCarthy Institute at ASU Law will partner with other ASU units including the W. P. Carey School of Business and the School for the Future of Innovation in Society to expand student engagement with IP across disciplines.

“The McCarthy Institute will offer ASU Law students the opportunity to participate in a fellowship program and collaborate with faculty in producing scholarship and research,” Franklyn said. “Opportunities such as co-authoring articles with ASU professors and affiliate scholars and gaining internships and externships with notable technology companies will position ASU Law students to stand out with prospective employers. Whether they want to work in a big law firm, in-house counsel at a large corporation, or with a startup, the institute will work closely with students to help them become innovative lawyers.”

The addition of the McCarthy Institute to ASU Law represents a significant milestone in the ongoing expansion of the college's Intellectual Property Law Program. The institute will offer innovative programs within and outside of the law school by bringing together practicing attorneys from firms, in-house counsel, regulators and scholars to inspire dialogue and research through events, conferences, academic roundtables and more.

The McCarthy Institute has previously hosted events at Amazon and Microsoft in the Seattle area, Google in Silicon Valley, Fox in Los Angeles, Time Warner in New York and at the European Union Intellectual Property Office in Alicante, Spain. The institute’s ability to connect ASU Law students to this extensive network of leading tech companies across the world will not only bolster student career opportunities in IP but advance ASU Law’s IP and technology initiatives as a whole.

photo of Tyson Winarski, director of the Intellectual Property Law Program at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at ASU

Tyson Winarski is the director of ASU Law’s Intellectual Property Law Program.

“ASU Law is demonstrably one of the fastest-moving law schools in the U.S.,” Franklyn said. “Its consistent rise in the rankings is indicative of the entrepreneurial spirit and planning of Dean Sylvester and the leadership team to grow its faculty expertise and increase the innovative programs it offers. My primary goal in joining ASU Law is to give students real opportunities to enhance their creativity and knowledge in IP by growing the McCarthy Institute to become No. 1 in trademarks, branding, marketing and the study of consumer perceptions, ultimately helping students launch meaningful careers.”

Franklyn formerly led the McCarthy Institute at the University of San Francisco since 2000 and will begin teaching courses at ASU Law in fall 2021.

“Building the future of the McCarthy Institute on the foundation of ASU Law creates boundless potential for intellectual property law scholarship and academic research at ASU,” added Tyson Winarski, ASU Law’s Intellectual Property Law Program director. “David is a truly outstanding addition to our faculty. He inspires and challenges students in the classroom and drives thinking on trademark issues through the institute's nationally renowned trademark conferences. ASU Law is deeply proud to carry on the legacy of Professor Tom McCarthy's trademark scholarship by welcoming David and the institute to the ASU team.”