Department of Psychology Dean’s Medalist’s research closes gaps in mental health, addiction treatments
Photo by Meghan Finnerty/ASU
Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable fall 2024 graduates.
Dona Ananickal had always loved the idea of pursuing research but hadn’t quite figured out how to get there. She originally set out to learn the ins and outs of computer information systems with the idea that she might add on a second degree later to study economics.
However, her first year at Arizona State University came at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and she began to witness the effect it was having on those surrounding her and how it exposed the gaping holes in mental health treatment. It was then that she redirected her interests to the field of psychology.
“The disparities were particularly poignant in communities such as mine where we did not have knowledge or experience navigating the mental health care system,” Ananickal said. “So I started connecting the dots from my lived experiences and observations, and I realized psychology would be the perfect way to systematically turn observations into research questions.”
Now, not only will she be graduating with her bachelor’s degree in psychology this December, but she will also be recognized as the Department of Psychology’s fall 2024 Dean’s Medalist.
Ananickal, also an honors student in Barrett, The Honors College, found a way to apply her desire to research in 2022 through the Youth Development, Context, and Prevention Lab. She studied fatalism, the idea of a fixed future and a lack of control in one’s life, and how the concept is not well defined in literature. She expanded on this research with how fatalism played a role in the relationship between COVID-19-related stress and mental health outcomes in Latino youth.
“Dona quickly became an integral part of the research team in my lab. She has been proactive, responsible and detail-oriented and she has contributed excellent critical questions and feedback about our research projects on addictive behaviors among adolescents and young adults,” said the lab’s principal investigator, Rick Cruz. “She has an analytical and logical mind that you can sense is always soaking up the information around her and determining ways to retain and apply that information in the future.”
Since 2022, Ananickal has contributed to research on mental health and addiction treatments through internships and presentations. She participated in several summer programs, including the Pacific Northwest Node of the National Institute of Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network at the University of Washington and the Alcohol Research Training program at the University of Missouri, and took part in behavioral alcohol and social and health inequity research experiences at ASU.
She is currently applying for several clinical psychology doctoral programs and is waiting to hear back. In the meantime, Ananickal hopes to continue volunteering in research at ASU to gain more experience.
Learn more about Ananickal and her time at ASU in her own words.
Question: What’s something you learned while at ASU — in the classroom or otherwise — that surprised you or changed your perspective?
Answer: Despite wanting to pursue research, I wasn’t very fond of sitting in lectures. That was until I attended a small class structured as a seminar my sophomore year. After the initial hump of having to learn how to read journal articles, I loved the format of a Socratic seminar where we all came to class to discuss the articles we were assigned to read. We would input our ideas on how to translate what we read in order to tackle current issues. This class changed my idea of what the classroom could be like. After taking that course, I tried to seek classes that were smaller in size and were discussion-based.
Q: Why did you choose ASU?
A: I have lived in Arizona all my life and I wanted to be close to home, so ASU was the best choice for me.
Q: Which professor taught you the most important lesson while at ASU?
A: The most important lesson I learned was from a graduate student, Abby Mcdonald. She would always encourage us to be as active as we can in pursuing our own research questions. As undergraduate research assistants, we are often active in data collection or gaining research skills, but translating it to independent research projects such as creating a research poster for a conference can be very daunting. It requires a different skill set and a lot of mentorship. Abby always encouraged us to participate in undergraduate research conferences to not only overcome that initial fear of proposing our own research ideas but also gain experience in conducting and presenting our independent projects to the community.
Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to those still in school?
A: I have always been encouraged to get involved in school, but when I had to move back home my sophomore year and commute from the WestValley to Tempe, this became increasingly harder as clubs were later in the day and I had to navigate the logistics of maximizing my time and contributing to an organization. However, I was able to get involved through volunteering at research labs where the meetings were more in line with my class schedule and work could be done remotely. So if others like me have challenges of balancing work, commute or family, there is always so much going on academically and socially at ASU. I strongly encourage being creative and finding ways to still be involved.
Q: What was your favorite spot on campus, whether for studying, meeting friends or just thinking about life?
A: When I have to hunker down and get work done, my favorite spot on campus is the Fletcher Library at West Valley campus, especially in the evenings when the crowd dies down.
Q: If someone gave you $40 million to solve one problem on our planet, what would you tackle?
A: If you could add a zero and make it $400 million, I would tackle our current food waste issues. At least in America, we produce so much food, but at the same time, businesses throw so much of it out. I would work with both the producers and businesses that sell the food to tackle the supply chain issue and lessen the surplus going to the garbage fill.
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