Welcome to the
WellComE Lab
Well-Being & Community Engagement Lab
Ditchman Research Team
We are a research team at Illinois Tech focused on rehabilitation research to understand and promote community engagement, employment, well-being and health of people with disabilities.
Dr. Amanda Easton
Amanda Easton is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Disability and Psychoeducational Studies at The University of Arizona. She earned an M.S. degree in Rehabilitation Counseling, specializing in psychiatric rehabilitation and a Ph.D. degree in Rehabilitation Counseling Education with a minor in Clinical Psychology from The Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in Chicago and maintains a collaborative relationship with her mentor and peers at IIT. In the past, she worked as a rehabilitation counselor with transition age youth with disabilities, provided trainings around sexuality and gender to rehabilitation and mental health counselors in special education settings, and upheld a small private practice serving individuals with and without disabilities. In terms of professionals service, Dr. Easton has been an advocate for bridging the gap between the disability community and the LGBTQ community, emphasizing positive sexuality and gender. Further, she has participated in efforts strengthening the clinical training of future rehabilitation counselors. Her research interests are in the areas of psychosocial aspects of disability and counseling competency, specifically around sexuality and gender. Dr. Easton has conducted research in the areas of sexuality and disability, gender and disability, sense of community, disability rights, psychiatric rehabilitation, and substance abuse.
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Originally from Wheaton, IL, Elisabeth attended Indiana University in Bloomington, IN where she received a Bachelor's degree in Psychology with a Business minor. Elisabeth held an internship position at Volunteers in Medicine, and worked as research assistants in both the Cognitive Development Lab and the Sexual Psychophysiology Lab paired with Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction She is currently pursuing a joint doctoral degree in the fields of Clinical Psychology and Rehabilitation at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Elisabeth has held practicum with the Chicago Public Schools Gifted and Enrichment Programs, Family Counseling Center, Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, and Thomson Memory Center. As part of Dr. Ditchman's lab, Elisabeth is currently working on a review paper for measures of sense of community within the rehabilitation population. Additionally, she has begun her master's thesis on social aspects of community participation for individuals with head injury. Her other research interests include health psychology, transition aged populations, and sexual psychology. Additionally, she has completed her master's thesis exploring predictors of social integration for adults with acquired brain injury. As a doctoral candidate, her dissertation will be examining predictors of instrumental and emotional support for adults with acquired brain injury. Aside from school, Lisa enjoys spending time outside with her Golden Retriever, doing crafts, and cooking
Justin Gentry
Justin D. Gentry holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Justin has spent 6 years working in community and clinic research, mostly with people with developmental disabilities. His research interests included developmental disabilities, technology, health, and community engagement.
Alicia Mattox
Alicia joined the clinical-rehabilitation doctoral psychology program in the summer of 2013, after receiving her Bachelor of Arts in both psychology and sociology from the University of Michigan-Dearborn in 2011. Currently in the fourth year of her graduate career, Alicia researches in the lab of Dr. Nicole Ditchman working on projects concerning community involvement and quality of life for individuals with developmental disabilities.
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As an undergraduate, Alicia has been involved in research projects in several areas, including school and social psychology, as well as conducting sociological research. Her areas of focus have included a thesis on anonymity and hostility in online communication, work as a research assistant at the University of Michigan-Dearborn in the areas of attributional ambiguity and empathic accuracy. Alicia has presented at several regional and national conferences, and has assisted in developing a diversionary program for recently adjudicated adolescents.
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Alicia’s current research interests include the impact of culture on help-seeking behaviors for disability, presentation and treatment of ADHD in adult populations, and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Mehak Hafeez, MS
Mehak Hafeez recently graduated with a Masters in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling. She was part of three research labs at IIT that allowed her to strengthen and maintain her research skills in recruitment, data entry, literature review and analyzing data. Her passion is to study the impact of public and self stigma on help seeking behaviors in multicultural population. Her research projects with Drs. Corrigan, Ditchman and Lee have focused on studying the impact of stigma and attitudes on help-seeking behaviors within the multicultural population.
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​Mehak was also part of the Student Access, Success, and Diversity Initiatives (SASDI) team as a Program Coordinator where she did event coordination, and student development programs. Mehak has been greatly involved in the planning of social justice and inclusion events on campus as part of a staff, faculty and student led group, Coalition on Inclusion. In her spare time, Mehak is a freelance painter and zumba dancer and greatly enjoys volunteering with children at the Ronald McDonald House.
