VOL. 14
ISPP Current Student Spotlight: Sarah Brill
What has been the most rewarding part of your training thus far?
Please tell us about a recent accomplishment that’s meaningful to you.
The most rewarding part of my training has been the opportunity to operate at the intersection of medicine and psychology at Loyola University Medical Center. I had the opportunity to work across services ranging from transplant and bariatric surgery to trauma, neurology, and general medicine conducting bedside interventions, delivering outpatient therapy, and completing comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations— all while navigating the dynamic interplay of psychological and physiological health. Beyond the clinical diversity, I learned how to present cases to respected interdisciplinary teams and advocate for patients in high-stakes medical review boards. It was truly wonderful to see relationships build across disciplines and bring psychology into spaces where it's commonly underrepresented. One of the most meaningful takeaways has been gaining an appreciation for scope of practice. More specifically, knowing when to lead, when to collaborate, and when to consult. Working with such an expansive and skilled team has helped me develop humility, insight, and a clearer understanding of what collaborative care looks like in a fast-paced medical environment. Just as impactful has been the mentorship I’ve received. My supervisors have modeled clinical rigor, ethical leadership, and relational depth. They didn’t just shape my clinical skills, they inspired the kind of psychologist, mentor, and leader I want to become. Their influence reinforced my desire to build a career that blends direct patient care, mentorship, teaching, and research in an academic medical setting.
I’m incredibly humbled to share that my research was accepted for presentation at the World Transplant Congress 2025. I will share findings from a study examining how perceived helplessness and self-efficacy contribute to psychological distress among liver transplant candidates. These individuals face extraordinary medical and psychological challenges, yet their experiences remain underrepresented in the literature. Many face stigma secondary to substance use, psychiatric comorbidities, or socioeconomic hardship; factors that not only complicate care but contribute to their invisibility in psychological research. This project reflects the patients I’ve had the privilege to serve, the mentorship that has shaped me, and my deepening commitment to advocacy, both in the scientific literature and in the way care is delivered. This work also informed my dissertation on stress mindset and transplant readiness, and has directly contributed to matching at the Transplant Behavioral Medicine Track at UNC School of Medicine for internship which is exactly where I hoped to be (even if, at one point, I felt it might be out of reach). Being selected for this track feels like a celebration of my training and a powerful affirmation that my contributions in this field are meaningful. I’m proud to present this work on an international stage, and even more excited to continue building a career grounded in advocacy, scientific rigor, and patient-centered care.
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