HWS News
5 May 2021 Hawes '19 Begins Ph.D. at University of Alabama Birmingham
Elizabeth “Liz” Hawes ’19 has been accepted into a Ph.D. in medical and clinical psychology at the University of Alabama Birmingham.
Since graduating from Hobart and William Smith, Elizabeth “Liz” Hawes ’19 has been working as a research assistant at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, S.C. Beginning this fall and under the mentorship of her Ph.D. advisor, Professor of Psychiatry Karen Cropsey, she will begin her research on addiction and substance use disorders.
At the Medical University of South Carolina, Hawes works in a tobacco research lab studying smoking and addictive behaviors. “Working on addiction research for almost two years now solidified that I wanted to be a clinical psychology researcher,” she says.
Her overlapping research interests with Cropsey, who focuses on substance abuse treatments in vulnerable populations such as individuals in the criminal justice system or those living with HIV/AIDS, were what initially drew Hawes to the University of Alabama Birmingham where her work will extend to the main hospital, children’s hospital, specialty clinics and a Veterans Administration facility.
Looking back, Hawes credits the resources she had access to at Hobart and William Smith, including the Salisbury Center for Career Services, and dedicated faculty members like Associate Professor of Psychological Science Jamie Bodenlos and Associate Professor of Psychological Science Brien Ashdown who she says were invaluable in preparing her for her career path.
“I think the work ethic I learned at HWS was what ultimately led me to where I am now. I know I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t worked with Professor Bodenlos on research as an undergrad student and had the opportunity to present posters at the Society of Behavioral Medicine Conference my junior and senior years,” she says.
While at the Colleges, Hawes majored in psychology and minored in philosophy and biology. She was a member of the Herons Cross Country team, was inducted into honors societies Psi Chi and Phi Beta Kappa, and studied abroad in Galway, Ireland.