Our Team

Mason is a Senior in The College of Liberal Arts, double majoring in Psychology and Biology. She hopes to attend graduate school to earn a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. Mason is interested in how anxiety disorders are experienced by marginalized communities and the promotion of culturally sensitive psychological treatment. Outside of the lab, Mason enjoys listening to music, hiking, and trying new coffee shops.

Philip is a senior in the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College majoring in Psychology with a minor in Spanish. He hopes to attend graduate school to earn a PhD in Clinical Psychology. Philip is interested in health psychology, especially in the use of physical activity and exercise as an evidence-based psychological treatment. Philip is also interested in the presentation and psychological burden of chronic pain in those with catastrophic illnesses. 

Emma is a senior in the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College, majoring in Psychology with minors in Biology and Chemistry. In the future, she plans to attend dental school to earn her doctorate in dental medicine. She is interested in anxiety disorders and how they intersect with and affect physical health.

Emily is a sophomore in the School of Applied Sciences majoring in Exercise Science. She plans on attending graduate school to become a Physician’s Assistant. Emily is interested in physical and mental health conditions and also hopes to gain more clinical psychology experience.  In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends, going to hotworx, and traveling.

Kearston is a junior in the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College majoring in Psychology and Art. She plans to attend graduate school to earn a masters in counseling. Kearston is interested in the relationship between visual art and mental health.

Bio

Dr. Dixon completed her B.A. in Psychology at the University of Arkansas and earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of Wyoming in 2014. Her predoctoral psychology internship/residency was at the University of Mississippi Medical Center & G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center Consortium in Jackson, MS. Dr. Dixon continued at the University of Mississippi Medical Center for a two-year postdoctoral fellowship where she specialized in childhood and adult anxiety and conducted studies to examine anxiety vulnerability factors in relevant health populations, including perinatal women and dermatology patients. Dr. Dixon joined the University of Mississippi’s Psychology Department in Oxford, MS as an assistant professor in 2016 and is a licensed clinical psychologist in Mississippi. When not at work, Dr. Dixon enjoys spending time with her husband and their son, being outside, and baking.

Research

Broadly speaking, Dr. Dixon’s research aims to identify cognitive, emotional, and behavioral factors that exacerbate anxiety disorders, misophonia, and related health conditions (e.g., dermatological disorders). Her research emphasizes the use of experimental psychopathology approaches to: (1) examine emotional responses to feared stimuli (e.g., bodily sensations, public speaking) and misophonia triggers, (2) investigate transdiagnostic mechanisms (e.g., anxiety sensitivity, emotion regulation) underlying anxiety and related pathology, and (3) evaluate specific components of science-based interventions (e.g., interoceptive exposure). The goal of this research is to inform the development and implementation of targeted, science-based interventions for individuals suffering from anxiety disorders, misophonia, and emotional distress resulting from co-occurring health and mental health conditions. Dr. Dixon serves on the editorial boards of Journal of Anxiety Disorders and Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science. Her research has been funded by the Ream Foundation/Misophonia Research Fund (2020).

Allie Freshley graduated from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a minor in Sociology. After graduating, she worked in the HART Lab at Ole Miss as a post-baccalaureate research assistant, where she assisted on research related to misophonia. She is currently in her third year of the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at Ole Miss. Allie is interested in anxiety, misophonia, emotion dysregulation, and the interpersonal ways in which these intersect.

Alexandria is a junior in The College of Liberal Arts, majoring in Psychology and minoring in English and Criminal Justice. She hopes to attend graduate school and get a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. Alexandria’s academic interests are forensics and mental disorders, specifically on how said disorders impact one’s everyday life. She hopes to one day be a forensic psychologist and work in the court system.

Ava is a sophomore in the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College, majoring in Biology with minors in Psychology and Chemistry. In the future, she hopes to attend medical school. She is interested in exploring how mental health disorders interact with and influence the development, progression, and outcomes of physical health conditions. Outside of the lab, she likes to go to the gym, hangout with friends, and make fun meals.

Mariana is a Senior majoring in Psychology with minors in Philosophy, English, and Criminal Justice.  She plans to attend graduate school to earn a PhD in Clinical Psychology.  She is interested in anxiety disorders, particularly in diverse manifestations of obsessive-compulsive disorder and common themes across expression. Mariana is also interested in the relationship between traits associated with anxiety (i.e. distress intolerance and tendency toward rumination) and co-occurring impairments (i.e. substance misuse, health problems, and social deficiencies).

Bisesh is a junior in the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College, majoring in Computer Science with minors in Manufacturing and Psychology. He hopes to take his passion between mathematics and psychology to graduate school. Bisesh is interested in exploring the physiological approaches to quantifying mental states.

Blaine Peters received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Texas A&M University in December 2022. After graduating, she continued her research at Texas A&M where she conducted structured clinical interviews, performed positive affect interventions, and collected electroencephalographic (EEG) data from participants with a range of psychopathologies. She is currently in her second year of the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at Ole Miss. Blaine is interested in the cognitive, behavioral, and psychophysiological mechanisms underlying obsessive-compulsive and anxiety-related disorders. She hopes to inform novel treatments through her work.

Amirah is a freshman in LuckyDay and the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College majoring in Allied Health Studies with a minor in Psychology. She plans to attend nursing school and gain clinical experience with hopes of attending physician assistant school in the future. Amirah is interested in exploring the relationships between mental health disorders and physical health conditions.

Carey Sevier graduated from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology before graduating from the University of Nottingham in 2019 with a Master of Science in Health Psychology. She then completed a two year Post-Baccalaureate Clinical Fellowship in the Child and Adolescent Division at McLean Hospital working at the 3East Continuum. Here she worked as a research assistant for the Emotion Regulation and Family Transactions (ERFT) lab, working on several projects looking at adolescent emotion dysregulation, self-hatred, and suicidality. She is currently in her fourth year of the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at Ole Miss. Carey is interested in the intersection of anxiety, emotion dysregulation and maladaptive coping strategies.

Shayon Tayebi graduated from Louisiana State University in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology before graduating from Sam Houston State University in 2024 with a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology. He worked at Applied Psychological Services in The Woodlands, Texas from 2023-2024, where he conducted clinical interviews, cognitive assessments, and achievement tests and wrote reports for those seeking Social Security services. He is currently in his second year of the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at Ole Miss. Shayon is interested in polysubstance use and racism’s association with anxiety, depression, impulsivity, and OCD.

Gracie is a Senior majoring in Psychology with a minor in Biology. In the future, she plans to enter the medical field. Gracie is interested in gaining clinical experience to enhance her understanding of patient care and develop her skills in applying evidence-based practices in a medical setting.

Jacob is a Junior in The College of Liberal Arts, double majoring in Psychology and French. He plans on attending graduate school to earn a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.  His academic interests center on the development and maintenance of substance use disorders and their impact on physical and mental health. He aspires to work with individuals in recovery, supporting their healing and overall well-being.

Sara Catherine is a sophomore in The College of Liberal Arts, majoring in Allied Health Studies and minoring in Biology. She plans on attending graduate school to become a Physicians’ Assistant. She is interested in learning more about how mental health disorders can affect overall physical health conditions. When she is not in the lab, she likes to spend time with her friends, go on walks, and try new local coffee shops.