People behind the PhDs

Dr. Rachel Kraut is an Associate Director of the Language Programs at the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies at Rice University. She works both as part of the administrative team of the Intensive English Program and as leader of the new language programs online initiative. She also serves as a volunteer peer reviewer for the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA), incoming chair on TESOL International’s Professional Development council, and as Conference Program Chair on the TexTESOL IV Board. Beyond language program management, Rachel has also worked as a consultant in language teacher professional development for public school districts, a content developer, an ESL instructor, an adjunct professor of TESOL, and a teacher trainer. Her research interests lie in language program administration, language teacher training, program evaluation, language assessment, and online language learning. Dr. Z

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Dr. Ezra Smith studies concussions and the “common cold” of mental illness depression at Colombia University’s Psychophysiology Laboratory led by Dr. Jürgen Kayser. In this episode, we talk about what led Dr. Smith into academia and researching concussions and the normalcy for humans to deal with mental health issues. 6% of the population at any given time suffers from depression

15% of the population has a chance of dealing with major depression the course of their lifetimes

50% of the population has a chance of having a psychological disorder over the course of their lifetime (anxiety disorders, drug abuse, depression, psychosis, cognitive disorders, developmental disorders, personality disorders) Ezra’s specialty is the practice and science of clinical neuropsychology: he works one-on-one with patients living with depression, anxiety, psychosis, and neurodegenerative disorders, and he also studies the pathophysiology of these disorders with an eye towards identifying preclinical biomarkers and novel therapeutic targets. About Dr. Z

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