Peter Janis, Master's Candidate in Health Psychology

Name: Peter Janis
Degree Program: MS (Thesis) in Health Psychology
Graduating: 2008
Employment: The Center of Excellence for Research in Neurodegenerative Disease (CERND) at USP serves both as my practicum site and as my employer. I'm earning a decent salary along with tuition reimbursement.

Why I chose USP

I was an undergraduate here at USP and really appreciated the closeness with faculty of my major. I felt the program was aligned with my future, and was really excited to start working toward my master's degree with my current advisor, who was really helping me get wonderful experiences in my field.

What I like best about my program

The closeness you feel with the faculty in your program. I feel confident enough to say that I have had a personal relationship with each and every one of the faculty members in my department, and they are all delightful, helpful people who want nothing more than to help me succeed. There is a certain degree of humanity, especially for a psychology program, that USP offers that I would imagine other schools do not.

Current research interests

I am involved in several research projects, including research on schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease and the various cognitive disconnections associated with them. As for practicum, I am a fellow with the Center of Excellence for Research in Neurodegenerative Disease (CERND) and administer psychometric testing for patients, as well as gather research for various research projects concerning dementia.

How this program will help me professionally

I believe my degree will offer a very auspicious leg-up on my goals of earning a doctorate in the future. The flexibility of this program has allowed me to pursue a more cognitive/neurobiological pathway to hopefully attain my future goal of a degree in neuroscience.

Other things I want people to know about USP

It is a great alternative to being "just another face in the crowd" at another graduate program in psychology.