Julia Tager '19

Alumni Spotlight

Julia TagerDegree: BA in Psychology

Current Position Title and Affiliation: Doctoral Student in Clinical Psychology at UWM

Summary of Position: I’m in the Clinical Psychology PhD program at UW-Milwaukee, where I study child and family coping with chronic pediatric illnesses. I’m currently working on my Master’s project, which investigates the emotions and traumatic experiences of parents raising children with medical complexity.

Future Goals:
I’d like to balance research, teaching, and clinical work in an academic medical institution as a pediatric psychologist. I am particularly interested in pediatric palliative care and psycho-oncology.

What do you love most about this career path?
Pediatric psychology is fascinating to me because it’s really a blend of clinical psychology and pediatric medicine. It allows for so much flexibility of study and opportunity for collaboration in adjacent fields such as medicine, nursing, and social work.

How did UMass and/or Psychological and Brain Sciences help prepare you?
My teaching assistantships and research assistantships at UMass and PBS really allowed me to explore academic psychology and gave me a leg up in applications for undergrad internships and for grad school.

Tips for Current Undergrads:
If you think you might want an academic career, get involved in research as early as possible! Ask questions, practice talking about your research, and get involved in posters or publications if you can!