Intern Blog

Hello! My name is Misha Grdzelishvili, and I am a senior from Harrisburg, North Carolina majoring in Psychology (B.S.) and minoring in Neuroscience. I plan to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology. This Fall 2026 semester, I am interning at the UNC Neurocognition and Imaging Research Lab (NIRL) under Dr. Aysenil Belger, where research is conducted on the functional anatomy of the human brain and how the breakdown of neural circuits leads to the onset of neuropsychiatric and neu

Mark your calendars! The Karen M. Gil Internship Program application deadline for Spring 2027 is October 15th, at 11:59 PM. The Karen M. Gil Internship gives you the opportunity to earn course credit AND receive a monthly stipend -- plus, you'll gain valuable experience in the field of psychology and neuroscience! We will be looking for 10-13 Gil Interns for our Spring 2027 cohort. Gil interns have the opportunity to intern at so many cool places all around the Triangle such

Hi! My name is Kanushi Navaneethakrishnan, and I am a senior from Cincinnati, Ohio double majoring in Neuroscience and Biology on the pre-med track. For the Fall 2026 semester, I am interning at the UNC Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Community Clinic through the Karen M. Gil Internship. The Community Clinic provides psychotherapy and psychological assessment services to UNC and the surrounding community while giving doctoral students in clinical psychology supervis

Hi! My name is Diya Ramesh, and I am a junior from Voorhees, NJ majoring in Business Administration through Kenan-Flagler and Psychology (B.S.). For the Fall 2026 semester, I am interning at A Lotta Love, a nonprofit organization that uses trauma-informed design principles to improve transitional housing environments and create spaces that better support individuals and families experiencing homelessness. My interest in psychology began in middle school, when I became attun

Hi! My name is Vanessa Hsieh, and I am a senior from Long Island, New York majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Business Administration and Chemistry. For the Fall 2026 semester, I am interning at 3-C Family Services, which is a private practice that utilizes research-based clinical practices, such as psychiatry, psychology, and therapeutic techniques, to provide mental health support to children, adolescents, and adults. My interest in the brain and its behavioral outcom

Hi! My name is Yijia Jia, and I am a clinical psychology intern at the PRIME Research Program. I’m currently a junior double majoring in Psychology and Statistics, with a minor in Astronomy. My interest in psychology began before I knew much about psychological research. In middle school, I noticed that some people around me often held stereotypes about certain mental disorders and even joked around, without much understanding of what these terms actually meant. To challenge

Please attend the Fall 2026 Gil Internship Info Session on September 23rd, 2026 at 6:00 PM in Howell 205 if you wish to learn more about our internship program and application process! You can RSVP via the QR code below.

Welcome our Fall 2026 Gil Cohort!

As the 2025 - 2026 academic year comes to a close, we at the Gil Internship Program want to highlight program updates, new initiatives, intern achievements, and more. This new yearly newsletter will serve as a yearly recap updating you with everything that is going on in the internship program. Please take a moment to get caught up with everything Gil related! Make sure to download the PDF if you wish to access the hyperlinks throughout. We hope you enjoy!

And that's a wrap! Congratulations are in order for our Spring 2026 Gil Internship cohort. This amazing group did a wonderful job presenting all the hard work they completed throughout the semester. Dr. Buzinski, Dr. Gil, and Richie are all extremely proud of every intern and wish them luck in their future endeavors. Please take a moment to scroll through our showcase presentation. Congrats again to our Spring 2026 Gil Internship cohort!!!

Hi! My name is Karenna Barmada, and I am a senior from Washington, D.C. studying Neuroscience with a Business of Health minor at Kenan-Flagler Business School. This spring, I had the opportunity to intern at UNC's Center for Thriving Communities through the Karen M. Gil Internship Program, supporting the CommunityRx-Kidney Health trial, a National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases-funded randomized clinical trial examining the effect of a structured comm

Hello! My name is Kariss Cone, and I am a senior from Nashville, Tennessee, double-majoring in Psychology and Sociology with a minor in Social and Economic Justice. This semester, I’ve had the privilege of working as a Clinical Psychology Intern at The Purpose Center @ KKJ Forensic and Psychological Services in Durham. My interest in psychology comes from both intellectual curiosity in the human brain and behavior, and from personal experience. From navigating my own mental h

In the Chapel Hill area, April 22nd from 2:30 to 3:20 PM? If so, make sure to stop by our Spring 2026 Gil Intern Showcase located on the first floor of Howell Hall . Here you will be able to ask interns about the work that they conducted throughout the semester at their worksites and learn more about the Karen M. Gil Internship Program. Excited to see you then!

Hi there! My name is Athena Dontas, a current Karen M. Gil Social Psychology intern at UNC TEACCH Autism: Employment Services. I am a junior from Roxboro, North Carolina pursuing my B.A. in Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. My interest within the field of psychology was piqued from a young age, when I tried to understand the struggles my older brother constantly wrestled with. My older brother was diagnosed with high-functioning Autism at an ea

Hello everyone! My name is Richie Gray, and I am the Gil Internship Manager for the Spring 2026 Gil cohort. I had the pleasure of visiting The Purpose Center (formerly known as KKJ Forensic and Psychological Services) recently during the Spring 2026 semester. This was a unique experience as this was the Gil Internship’s first virtual site visit! The Purpose Center is a multi-speciality, small private clinic in Durham, North Carolina, that provides empirically-supported psych

Hey everyone! My name is Maya McPartland, and I am a senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill majoring in psychology and computer science. This semester, I’ve had the privilege to work as a quantitative psychology intern at The Winston Center on Technology and Brain Development. This opportunity has served as a chance to fully explore my long-time interest in the interplay of technology and mental health. Growing up, I experienced firsthand the negative eff

Hello Gillers! Interested in seeing what other Gil Alumni are up to? Look no further, as the Spring 2026 edition of Sharing the Gil News is here! See what our lovely alumni are up to! Interested in getting more involved in the Internship Program as an alumni? You can! Please make sure to fill out our Gil Alumni Survey if you haven't already and request to join our alumni group on LinkedIn . Also, we have a Microsoft Group for Gil Alumni which you can join, so just email u

Hello everyone! My name is Juliana Floriani, and I am a clinical psychology intern at 3-C Family Services this semester. I am currently a senior from Asheville, North Carolina, pursuing a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Biology. My interest in psychology began through my clinical shadowing experiences in high school. I was one of eight students selected for the MAHEC Mentoring Program, where I spent time shadowing in a women’s health clinic. Many of the patients I observ

Hi y’all! My name is Fareeda Akewusola, and I am a senior Neuroscience major from Houston, Texas, with double minors in Medical Anthropology and Entrepreneurship. This semester, I have had the incredibly enriching experience of working as a Clinical Psychology Intern with the AHB Center for Behavioral Health and Wellness in Durham. My interest in mental health has always lived at the intersection of science and lived experience. Growing up in Nigeria, I witnessed firsthand

Hello, my name is Angelika Santero (she/her), and I transferred to UNC-Chapel Hill in the Fall of 2025 from Central Piedmont Community College. I am currently majoring in both psychology and data science, with a particular interest in social and organizational psychology. Growing up, I witnessed how my loved ones’ long work shifts and stress loads affected their well-being. I witnessed how our wellness is not an isolated phenomenon but is intertwined with social structures su