Hello! I'm Maddie Hoffman, a junior at UNC majoring in Psychology. I'm excited to share a bit about my journey and what I've been up to this semester!
Being part of a military family was always something I was proud of. There are countless photos of me roaming around my childhood home in camouflage with my dad’s old dog tags hanging around my neck. However, I never thought that my dad’s service in the military would come to shape my own future in such a profound way.
After graduating high school in 2019, I enlisted in the United States Army. I spent time training in the United States before deploying overseas for a seven-month tour of duty in Iraq. My time in the military—especially my deployment—taught me many invaluable lessons, particularly about the importance of mental health among servicemembers. Long deployments, war-related trauma, and high-pressure work environments can fuel the onset of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Substance Use Disorder (SUD), General Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), and so many other mental health challenges we see in servicemembers. All of these factors contribute heavily to an ongoing mental health crisis among military communities, with over 20% of Veterans having comorbid PTSD and SUD. Of even more significant concern is the increasing rate of suicide seen among veterans, as estimates indicate that between 40-44 veterans take their own life every day. Understanding the impact of mental health disorders on military populations, along with identifying both protective and risk factors associated with common service-related mental health conditions, is crucial for developing and implementing effective treatment strategies.
While psychology and mental health advocacy have long been passions of mine, my time in the Army solidified my goals for the future. After leaving the military in 2023, I came to UNC to obtain my B.S. in Psychology with the ultimate goal of pursuing a PhD in Clinical Psychology and working as a Clinical Psychologist for the US Department of Veterans Affairs. I feel incredibly fortunate to have been selected as a Fall 2024 Karen M. Gil Intern, as this internship has become a pivotal moment in my academic career. Before matching with my internship site, I knew I wanted to find a place that would allow me to pursue research in the areas I was most passionate about – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Substance Use Disorder. Thus, I was paired with the UNC Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies.
My time with the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, specifically in the Besheer Lab, has been a fantastic experience. I am so grateful for the guidance and mentorship that I have received from everyone in the lab, especially Dr. Joyce Besheer and Dr. Brooke Bender. The work I have been doing has allowed me to develop critical research skills and a comprehensive understanding of neurobiology and psychology. I have gained experience running behavioral experiments, managing experimental data, analyzing data, and presenting research findings.
My research in the lab focuses on using delayed discounting as a measure of impulsivity to better understand how trauma exposure affects substance use disorder. In my experiment involving rodent subjects, I assess impulsivity before and after exposure to a traumatic stimulus. The trauma is induced by Trimethylthiazoline (TMT), a fox odor, and after exposure, I remeasure impulsivity using delayed discounting tasks. By comparing impulsivity levels before and after TMT exposure, we gain insights into how trauma may influence impulsive behavior. This is particularly relevant because increased impulsivity and high delay discounting are often associated with substance use disorder. Understanding how trauma impacts impulsivity is a crucial step toward identifying the factors that contribute to the development and progression of substance use disorder.
Overall, my time at the UNC Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies has further fueled my drive to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology upon completing my bachelor's. I am excited to continue my research in the Besheer Lab next semester through UNC’s PSYC 395 course. My time in the Karen M. Gil internship program has been instrumental in shaping my future, and I’m eager to apply the many lessons and skills I’ve gained moving forward.
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