Ilana Cohen

About

Ilana Cohen is a recent graduate of Barnard College from Irvine, California. When Ilana was younger, she developed an interest in neuroscience and psychology and began reading books and articles recommended by her older sister, who was studying neuroscience. As Ilana got older, she developed a passion for the mental health field as she supported several friends through mental health struggles. In high school, she worked with children as a camp counselor and classroom assistant, which transitioned well into her early research experiences in developmental psychology.

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Once Ilana got to college, majoring in Psychology and Human Rights, she began pursuing research opportunities. In her first position, she worked in a bilingualism lab studying language development. Here, she learned some small details about how research works, and  worked in data entry. The next summer, she got a position at a Cerebral Palsy lab, working to determine the effectiveness of intensive versus more spaced out sessions of motor learning therapy. This position was very hands-on and collaborative among professionals from various fields. In her junior year, Ilana began working at a moral development lab. She started off working in recruitment, scheduling, and running participants. She completed her senior thesis about children’s moral judgments, learning how to design a study from the very beginning, and see it through to the end. She learned how to analyze data, write a paper from start to finish, and present findings.

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After graduating from Barnard, Ilana works full-time in research at Penn Medicine in the Department of Neurology on the Epilepsy Research Team. She has been learning about the field of neurology, clinical trials in medicine, and conducting assessments. 

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Recently, Ilana created a platform, @PsychGradNetwork, dedicated to providing support to psychology majors in choosing and pursuing their postgraduate path, after realizing there was a lack of support for students pursuing a career in Psychology. Here you'll find advice for pursuing psychology research and clinical opportunities in undergrad, as well as different paths for grad school, and spotlights from people in different related careers.

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Ilana is grateful for the variety of her research experiences, and is excited to share what she has learned about research with younger students. She is passionate about making academia more accessible, and she hopes to continue working in research as she pursues a career in psychology.