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MPA Scholar Lecture June 8, 2022
Wednesday, June 08, 2022, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CDT
Category: Scholar Lecture (CE)

MPA Scholar Lecture

Understanding the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health and Medical Outcomes

Speakers: Cynthia Karlson, Ph.D., Crystal Lim, Ph.D., Kara L. Mabus, Ph.D.

This presentation is designed for psychologists, other mental health professionals, and students and faculty.

Program: 12:00 p.m. until 1:00 p.m.

Location: Online via Zoom, attendees will be sent a link one day prior to the session from the MPA office

Level:  Introductory: Assumes post-doctoral education status and limited familiarity with topic.                                            This program qualifies for 1.0 continuing education credits.                             

About the Program:  

The purpose of this symposium is to highlight the impact of COVID-19 on psychological and medical health related outcomes for children, parents, and families, including in vulnerable medical populations. Data presented will focus on the authors’ state of Mississippi. Three presentations and speakers using a didactic format will present data regarding how COVID impacted the presentation of new cancer patients to specialty care (Karlson et al.), depression levels among caregivers of youth delivered in a Level-4 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (Sarver et al.), and the mental health and psychosocial functioning of children and families among the general Mississippi population and according to rural/urban settings (Lim et al.). Following presentations, presenters will synthesize the findings and provide specific recommendations for continued research, clinical, and public health responses in addressing the psychological and physical health of children. An open discussion will follow presentations.

Participants will be able to:

1. The psychosocial impact of COVID-19 on children and families throughout the state of Mississippi.  
2. The impact of COVID-19 on the presentation of new cancer patients to the Children’s of Mississippi Center for Cancer  and Blood Disorders and Emergency Department during the first four months of COVID-19.  
3. The impact of COVID-19 on caregivers of infants in the NICU, who are already at higher risk for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.

About the Presenters:

Cynthia Karlson Ph.D., LP, completed her Ph.D. in clinical health psychology from the University of Kansas. She completed her pre-doctoral internship and post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) in Jackson, MS. Dr. Karlson’s clinical interests include psychosocial adjustment and neurocognitive concerns of children with cancer and sickle cell disease. Her research program focuses on chronic pain and sleep disturbance in children with chronic medical conditions. Other research projects include examining brief neurocognitive screening tools in children with cancer and examining the longitudinal trajectory of psychosocial adjustment in families of children with cancer and sickle cell disease.

Crystal Lim, Ph.D., LP, is an Associate Professor in the Division of Psychology, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC). Dr. Lim’s research and clinical interests are in pediatric psychology, with specific interest in pediatric obesity and weight management treatments. She is a licensed clinical psychologist and board certified in Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. Dr. Lim currently provides psychological services in the UMMC Pediatric Weight Management and serves as the clinic’s Assistant Director. Dr. Lim is also the Training Director of the UMMC Psychology Internship Training Program. Her current research focuses on developing and evaluating behavioral family weight management interventions for youth who are overweight and obese and their parents. Additionally, Dr. Lim is interested in health disparities and how rurality and other cultural factors impact the effectiveness of pediatric weight management interventions and child and family adjustment. She has published over 50 peer reviewed articles and book chapters and has received various internal and external research funding to support her clinical research and education efforts. Dr. Lim received her Ph.D. from Georgia State University in Clinical Psychology and completed her psychology internship and pediatric psychology post-doctoral training at the University of Florida.

Katie L. Marbus, Ph.D., Dr. Mabus is a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior. She completed her residency at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and received her PhD in Applied Psychology, with a concentration in clinical psychology from Mississippi State University. Broadly, Dr. Mabus’ clinical interests include providing postpartum clinical support to families in NICU, providing neurodevelopmental evaluations in early childhood, and providing behavior therapy in early childhood. Broadly, her research interests include maternal mental health and the impact of social/environmental factors on outcomes for infants in NICU. 

The speakers have indicated no conflicts of interest.

Continuing Education Credit:
The Minnesota Psychological Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Minnesota Psychological Association maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

ACCESSIBILITY ACCOMMODATIONS:  If you need disability related accommodations to make this event accessible, please contact Katie Benson at [email protected] or 952-928-4657.


To Register:

Registration Pricing:

Registration Type Pricing
No CE Credit Free
Professional Seeking CE Certificate $20
Student Seeking CE Certificate $5

MPA wants all members to have access to quality CE opportunities. If you are an MPA member and due to COVID-19 you are unable to work full time and can’t pay the full registration fee, please contact [email protected] to make other arrangements with staff.

Click here to register.

Click here to view and download a PDF program flyer and registration form.

Refund/Cancellation Policy: A 100% refund will be made if the event is cancelled. Refunds, less a $5 handling fee, will be given if a written cancellation is received at least two working days before the scheduled program begins. No refund or transfer is given the day of the program.