UNDERGRADUATE
HANDBOOK
BEHAVIORAL COMMUNITY
RESEARCH & ACTION TEAM
1
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
03
Welcome & Overview
04- 07
Dr. Lewis & the crew
11
Tasks
10
Goals & Expectations
2
08-09
Current Projects
12-13
Code of Ethics
14
APA Guidelines
The Behavioral Community
Research and Action Team
(BCRAT) is focused on
conducting community-based
research that promotes the
health of adolescents,
emerging adult populations
and reducing health disparities
among Racial and Ethnic
groups.
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Rhonda K. Lewis, Ph.D., MPH. is a Professor, Graduate
Coordinator, and the Community Psychology Ph.D. Program
Coordinator and past Chair of the Psychology department at
Wichita State University. She received her Ph.D. in
Developmental and Child Psychology from the University of
Kansas and her Master of Public Health from the University of
Kansas School of Medicine. She is the Director of the
Behavioral Community Research and Action Team (BCRAT), at
Wichita State University. The research team focuses on
building the capacity of community-based organizations,
using ecological and strengths-based approaches to make
community change.
She is the PI of Keeping ICT SAFE (Substance Abuse Prevention
Focusing on Empowerment) a grant funded by the Substance
Abuse Mental Health Services Administration and she is the
Co-PI for a grant funded by Sedgwick County Department of
Corrections. She is a Service-Learning Faculty Fellow and a
Culturally Responsive evaluation expert. She is a community-
engaged researcher who investigates educational inequities,
health equity, positive youth development, mental health,
substance-use prevention and health promotion in the
community. She is a member of the Society for Community
Research and Action for Division 27 of APA, is a SCRA Division
27 Fellow, and a member of the SCRA’s Research Council. She
is a member of the Association of Black Psychologists, is a
member of the American Evaluation Association, and is a
proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Currently,
she is the President of the Kansas State Association of Black
Psychology.
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A 4 year community psychology PhD
candidate. His research focuses on
behavioral health reform, drug policy
reform, and education reform. He has
conducted research on the attitudes,
insights, and recommendations of
stakeholders in addressing substance-
related harms and various evaluation
projects with school districts,
community coalitions, health
departments, and state agencies. For
his dissertation, he is investigating the
academic and behavioral effects of
personal electronic device policies in
middle and high schools in Kansas.
Outside of school, Ngoc serves on the
Wichita Public Schools Board of
Education, elected in 2023 as its
youngest and first Asian American
member.
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A 4 year community
psychology PhD student.
His primary research
interest is in how people
interact with the social
systems around them. He is
currently working on
research with youth who
are in the foster care and
juvenile justice systems.
Alex also has experience
evaluating county
organizations and
programming."
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Ngoc Vuong
Alex Wren
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A 3 year community doctoral
student. Her interests revolve around
the community response to sexual
assault, including survivor treatment
by the police, hospitals, and crisis
centers. She is currently a hotline
victims advocate for the local sexual
assault center and is a practicum
student for the Wichita State
Community Engagement Institute.
Katrina has experience working on
different evaluations and statistical
analyses for community partners.
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I am a doctoral student in Clinical-
Community Psychology at Wichita
State University, where I also earned
my Master’s in Community
Psychology in 2022. My research is
located at the intersection of
environmental justice and
psychological well-being in
neurodivergent and gender
expansive communities. Clinically, I
conduct autism evaluations and
draw on my community psychology
background to bring an ecological
perspective to service provision.
A 3 year Community Psychology
Ph.D. program doctoral candidate.
Her research interests are Women's
health and belongingness. Currently,
she is working on projects at KU
Medical School-Wichita and the
Getting Ahead Project with Bridges
ICT. She is a member of the Behavioral
Community Research and Action
Team (BCRAT) in the Psychology
Department.
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Madi DeFrain
McKenzie James
Katrina Henley
A 1 year community psychology PhD
student. He received a bachelor degree
in General Sociology from Inter
American University of Puerto Rico, a
Master degree in Divinity from the
Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico,
and a Master degree in Social Work
from Wichita State University. He is an
adjunct professor at the WSU School of
Social Work and a member of the Think
Tank at the Kansas Health Foundation.
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He is also the Founder & Executive
Director of Podemos, a non-profit
dedicated to expanding mental health
services in the local Hispanic
community. In addition, Samuel is the
author of the UPSTREAM curriculum, a
cultural competence, and anti-racism
training program for healthcare
professionals.
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A 1 year PhD student in the
Community Psychology program,
working under the guidance of Dr.
Lewis. My long-term goal is to
collaborate with nonprofit
organizations to develop and
implement effective practices that
create meaningful and lasting
impacts within the community. At
present, I am assisting my brother
with the creation and development
of a nonprofit organization
dedicated to reducing homelessness
back in Cincinnati and supporting
individuals as they reintegrate into
society by providing access to
resources, skills training, and
community connections
st
Sammy
Paunetto
Maya Gulliford
The Keeping ICT SAFE (Substance Abuse
Prevention Focusing on Empowerment)
grant which was funded by the Substance
Abuse Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA).
The project focuses on reducing e-
cigarette use among youth, reducing the
onset and progression toward opioid use,
and to increase mental health education,
awareness and reduce mental health
stigma in Sedgwick County. It is a
partnership between Wichita State
University, Health Core Clinic, St. Mark United
Methodist Church, and the Wichita
Children’s Home.
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Current Projects
BCRAT uses secondary data from the
American College Health Association-
National College Health Assessment III
Survey (NCHA) to examine the health
behaviors of college students.
The aim of the survey is to fulfill the
academic mission, by supporting short
– and long-term healthy behaviors of
students and gain a current profile of
health trends faced by students on our
campus such as depression, substance
use, risk of suicide, health disparities,
and differences in sub-populations. The
survey can provide data for areas to
promote strengths and provide
information where the University may
want to intervene.
The Behavioral Community Research
and Action Team has a partnership
with the School of Criminal Justice and
the University’s Midwest Criminal Justice
Institute through a grant funded by the
Sedgwick County Department of
Corrections. BCRAT provides
consultation and evaluation support to
the Department of Corrections.
·The main project focuses on creating
best practices for Crossover Youth
(youth who may find themselves in both
foster care and in juvenile detention).
Monitoring the implementation of
Veterans Treatment Court. Developing
new programs and initiatives and
quality improvement for juvenile client
populations.
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Current Projects
GOALS &
EXPECTATIONS
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Goals Expectations
Get hands-on
experience
Deepen your
disciplinary
knowledge
Network with
professionals
Develop new skills
Build your self-
confidence
Time
management
Communication
Ask Questions
Learn as much
as you can!
Writing Support
Assisting with writing (methods,
background-Annotative bib )
Presentation Preparation
Assisting with conference posters, or
PowerPoint presentations
Recruitment
Helping with recruitment emails, scheduling,
or managing consent forms
Data entry/analysis
Performing basic analysis under supervision.
Coding for surveys
Meeting and Discussion
Participating in lab meetings, presenting
findings, and discussing data with
researchers.
TASKS
EXAMPLES
UNDERGRADUATE
TASKS
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1.Data Acquisition, Management, Sharing and Ownership –
integrity in all aspects of the collection, use, retention, and
sharing of data
2.Conflict of Interest and Commitment – conflicts of
interest, commitment or conscience are not inherently
bad; it’s how they are managed (or not) that can lead to
inappropriate or bad outcomes. See WSU Policy Chapter
3.04
3.Human Subjects – in accordance with the Belmont Report,
researchers should have respect for persons and the
research should both do no harm as well as maximize
possible benefits while minimizing potential risks. For
more information visit: WSU Institution Review Board (IRB)
4.Animal Welfare – general principle of strategies to
minimize pain and distress in animal subjects
5.Safe Laboratory Practices – multiple areas of concern,
including biological safety, radiation safety, chemical
safety, proper hazardous waste storage and disposal,
environmental health and safety. For more information
visit: WSU Environmental Health and Safety
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1.Research Misconduct – Fabrication, Falsification and
Plagiarism
2.Publication Practices and Responsible Authorship –
proper attribution of credit and responsibility.
3.Mentor/Trainee Responsibilities – current scientists have
responsibility to model RCR in real-life situations by
exhibiting behaviors that are accurate and ethical to new
researchers. This can include informal or unwritten
standards.
4.Peer Review – appropriate feedback can be a valuable tool
to a researcher, however, the fear of bias, conflicts
between researchers and concerns about stealing of ideas
can hinder the peer review process. It is critical for all
parties to set aside personal biases in order to produce the
best possible science.
5.Collaborative Science – the most successful collaborations
depend on openness, communication and trust.
The scientist as a responsible member of society, contemporary ethical issues
in biomedical research, and the environmental and societal impacts of
scientific research
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Written in collaboration with BCRAT
members and created by Maya Gulliford
(2025)
