HPU Alumna Combines Science and Art for Research Position at Harvard Medical School’s Psychiatric Hospital
HIGH POINT, N.C., May 22, 2026 – Weeks before she graduated summa cum laude from High Point University with degrees in psychology and dance, Catherine Gallagher was recognized as an Elizabeth Miller Strickland Trailblazer in Science & the Arts. Her dual majors and undergraduate research experience prepared her for work as a research coordinator at McLean Hospital, the largest psychiatric teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School.
“The academic opportunities and engaged faculty at HPU helped me to discover a love for research and psychology, and have guided me to accumulating many academic and research accolades that helped me land my post-grad position at Harvard Medical School’s McLean psychiatric hospital, and will help me on my path to earn my Ph.D. in clinical psychology one day,” said Gallagher, who is from Chicago, Illinois. “HPU’s Research Rookies program through Undergraduate Research and Creative Works (URCW) and my amazing research advisors and faculty have been critical to my success in undergrad, and I would not have been able to have had so many transformative academic experiences without their guidance and support.”
One of the primary reasons Gallagher chose to attend HPU was knowing she would be able to get involved in undergraduate research as early as her freshman year, which was not the case for other universities she considered. Conducting and presenting research was pivotal in furthering her academic journey and led her to know she wanted to pursue a doctorate in clinical psychology and a career in research.
“As someone who wanted to get involved in research early on in college, I valued that HPU encouraged students to get involved in research as early as freshman year,” she said. “Additionally, when I met with faculty at HPU as a prospective student, I was excited to hear how involved the professors were in the students’ academic development. This has absolutely been my experience at HPU, as I joined my first research lab my freshman year and gained amazing faculty mentors, who have been instrumental to my success.”
Rising Through Research
By the time she earned her undergraduate degrees on May 2, Gallagher had made 10 oral presentations and 13 poster presentations at national and regional conferences and submitted two manuscripts to academic journals. She was one of more than 410 undergraduate students who made presentations on April 14 at HPU’s 14th annual Undergraduate Research and Creative Works (URCW) Symposium, known as High-PURCS. Gallagher took home top awards for best digital poster presentation and best performance during the day-long event at the Nido and Mariana Qubein Arena and Conference Center.
Gaining manuscript writing experience, presenting research at conferences and earning awards helped her to achieve her goals. While at HPU, she received a grant to fund her two-year interdisciplinary research investigating memory for movement, integrating her interests in psychology and dance. Without the guidance of URCW and psychology faculty, she would not have had these experiences which prepared her exceptionally to contribute to academia, especially in psychology research.
Dr. Stacy Lipowski, associate professor of psychology and associate dean of the Witcher School of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences, expects her former student to make a positive impact.
“Cate is an exceptionally bright student, but what stands out the most to me is that she elevates everyone around her,” Lipowski said. “She makes other people better, not through competition but through collaboration. She has created an environment of excellence by empowering and mentoring those around her. It is special to watch.”
Serving as manager of Lipowski’s Cognitive Development Lab and as a research assistant in Dr. Laura Nagy’s Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Research Lab were among the many highlights of her college career.
Leading Through Interdisciplinary Integration
During her time at HPU, Gallagher was deeply involved in the university’s Honors Scholars Program and the departments of both of her majors. She enjoyed performing in concerts within the dance department, choreographing independent dances for the department as well as attending HPU Rec fitness classes and walking on campus with her roommate.
Her choreography for the dance department’s “Flow” piece was presented at the American Collegiate Dance Association Conference. She choreographed all the pieces in her dance capstone concert, “The Inner Continuum: Personality in Motion,” which was presented on campus in The Empty Space Blackbox Theatre.
Gallagher also served as president of HPU’s chapter of Psi Chi, the international psychology honor society. She chaired the Honors Scholars Academic Engagement Committee, was an Honors Program Research Committee member, an Honors Program freshman writing advisor and served as vice president of the National Honor Society of Dance Arts. She was chief junior marshal, a university ambassador and a member of the Order of the Lighted Lamp
“Four years went by so fast, but I could not be more grateful for the opportunities, lessons, mentors and connections I gained throughout undergrad,” she said. “The research opportunities at HPU are incredible, and students are extremely fortunate to have access to such involved and engaged mentors, who truly want to help students find opportunities and succeed in their endeavors.”
As an undergraduate, she successfully bridged the gap between cognitive science and dance through her two-year study on movement memory, which was funded through a 2024 Scholarly Interdisciplinary Research Grant.
She also conducted extensive research on trauma, non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicidality across multiple labs, including a competitive summer research internship at the University of Virginia investigating adolescent mental health.
She completed another impactful internship and worked as a research assistant within Dr. Sarah Ross’s Suicide Prevention Team at Clover Educational Consulting Group, where she helped with suicide prevention gatekeepers’ training for college students. She co-presented that training twice at HPU and helped with the creation of a published student manual for this training.
In addition, she served as a student statistics instructor, a tutor for five psychology courses and volunteered for Working Wardrobe, a nonprofit dedicated to providing attire for women and youth in the Greater High Point community who don’t have access to affordable clothing.
During her two years as president (2025-26) and vice president of Psi Chi (2024-25), she led several HPU initiatives including:
- Launching, hosting and producing the Cognitive Conversations podcast, which is designed to make psychological research accessible to the public
- Creating the psychology department’s graduate school preparation database
- Initiating and serving as coordinator of the first Out of Darkness Walk to raise funds for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). The event raised more than $15,000 for AFSP, surpassing the goal by $5,000.
Her future goals include pursuing a Ph.D. in clinical psychology to specialize in interventions for survivors of interpersonal violence and sexual assault.
“At HPU I have learned how to be a strong and clear communicator and have developed a variety of professional skills that will serve me well in the workforce and as a future academic,” she said. “HPU instilled in me the values of integrity, hard work, determination, perseverance, authenticity and altruism through my leadership, academic and service endeavors as an undergraduate student, which will serve me well in all aspects of life.”