My name is Ray Cheever, and I am a junior from Henderson, North Carolina double majoring in Psychology and Chemistry. As a Gil Intern, I am working at Greenbrook TMS NeuroHealth Centers in Chapel Hill. Greenbrook NeuroHealth provides TMS therapy for individuals with treatment-resistant depression and has recently expanded to include 6 clinics across North Carolina. I am learning about the business operations of Greenbrook and have had the pleasure of shadowing Greenbrookâs consultant psychiatrist Dr. Muhammad Saeed. Under Dr. Saeed, I have been able to observe intake appointments and learn about selection criteria for receiving TMS therapy. I have also trained in administering TMS and have been able to assist patients receiving the therapy.
I first gained interest in the field of behavioral and integrative neuroscience while working at the UNC Brain Body Center for Psychophysiology and Bioengineering, where I trained in CardioEdit and contributed to various biofeedback studies using Biopac and RSA data. With the mentorship of psychiatrist Dr. Fredrik Jarskog at the UNC School of Medicine, I am currently researching defective neurotransmission in schizophrenia with a particular focus on glutamatergic deregulation. An improved understanding of the circuitry that underlies pathogenesis in schizophrenia could expand the current available treatment options. My hope is that refined early intervention strategies might avoid the neurological degradation that results from prolonged glutamate accumulation. After I graduate, I plan to continue research in neuropharmacology and apply to medical school in the hopes of becoming a psychiatrist.
I am deeply grateful for the Gil Internship for helping me gain direct clinical psychology experience and learn the exciting new treatment modality of TMS for depression. Dr. Buzinski and Molly Corrigan have offered invaluable mentorship in my professional development, and the skills that I have gained from them have already helped me as I search for summer research and internship opportunities. The experiences that I have gained as a Gil intern will undoubtedly help me as I seek new jobs and opportunities in the dynamic, growing field of psychology.
