Making an Impact Through Research: ASPIRE Students Join National Effort to Reduce Lung Cancer Stigma

When it comes to our health, most of us don't want to live in a state of fear. Despite this, many public health campaigns, especially related to smoking and lung cancer, rely on shocking images and emotionally-charged narratives to grab our attention. But are these fear-based tactics actually effective at motivating people to take preventive action, or do they simply make us tune out or feel shame? Impactful research often begins with a question like this, which is at the heart of the work Timothy Williamson, associate professor of psychological science, and student researchers Brandon Dona-Velazquez '27 and Areika Novella '27 are conducting this summer.

Williamson joined LMU in 2022 and teaches undergraduate courses in health psychology, psychosocial oncology, and statistical methods. He also serves as director of the Psychosocial Risk & Resilience in Stress & Medicine (PRRISM) Research Lab, which has quickly become a hub for aspiring undergraduate researchers eager to gain hands-on experience. His research combines qualitative and quantitative approaches to examine how psychological and social factors, such as stigma and social adversity, can increase the risk of negative mental and physical health outcomes. At the same time, he investigates protective factors, including self-compassion and mindfulness, that help people build resilience in the face of significant stressors, including chronic illnesses such as cancer. A central focus of his work is understanding, reducing, and preventing stigma within lung cancer care.

This summer, the PRRISM lab is hosting Dona-Velazquez and Novella through the ASPIRE program (Advanced Summer Program for Internships and Research Experience), which is part of BCLA's inaugural paid Summer Internship Program. The program was created to increase opportunities for continuing BCLA undergraduates to engage in advanced faculty-mentored research. By pairing liberal arts students with faculty researchers, ASPIRE provides opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience, become active contributors to new research, receive advanced methodological training, and take on increased responsibility.

For eight weeks this summer, Dona-Velazquez and Novella spent more than 30 hours a week working in the lab. Each day began with a team check-in to review goals, set priorities, and map out an agenda before dividing tasks and getting to work. Much of their time was devoted to designing and programming a web-based experiment to test how people respond to different versions of 30-second lung cancer screening advertisements. Participants are randomly assigned to view one of three videos: an advertisement that presents lung cancer screening using highly stigmatizing imagery and language, an advertisement with minimal stigmatizing imagery and language, or an advertisement unrelated to lung cancer screening. The students programmed the survey logic so that all three videos were prepared for use, while each participant was randomly assigned to view only one. Beyond helping with the technical aspects of the experiment, the students developed their own research questions and incorporated specialized measures to investigate them. Dona-Velazquez is testing whether fear and worry prompted by stigmatizing lung cancer messages influence how people make decisions when the outcomes involve risk or uncertainty. Novella is examining whether stigmatizing advertisements affect screening-eligible individuals' perceived lung cancer risk, including whether they see themselves as less at risk than others. Their projects extend the broader study by examining how screening messages may influence both perceptions of personal risk and behavioral decision-making. This work reflects a level of independence beyond what is typically expected at the undergraduate level, made possible by the intensive structure of the ASPIRE program.

Dona-Velazquez and Novella also assisted Williamson in completing the study's pre-registration and prepared pages of detailed technical documentation outlining the project's protocol. These practices are central to transparent science, particularly in psychological research, because they create a clear record of the researchers' plans before they examine the results.

"This study, and Brandon and Areika's contributions to it, was designed to advance more than their research training alone," said Williamson. "As a member of the National Lung Cancer Roundtable and its Stigma & Nihilism Task Group, I have seen the broader impact of this work identified as a national priority. Their projects address scientifically important questions with meaningful public health implications. I have been incredibly proud to watch them grow as researchers and to see their work recognized by colleagues on this national task force."

Both students were already familiar with Williamson's research through their previous involvement with the PRRISM lab as participants in the Summer Undergraduate Research Program and as lab assistants. The ASPIRE program, however, has provided an important next step in their development as researchers. With more dedicated time each week to immerse themselves in the work, they have helped Williamson accelerate the launch of a national study and contribute fresh ideas and perspectives to the initiative.

"Because they've been involved across the full life cycle of the project from conceptualization and technical programming to data analysis, writing up the findings, and eventually submitting them to conferences, they're taking on responsibilities that I would consider comparable to those of first-year graduate students," Williamson said. "They've developed a genuine sense of ownership over the study, and their sustained involvement across each stage of the research process will be incredibly valuable as they pursue graduate study or full-time research positions."

The ASPIRE stipend, funded by the BCLA Dean's Office, has allowed both students to immerse themselves in their research fully. "Being from Chicago, it has allowed me to focus on my work rather than worrying about groceries, housing, or rushing to another part-time job," said Novella. Williamson said the funding is important not only for student success but also for creating more equitable research opportunities. "From both a mission-driven and humane perspective, this funding support is essential, and we are deeply grateful for it," he said. "Too often, undergraduate research has relied on unpaid labor from students who feel pressure to gain experience. I've made a commitment that all work in my lab will be paid, because students deserve to be compensated for the valuable contributions they make." By reducing financial barriers, the ASPIRE program enables students to gain meaningful research experience while helping faculty build more inclusive and sustainable research environments.

For Dona-Velazquez, that mission is what makes the work especially meaningful.

"It's meaningful, important research," he said. "This isn't research that's simply going to turn a profit for someone-it has the potential to make a real difference in the lives of individuals and families. That's really the ethos of our lab."

He added, "Ever since I was younger, I've always wanted to make a difference in somebody's life, even if it was just one person."