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This August, members of the PsyTech Lab traveled (some in person and some virtually) to Denver, Colorado, for the 2025 American Psychological Association Annual Convention, where we shared our work, connected with colleagues, and helped shape conversations about the future of psychology, media, and technology.
Our Lab Director, Dr. Chris Heffner, presented Engaging Media with Purpose: From Black and White Consumption to Full-Color Interaction, a talk that invited psychologists to use media intentionally with well-being in mind. Dr. Heffner also joined Drs. A. Cerezo, D. Michel, M. Onakomaiya, and C. Stamatis for the symposium Innovations in Digital Mental Health: The Intersection of Media, Technology, and Psychological Care, highlighting how new technologies are transforming access, ethics, and engagement in mental health care.
Several PsyTech Lab members also presented posters that reflected the diversity of our research interests and our commitment to positive, human-centered innovation. Katie Palmer, Ruby Patterson, Phoebe Merman, Taylor Caroline Turner, Elizabeth Chacon, Scarlett. Bird-Guerra, and Drs. Ianto West and Chris Heffner presented Laughing Across the Divide: The Use of Humor Among Transgender and Gender-Diverse (TGD) Folks in Politically Red, Blue, and Purple States. Ruby Patterson, Drs. Katie McIntyre, and Chris Heffner presented Future Psychologists & AI: Navigating Ethics in Education & Practice, along with Mapping Values: Normativity in Clinical Psychology Doctoral Programs.
We left Denver inspired—by the innovation we witnessed, the connections we made, and the reminder that our work matters. The PsyTech Lab continues to explore how psychology, technology, and human creativity can come together to redefine mental health and well-being in a digital world.