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Keegan Whitacre

The Ohio State University · Lab Manager & Research Associate

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Education

University of Florida 2025

B.S., Psychology · Minors in Anthropology & Business Administration

GPA: 3.90 · Dean's List 2021–2025

Current Position

Lab Manager & Research Associate Aug 2025 – Present

Affective Science Lab · The Ohio State University

Advisor: Dr. Kristen Lindquist

See active research projects on my Projects page →

Past Positions

Research Assistant Dec 2023 – Aug 2025

Life Story Lab · University of Florida

Advisor: Dr. Susan Bluck

See related work on my Projects page →

Research Assistant Aug 2023 – Mar 2024

Cognition and Decision Modeling Lab · University of Florida

Advisor: Dr. Peter Kvam

Crisis & Clinical Experience

Alachua County Crisis Center May 2024 – Present

Hotline Operator & Care Team Associate

Volunteered on 24-hour emergency crisis and suicide hotline, including crisis intervention, de-escalation, and safety planning. As a Care Team Associate (100+ hours), provided on-site mental health support in collaboration with local law enforcement and inpatient facilities.

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Jul 2025 – Present

Education Committee Member · Trained in Talk Saves Lives presentation program

Publications & Chapters

Cogdill-Richardson, K., Whitacre, K., & Bluck, S. (under review). Shaping the final story for family: Profiles of resilience. Applied Cognitive Psychology.
Lindquist, K. A., Whitacre, K., & Shablack, H. (under review). The intersection of language and emotion across early development. In V. LoBue, K. Perez-Edgar, & K. Buss (Eds.), Handbook of Emotion Development: Advances in Theory, Research, and Practice. Springer.

Posters & Presentations

*Whitacre, K., Feldman, M., Bonar, A., Ma, R., Lindquist, K. (2026). Examining Emotion Malleability Beliefs as a Moderator on Associations between Early Life Malreatment and Poor Sleep. Society for Affective Science Annual Meeting, Pittsburgh, PA.
*Cogdill-Richardson, K., Whitacre, K., Bluck, S (2026). Shaping a Final Life Story for Family. Institute for Learning in Retirement, Gainesville, FL
*Whitacre, K., Cogdill-Richardson, K., & Bluck, S. (2025). Dignity Therapy for Older Cancer Patients: The Role of Early Life Stressors. UF Cancer Center Research Showcase, Gainesville, FL.
*Whitacre, K., Cogdill-Richardson, K., & Bluck, S. (2025). Dignity Therapy for Older Adults: Revisiting Early Life Stressors. Institute for Learning in Retirement / UF Aging Science Awards, Gainesville, FL. 🏆 Outstanding Undergraduate Student Poster Award
*Whitacre, K., Cogdill-Richardson, K., & Bluck, S. (2025). Dignity Therapy for Older Adults: Revisiting Early Life Stressors. PGSO Undergraduate Poster Forum, Gainesville, FL.

Invited Talks

*Whitacre, K. (June 2025). Dignity Therapy. Invited speaker, Medical/Health Psychology Seminar, University of Florida Clinical and Health Psychology Department.

Professional Memberships

Society for Affective Science 2026 – Present

Research & Technical Skills

Narrative Research Methods Content Analysis Research Design Statistical Analysis (R, Python) Data Visualization (R, Excel, SPSS) LLM-Based Transcript Analysis Microsoft Excel Certified C++ Programming

Certifications

988 Crisis Intervention & Suicide Prevention HIPAA Privacy & Research Training IRB Training FERPA Basics Cultural Competency Training Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Human Subjects Protection (HSP)

Honors & Awards

National Merit Scholarship 2021–2025
Benacquisto Scholarship 2021–2025
Dean's List 2021–2025
Outstanding Undergraduate Student Poster Award 2025

Institute for Learning in Retirement / UF Aging Science Awards