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Graduate student researcher
Courtney Medina
Graduate Student Researcher
About Courtney
Courtney (she/her) is a third-year developmental psychology PhD student at the University of Pittsburgh. She is co-mentored by Dr. Sophie Choukas-Bradley and Dr. Andrea Medrano. She was awarded the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship in 2025.
Courtney graduated with highest honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2021, where she double majored in Psychology and Human Development and Family Studies and minored in Latina/o Studies. Following her graduation, she worked as a research project coordinator in UNC’s Department of Psychology and Neuroscience under Drs. Eva Telzer and Kristen Lindquist.
Using intersectional feminist and youth-centered approaches, Courtney explores the impact of gendered harm across digital and in-person contexts on adolescent development and mental health. Her work examines sociocultural factors, such as gender role beliefs, as potential risk and protective factors. She aims for her work to inform culturally grounded interventions for Latine victims of gendered and sexual violence. Outside of work, she enjoys trying new coffee shops and playing board games with her friends and family.
Publications
- Medrano, A.S., Medina, C. M., Davila, S. A., Adame Montelongo, E. S., Jenkins, A. S., Pina, I. M., Vazquez, Y. N., Leonard, A. F., Dupree, G. E., Martinez, A., Kabir, Z., & Wah Figueroa, F. (in press). Sexual victimization in school, community, and online contexts: A scoping review on the measurement of youth sexual victimization. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380251412532in press
- Medina, C. M., Hudson, J. A., Geoffroy, G., Harvey, A., & Medrano, A.S. (in press). Puedes decirnos con confianza: A mixed methods study of neighborhood-based sexual harassment and parent-adolescent communication in rural Mexico. Violence Against Women. https://doi.org/10.1177/10778012251410898in press
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