Name: Edgar Campos FebusAge: 30PhD StudentYears in the field: 4 yearsHobbies: Paddle-boarding, cycling and relaxing at the beach.Associations you’ve been a member of: CIIC(Centro Institucional de Investigación Científica), CADE
HCAlbizu: Who/What inspired you to study psychology?Edgar: Entering the field of psychology was for me a path to a discovery on a personal and professional level. On a personal level, I can say that I was always attracted to helping people. Also,[I wanted] to know the variables behind the conduct of any human being. Especially, people’s reactions in specific moments. On a professional level, I want to emphasize that I love studying. Particularly, reading. I’m not the type of person that stays within one set of ideas, I diversify and develop that idea. I consider that as students, we can diversify what we study. That’s why I made a change from natural sciences to psychology.
HCAlbizu: Who/What inspired you to study chemistry?Edgar: Who really inspired me were the professors. They, when they saw me taking the prep courses, saw my potential and advised me. The courses I took were fascinating and that woke up the desire in me to study chemistry as a profession. Nowadays, I am one of the science professors at Albizu University.
HCAlbizu: How do you compare chemistry with psychology?Edgar: It’s difficult to establish a comparison between chemistry and psychology. Nevertheless, a moment exists when they become fused. For example, in biochemistry. This especialty explores the chemical and biological aspects of the human being and also, how these have an effect on a psychological level by looking at the conduct of the person. With conduct, I emphasize on neurotransmitters and how a chemical imbalance of these can cause an emotional imbalance in the human being.
HCAlbizu: Would you eventually like to merge those two fields of study to work in neuropsychology or do you prefer to stay in the clinical psychology area?Edgar: One of the areas I plan to specialize on is neuropsychology. Right now, I’ve taken a few neuropychology courses and eventually I would like to fuse them. My interest is in the health psychology area. This area includes neurotransmitters and the inmune system. This last one is often associated with different pathologies that affect the neurological system. I’ve never focused in one area; I’ve always merged psychology with other areas.
HCAlbizu: What do you plan to do once you graduate?Edgar: I plan to finish a post-doc in neuropsychology. With that, I would like to complement it with forensic psychology. There’s a innovative area inside psychology called forensic neuropsychology. This area works on the neurological aspects of the human being as well as the forensic aspects of the legal system by offering psychological tests. At first, I admit I was a bit preoccupied [with my post-graduate plans]. However, when I started to look for the literature, I could finally get into the disciplinary concentration and understand it better. It exists and it fascinates me!
HCAlbizu: Where is the forensic neuropsychology specialty offered?Edgar: From where I understand, you have to work on both apart [since] the profession is not regulated. Here in Puerto Rico, exists certifications that offer you expertise in different areas. The forensic psychology one is given here on the island. To earn it, you must have vast experience in the forensic psychology area. Now, the certification in neuropsychology is not given in Puerto Rico. Actually, you have to go to the United States to work on the post-doc in neuropsychology. After you’ve been given the title, you may return to the island and work here. I plan to obtain the forensic certification and complement it with the neuropsychological post-doc.
HCAlbizu: What advice can you give to the young people that desire to develop in two different fields of study like you’ve done with psychology and chemistry?Edgar: I would advise them to dare to be creative and to always think that nothing is impossible. To dare to be innovative! One of the things that has always motivated me is innovation; what’s on the cutting-edge. It’s always good to not stay within what already exists. There’s ample terrain and tools to develop professionally, you just have to look for them. Through them, you can construct things different to those that exist and make them function according to the established standard or better. Follow your intuition and your will to create something different.
HCAlbizu: Have you done any community labor?Edgar: I have worked directly with cancer patients. I’ve done clinical practice with terminal patients and outpatients. I’ve followed very closely the changes on a physical and psychological level in these patients.
HCAlbizu: Do you have any published investigations?Edgar: Right now, I don’t have any published. However, I am participating in one that works on a psychological profile of nuns. I’ve also worked in different conferences on an international level. One of them was called typologies of conduct and cardiovascular disease. This conference won a prize on an international level. I’ve also worked in an anxiety and cardiovascular disease conference. In addition, I’ve worked giving conferences about Mindfulness to cancer patients.
HCAlbizu: How was the experience giving a Mindfulness conference to cancer patients?Edgar: Mindfulness, according to the literature, is good to work with outpatients. With that, I refer to patients in the early stages of cancer. The literature sustains that there is more adherence to Mindfulness in the beginnings of the development of cancer. This requires a lot on a mental level from the patient. It’s difficult for a person in a terminal stage to work with Mindfulness because there’s already some symptomatology showing. To ask a person on a terminal stage of cancer to be in the now, is not necessary the best thing to apply to someone who’s already conscious of the pain that this illness causes. Now, in patients who have overcome breast cancer, it can be considered to use Mindfulness with them with the purpose of preventing anxiety episodes or depression because of the situation that had once been.
HCAlbizu: What message can you bring to the undergraduate community in Albizu University?Edgar: I want to point out that they’re on a good path! They’re in a very good university where the formation is excellent. I recommend that you take advantage of the opportunity to be here to continue to graduate studies. Time, a very important factor, goes by super-fast. Sometimes we think four or five years is a lot, but in reality they pass by faster than one thinks.
HCAlbizu: What message can you bring to the members of Her Campus Albizu, a newly established organization in Albizu University?Edgar: The first time I heard about you guys, I loved it. I thought it was very innovative. You are breaking barriers and I congratulate you for that. I hope you have a lot of success during this process of guiding the magazine. I hope you can help the students with various topics that are helpful to them.