Conner Hurd

Undergraduate Thesis Student
B.Sc. Biology & Psychology II

I first became interested in Dr. Andrews’ work after seeing his Analytical Rumination Hypothesis, along with his employment at McMaster University while reading a review paper on Depressive Realism during the summer of 2014. After reading several of Dr. Andrews’ papers, I approached him for a volunteer position in his lab, which eventually evolved into my enrollment in a research practicum (3QQ3).

I believe that Dr. Andrews’ work provides a lot of ground for a much-needed discussion on the validity of the current paradigms surrounding depression, and the use of antidepressant medications. Before attending McMaster University, I became fairly certain that I wanted to pursue a career dealing with the study and/or treatment of depression. After reading about, and speaking to Dr. Andrews I decided that his work has the capability of generating many new hypotheses in the field of mental health research. This fact, along with the experience of working in his lab, will hopefully both be indispensable in helping me build my own future in mental health research.