Fieldwork In Action

In the Master of Science in Industrial/Organizational Psychology program, fieldwork invites students to apply classroom learning in healthcare, consulting, and high-performance environments.

Gabrielle Funari ’25, MS’26, was based at St. Vincent’s Medical Center within Hartford HealthCare’s People Team. As a workforce coordinator, she supported HR operations including onboarding, compliance, workforce data management, and employee records. She also facilitated orientation programs for new hires and contributed to system-wide onboarding efforts.

“I am able to contribute to the systems that ensure employees are effectively integrated and supported in their roles to be able to deliver high-quality patient care,” Funari said.

A key component of her work includes analyzing survey data to improve local orientation programming. Drawing on I/O psychology coursework, she applies concepts such as survey design, employee engagement, and data analysis to enhance the preparation of new employees for their roles.

She also emphasized the importance of HR precision and consistency in healthcare settings, where processes directly influence organizational effectiveness and patient care delivery. “Even processes that seem administrative, such as onboarding or compliance verification, require coordination across multiple parties to operate efficiently and effectively and have direct downstream effects on organizational performance,” she noted.

In HR consulting, Luke D’Andrea MS’26 completed his fieldwork with Culpeo HR, where he assisted in the implementation of a new customer relationship management (CRM) system. His work included building forms, document templates, and automated workflows designed to streamline client services. He also supported recruiting efforts, including résumé screening and candidate sourcing.

“A large part of my role has been implementing systems that help streamline how Culpeo HR delivers services to clients,” D’Andrea said. “It has shown me that even small operational changes can have a noticeable impact on overall efficiency and effectiveness.”

For Lanyon Henwood ’25, MS’26, fieldwork with Pro Athlete Community (PAC) connected directly to his experience as a former athlete on the Fairfield men’s crew team. PAC supports professional athletes transitioning beyond sport through leadership development, coaching, and structured career programming.

Henwood contributed to initiatives such as leadership frameworks, member experience design, and organizational development projects. He also helped build systems that incorporate feedback loops and coaching models.

“I’ve been able to apply so many I/O psychology concepts,” Henwood said. “Especially in leadership development, motivation, behavior change, and program evaluation.”

His work is personal, shaped by his own transition out of competitive athletics. “I know how difficult it can be to transition from a life centered entirely around sport,” he said. “Being able to support athletes through that transition is especially meaningful to me.”

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