But has the “media” stated she was a PhD?
Not being a jerk, but just trying to explain.
A psychologist is usually a PhD, especially someone doing the higher level stuff she has done.
Your local clinical counselor is probably a Masters with a specialty. Many are PhD, but it’s not required to be licensed in most states.
Then there are psychiatrists. Those folks are MDs who deal with diseases of the brain. You might go to a psychologist who might diagnose depression or bi-polar; but then they send you a MD to get the diagnosis confirmed and they prescribe treatment.
So, in her context—not clinical, it is more common for her to be called Doctor because most everyone in that research end are “peers.” And they all know the CV of everyone they work with. It’s a pretty small world—and they all know each other because they all worked at the same places.