2008 GRADUATES - Interns and Postdoctoral Fellows
Predoctoral Interns:
Amy B. Allgair received her B.A. in Psychology from Lehigh University in 2002, and her M.A. in clinical psychology from Suffolk University in 2004. Amy will receive her Ph.D. in clinical psychology, with a specialization in neuropsychology, from Suffolk University in August 2008. Her research interests are in the neuroimaging of structures related to emotion in neuropsychiatric disorders and the neuropsychology of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Upon completing her predoctoral internship at Brown Medical School, she will continue her training as a joint clinical post-doctoral fellow in pediatric and adult neuropsychology under the mentorship of Drs. Susan Parks and Jennifer White at McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School. She would like to thank her research and clinical supervisors for the support and mentorship she received during her internship year. She also wishes to thank her husband, Ted, as well as her family, friends, and mentors for their encouragement and support throughout her education.
Shawnee Basden received her BSc in psychology from Dalhousie University in 2002 and her MA in psychology from Boston University in 2003. After completing her predoctoral internship at Brown Medical School and defending her dissertation this summer, Shawnee will graduate with a PhD in clinical psychology from Boston University. Her research focuses on anxiety disorders and substance use disorders. Throughout her graduate career, Shawnee has been funded by a federal Martin Luther King, Jr. fellowship and has been awarded several research awards including the Clara Mayo Dissertation Award. After completing her internship year, Shawnee looks forward to moving to Great Britain to work with Dr. Christopher Fairburn at Oxford University.
Yael Chatav graduated with honors from Washington University in St. Louis with a BA in psychology. After completing her predoctoral internship at Brown Medical School, Yael will graduate with a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Yael’s research interests include couples’ treatment of alcohol problems and barriers to entry into such treatment. Yael looks forward to further developing her program of research as a T32 fellow in alcohol intervention/treatment outcome research at the Brown Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies. Yael would like to express her appreciation to her research and clinical supervisors, particularly Dr. Gregory Stuart, for the encouragement and mentorship she received throughout her internship year.She also thanks her family their unwavering support.
Lavinia Fiorentino received her Laurea degree in psychology from "La Sapienza" University of Rome, Italy. She received a master's degree in experimental psychology from the California State University in Northridge, before enrolling in the Joint Doctoral Program in clinical psychology between the San Diego State University and the University of California San Diego. After completion of her pre-doctoral internship at the Brown University Medical School, Lavinia will pursue her interest in behavioral and complementary and alternative medicine treatments for sleep in older adults at theUCLA Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology. Lavinia would like to thank her research and clinical supervisors for their support and mentorship.
Christopher A. Flessner received his BS in psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and his MS in clinical psychology from North Dakota State University. After completing the predoctoral internship at Brown Medical School, he will graduate with a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. After completing his internship, Chris will continue his training at the Brown Medical School as a T32 fellow in child mental health under the mentorship of Drs. Jennifer Freeman and Abbe Garcia who he’d also like to thank for their great support and mentorship this past year. He’d also like to thank his family, especially his fiancé, Amy, and his graduate research mentor, Dr. Douglas Woods, for their support throughout the course of his studies.
Tyish S. Hall Brown received her BS in psychology with a minor in biological anthropology from Duke University (NC) in 1997. After retiring from professional basketball in 1998 she worked as a Visuo-Cognitive Therapist in Washington D.C. for 4 years before returning to graduate school. She received her M.A. from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2005 and will receive her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from UMD, College Park in the summer of 2008, after completing her predoctoral internship at Brown Medical School. Her research interests are in the co-occurrence of sleep and psychopathology and their impact on daytime functioning. Following internship, Tyish is very happy to be joining the Department of Psychiatry at Howard University (HU) where she will begin a position as an instructor at the Howard University Medical School. At HU, Tyish will develop a program of research investigating biological and psychosocial relationships between PTSD and sleep to better inform both intervention and treatment strategies. She would like to thank her research and clinical supervisors, particularly Julie Boergers and Elissa Jelalian, for their support and mentorship during her internship year. She would also like to thank her family and friends for their unwavering support and love.
Jason Hassenstab received a Bachelors of Music in Jazz and Contemporary Music Performance from New York University. After several frustrating years as a professional saxophonist, he resumed his studies in psychology and neuroscience at NYU and Fordham University. Following completion of his predoctoral internship at Alpert Medical School of Brown University, he will receive his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in Neuropsychology from Fordham University. While on internship, he continued his research in neuroimaging of metabolic dysfunction and worked on several ongoing structural MRI and diffusion-tensor imaging projects with his research mentor Dr. Stephen Correia. He is hoping to continue at Brown as an F32 postdoctoral fellow investigating functional brain response using FMRI in individuals in early-onset diabetes and cerebrovascular disease under guidance of Drs. Ronald Cohen, Lawrence Sweet, and Paul Malloy. He would like to thank Dr. Antonio Convit for taking a chance on an unexperienced former jazz musician and his wife Margaret for unparalleled support.
Farzin Irani received her Honors Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto (Psychology Specialist, Physiology Major). After completing her predoctoral internship at Brown Medical School in June, Farzin will receive her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology (Neuropsychology) from Drexel University in Philadelphia. Her predoctoral research on face recognition in schizophrenia was funded by a three year doctoral research fellowship awarded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. For her post-doctoral training, she will be returning home to Philadelphia to purse a training fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania in the neuropsychology and neuroimaging of neuropsychiatric disorders. The mentorship and support provided by supervisors and peers at Brown has been invaluable over this internship year.
Sheri Jacobs Hartman received her BA in psychology from Washington University in St. Louis. After completing her predoctoral internship at Brown Medical School, she will receive her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of South Florida. Following internship, Sheri will continue her research in psycho-oncology as a R25 Cancer Control Fellow at the Miriam Hospital. She wishes to thank her husband, Donald, as well as her family, friends, and mentors for their guidance and support.
Barbara Jandasek graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1999 with a BA in psychology. After completing her pre-doctoral internship at Brown Medical School, she will receive her Ph.D. in clinical psychology with a specialization in Child and Family Psychology from Loyola University Chicago. Barbara’s research interests include individual and family adjustment to chronic illness, adolescent development, and pediatric health disparities. She is excited to continue her training as a postdoctoral fellow in Pediatric Psychology under the supervision of Drs. Elizabeth McQuaid and Daphne Koinis Mitchell. She would like to thank her supervisors and mentors at Brown and Loyola for their support and guidance, as well as her family, friends, and husband for their endless love and support.
Marc Kruse received his BA with high honors in psychology from the University of San Diego. After working for two years at the Child & Adolescent Services Research Center in San Diego, Marc began his graduate school training under the direction of Dr. Kim Fromme at The University of Texas at Austin. As a graduate student, Marc was awarded with several research fellowships including a predoctoral training grant (F31) by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to fund his dissertation research focused on individual differences in subjective response to alcohol. At the conclusion of his internship at Brown Medical School, Marc and his family will be moving back to Texas where he has accepted a position in the Center of Excellence for Research on Returning War Veterans at the Central Texas VA. Marc would like to thank his research and clinical supervisors for their mentorship and his fellow interns for their support and friendship during his training year at Brown. Most importantly, Marc would like to thank his wife Crystal and son Jake for their love, patience, and willingness to move to Rhode Island!
Tricia M. Leahey received her BA in psychology from SUNY Binghamton in 2002 and will receive her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Kent State University in 2008. After completing her internship at Brown Medical School, Tricia is looking forward to continuing her research and training with Dr. Rena R. Wing, funded by her F-32 fellowship award. Tricia's research interests include the effects of social interactions on weight control and the treatment of problematic eating behaviors in bariatric surgery patients. She would like to thank her research and clinical supervisors for the support and mentorship she received during her internship year.
Erin O’Brien received her B.S. in psychology from Saint Joseph’s University in 2000 and her M.S. in experimental psychology from Saint Joseph’s University in 2001. After completing her predoctoral internship at Brown Medical School, Erin will receive her Ph.D. in clinical psychology with a concentration in health psychology from the University of Florida. For her dissertation, Erin conducted a research study examining the relationship between sleep disturbance and chronic pain. Her research and clinical interests are in the area of health psychology/behavioral medicine, with a specific focus on the areas of behavioral sleep medicine and chronic pain. Following completion of her internship, Erin will continue at Brown University as a post-doctoral fellow in the Methods to Improve Diagnostic Assessment and Services (MIDAS) clinical-research project, under the mentorship of Dr. Mark Zimmerman. Erin would like to thank her clinical and research supervisors, especially Michael Robinson, Donn Posner, and Mary Carskadon, for their mentorship and guidance, and her family and friends for their support.
Erin Sheets received her B.A. in Psychology and Spanish from Duke University in 2001 and her M.A. in Psychology from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2004. After completing the predoctoral internship at Brown Medical School, she will graduate with a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Erin looks forward to continuing at Brown and Butler Hospital as a postdoctoral fellow in mood disorder and perinatal mental health research under the mentorship of Dr. Cynthia Battle and Dr. Ivan Miller. Erin would like to thank her supervisors and internship class for a great year. She would also like to express her gratitude for the tremendous support of her family and friends throughout her graduate training
Nichea S. Spillane graduated from Eastern Connecticut State University with B.A. in Psychology in 2001. After completing her predoctoral internship at Brown Medical School, Nichea will graduate with a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Kentucky. Nichea was awarded a predoctoral training grant (F31) by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) to fund her graduate work and dissertation research focusing on the risk factors for alcohol use disorders in Native Americans. She is excited to continue developing her program of research as a research fellow in alcohol intervention/treatment outcome research at the Brown Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies under the mentoring of Dr. Christopher Kahler. Nichea would like to thank her research and clinical supervisors for the support and mentorship she received during her internship year.Most importantly, she would like to express her gratitude to her family for their support throughout her education.
Zach Walsh received his B.Ed. & B.A. with honors in psychology from the University of Winnipeg. After completing his predoctoral internship at Brown Medical School, Zach will receive his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in Chicago. Zachplans tocontinue his training at the Brown Medical School as apostdoctoralfellow and has been awarded a grant from the Canadian Institute of Health Research to study the intersection of personality disorders, substance abuse and domestic violence under the mentorship of Gregory Stuart and M. Tracie Shea. Zach has received awards from the American Psychological Association, the American Psychology and LawSociety and the American Association of Forensic Psychiatry forhis research examiningrelationships amongpersonality, violence, substance abuse andsocioeconomic status.
Jennifer C. Wolff received her BA in psychology from Gordon College and her MS in clinical psychology from Virginia Tech. After completing the predoctoral internship at Brown Medical School, she will graduate with a Ph.D. in psychology from Virginia Tech. Jennifer’s research interests include treatment development for youth with internalizing and externalizing disorders. She is excited to continue her research and training at Brown Medical School as a T32 fellow. Jennifer would like to thank her clinical and research mentors for a wonderful training experience during the past year. She would also like to thank her husband and family for their support.
Postdoctoral Fellows Graduates
Peggy Andover, Ph.D. (Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 7/10/06-7/09/08) received her BA in psychology from Boston University and her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Binghamton University. Following her predoctoral internship at Brown, she joined the Psychosocial Research Program as a T32 postdoctoral fellow under the mentorship of Dr. Ivan Miller. During this time, Peggy continued to develop her research program in non-suicidal self-injury and extended her research to include attempted suicide and treatment development. Upon completion of her fellowship, she will continue her research in NSSI and treatment development through a K23 Career Development Award under the mentorship of Dr. Miller and Dr. Spirito. Peggy would like to thank Dr. Miller for his guidance and support throughout her time at Brown, as well as the faculty and fellows of the Psychosocial Research Program and the training program faculty.
Kathryn Bell, Ph.D. (Rhode Island Hospital, 9/5/06-8/01/08) received her B.A. from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. She went on to receive her M.A. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Western Michigan University. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Boston Consortium, where she trained in the Behavioral Sciences Division of the National Center for PTSD and the Alcohol and Drug Treatment Program within the Brockton VA Medical Center. Kathryn is currently a clinical research postdoctoral fellow directing Dr. Susan Ramsey’s clinical trial HIV risk reduction intervention for pregnant women in drug abuse treatment. During her fellowship, Kathryn also assisted Dr. Ramsey in writing an NIH grant designed to investigate the relationship between pregnancy intentions and sexual risk-taking behavior and served as a scientist reviewer for the U.S. Department of Defense’s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs PTSD Multidisciplinary Research Consortium Award Panel. Kathryn is eternally grateful for the constant guidance and support she received from Dr. Ramsey and is honored to have had the opportunity to work with her. Upon completion of fellowship, Kathryn will join the faculty at Northern Illinois University as an Assistant Professor within the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program, where she will continue her research examining contextual factors associated with intimate partner violence episodes. Kathryn will be forever thankful for the training and support she received throughout her postdoctoral fellowship, including the additional mentorship she received through Drs. Ivan Miller, Anthony Spirito, Michael Stein, Gregory Stuart, and Caron Zlotnick, as well as from the other research faculty within the Department of General Internal Medicine at Rhode Island Hospital.
Gray M. Buchanan, Ph.D. (Rhode Island Hospital, 8/1/06-7/31/08) received his B.S. in psychology from the College of Charleston and his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Mississippi. He completed his pre-doctoral internship in pediatric psychology at Duke University Medical Center and continued his training as a postdoctoral fellow in pediatric psychology within the Bradley Hasbro Children’s Research Center at Brown. During his postdoctoral fellowship he worked primarily under the mentorship of Dr. Debra Lobato. Gray is very grateful to both his research mentors and clinical supervisors over the past 2 years for their numerous contributions to his professional and personal development. Upon completion of his fellowship, Gray will continue to pursue his clinical and research interests as a pediatric psychologist and assistant professor at Greenville Children’s Hospital/University of South Carolina.
Annie C. Chang, Ph.D. (Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 9/1/06-8/31/08) completed her B.S. in biology and psychology at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign and M.S. in experimental psychology at Illinois State University. She obtained her M.S. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Nova Southeastern University in Florida. Annie completed her predoctoral training at the West Haven VA Medical Center, where she specialized in neuropsychology and behavioral health. Annie transitioned to Brown in September of 2006, for a T32 postdoctoral fellowship with Drs. Paul Malloy and Stephen Salloway at Butler Hospital exploring treatment issues of ethnic minorities with dementia. Annie would like to thank her mentors for their invaluable guidance, her colleagues for their insightful advice, and her friends for their unwavering support. Following the completion of her fellowship, Annie plans on pursuing a career in clinical neuropsychology in Chicago.
Joseph T. Ciccolo, Ph.D. (The Miriam Hospital, 7/10/2006 – 7/9/2008) received his B.S. in exercise physiology from Northeastern University in Boston, and his Ph.D. in exercise psychology from The University of Texas at Austin. Joseph came to Brown to complete a T32 postdoctoral fellowship during the 2006-2008 academic years. During his fellowship, he focused on two lines of research: smoking cessation and physical activity promotion. His major interest is in resistance training, and he is actively seeking federal funding to support a line of research using resistance training as a tool to help smokers quit smoking. Joseph is also currently involved in a physical activity promotion study in which he is seeking to determine the role of resistance training in adherence to physical activity. He plans to continue to pursue his research interests at The Miriam Hospital and Brown University after his fellowship ends. Joseph would like to thank his primary mentor, Bess Marcus, Ph.D., for her support and guidance over the past two years.
Mary Clair, Ph.D. (Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 9/1/06-8/31/08) received her B.A. in special education and her M.S. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Drexel University. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Devereux Foundation and began her adolescent forensic postdoctoral training under the mentorship of Drs. Rose Martin and Lyn Stein in 2006. Mary received extensive training as a forensic evaluator and therapist while studying substance use disorders in incarcerated adolescents. In 2007, Mary had the opportunity to expand her training and attended an International Corrections Delegation in South Africa. She plans to continue her research and clinical interests in US and South African adolescent forensic populations in her position as a Research Faculty at the University of Rhode Island. She would like to thank her all of her supervisors and mentors, Drs. Martin, Stein, Golembeske, Little, and Penn for an exceptional training experience.
Amy Cohn, Ph.D. (Butler Hospital, 8/31/07-8/22/08) received her B.A. in Psychology with from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Georgia, Athens, GA. Dr. Cohn completed her internship at NYU/Bellevue Hospital Center, New York, NY. During her time as a postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Cohn worked in the Addictions Research Department with Drs. Richard A. Brown, David Strong, and Ana Abrantes. In this position, Amy was the project coordinator for Dr. Brown’s recently medication trial for fluoxetine and smoking cessation grant, as well as delivered brief mood management telephone counseling for smoking cessation and co-led an exercise-based skills group with Dr. Abrantes for a study investigating effects of exercise on successful smoking abstinence. In addition, Dr. Cohn acted as a study therapist for a grant investigating the influence of motivational interviewing to reduce adolescent substance abuse. Dr. Cohn would like to thank Drs. Brown, Strong, and Abrantes for their investment in her clinical and research training and for providing opportunities to enhance her career as a researcher. Dr. Cohn would also like to thank Dr. Tim Apodaca, who provided invaluable supervisory lessons in motivational interviewing techniques, as well as all of the research assistants in the Addictions Research Lab, for their hard work and dedication.
Lori A. Daiello, Pharm.D (Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 9/1/06-8/31/08) received her B.S. and Pharm.D at the Ohio State University. Lori came to Brown as a postdoctoral fellow in the dementia research T32 program. During her fellowship she completed a pharmacoepidemiology study examining the behavioral effects of discontinuing cholinesterase inhibitors in nursing home residents with dementia with Kate Lapane, PhD and also studied the effects of cholinesterase inhibitors on visual attention in drivers with mild Alzheimer’s disease with Brian Ott, MD. She is grateful for the guidance and support of her mentors and the excellent training she has received while at Brown. Lori has submitted a K proposal to AHRQ to study the effects of general anesthesia on cognitive and functional decline in Alzheimer’s disease. Upon completion of her fellowship, Lori will resume her geriatric psychopharmacology clinical practice and hopes to continue her research training at Brown and Rhode Island Hospital.
Jessica B. Edwards George, Ph.D. (Rhode Island Hospital, 9/1/07-8/31/08) received her BA in psychology at Binghamton University—State University of New York in Binghamton, NY and her MS and CAGS in school psychology at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. After working as a school psychologist, Jessica returned to Northeastern University’s combined doctoral program and completed her PhD in 2007. Jessica completed a generalist internship with an emphasis in pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School/Worcester State Hospital in Worcester, MA. After her internship in September 2007, Jessica transitioned to Brown as a clinical/research postdoctoral fellow in the Bradley Hasbro Children’s Research Center to gain additional clinical and research training in pediatric psychology and gastrointestinal disorders. During her fellowship, Jessica was a member of the Pediatric Psychology/Gastroenterology Team, a diverse multidisciplinary clinical and research team. Together with this team she further focused her research on the psychosocial and behavioral factors related to dietary adherence in children with celiac disease, while also creating and piloting a family-based assessment of gluten-free diet adherence. She received a grant from the Celiac Sprue Association to pilot test the measures and methods of the above study. Jessica would like to thank her primary research mentor Jack Nassau, Ph.D. and primary clinical mentor, Wendy Hadley, Ph.D. for their outstanding mentorship, as well as, the many clinical and research mentors, colleagues, and friends at Brown in pediatric psychology. Upon completion of her fellowship, Jessica will join the faculty at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in a joint appointment in the departments of psychiatry and pediatrics. Jessica plans to continue to pursue her clinical and research interests in dietary adherence and psychosocial factors related to gastrointestinal disorders.
Ronnesia Gaskins (Women & Infants Hospital, 7/1/06-6/30/08) completed her BS in psychology at Arizona State University where she completed an honors thesis. She received an MA from San Diego State University in 2002 and received her PhD in clinical medical psychology and her MSPH in healthcare organization and public policy from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2006. She attended Brown for clinical psychology internship in behavioral medicine in 2005-2006. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship in developmental pediatrics, clinical-research at the Brown Center for the Study of Children at Risk and Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island under the mentorship of Dr. Barry Lester. Her postdoctoral research is concerned with identifying early infancy and childhood indicators of pediatric obesity and understanding the role of behavioral interventions such as physical activity on pediatric obesity within the context of biological, sociodemographic and environmental mediators. Her work has utilized data from a longitudinal sample of high risk children prenatally exposed to cocaine (the Maternal Lifestyle Study) who are now turning 14 years old. Ronnesia is thankful for the excellent training and mentorship she has received from her clinical and research advisors. She is looking forward to continuing her research in pediatric obesity and physical activity following graduation.
Ryan Haggarty, Ph.D. (Butler Hospital, 9/24/07 – 9/24/08) received his B.A. in psychology from the University of Rhode Island and his M.A. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Suffolk University, Boston, MA. Ryan completed his internship at Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital, Bedford, MA. During his time as a postdoctoral fellow, Ryan worked for the Psychosocial Research Department and was supervised by Lisa Uebelacker, Ph.D., acting mainly as a therapist for Dr. Uebelacker’s treatment intervention studies. He is grateful for his time with the Psychosocial Research team, in particular a special thank you to Dr. Uebelacker for her investment in his clinical and research training. Ryan would also like to thank Marcia Smith, Ph.D. (Family Care Center, Memorial Hospital) and Jennifer Lambert, Ph.D. (Providence VA); both supervised his clinical work at the respective locations.
Ernestine Jennings, PhD (The Miriam Hospital 7/1/06 – 6/30/08) completed her PhD in clinical psychology from Oklahoma State University. Ernestine came to Brown to complete her clinical psychology internship in Behavioral Medicine in 2005-2006 academic year. After internship, she was accepted as a post-doctoral fellow under the supervision of Bess Marcus, PhD at The Miriam Hospital / Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine. Upon completion of her fellowship, Ernestine will continue her work at The Miriam Hospital / Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine as a Staff Psychologist. She is grateful for the excellent training opportunities she received during her fellowship and looks forward to continuing her career here at Brown. She is especially thankful for the support and guidance from her mentors Bess Marcus, PhD and David Williams, PhD. She is most grateful for her husband and children who continue to support and inspire her on their big adventure.
Beth A. Jerskey, Ph.D. (Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 8/01/06-7/31/08) received her B.A. from Boston College and completed her M.A. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Boston University. She completed her pre-doctoral clinical internship at the Massachusetts General Hospital in the neuropsychology track in June 2006. Following internship, Beth joined the Transdisciplinary Research Group at Butler Hospital as a T32 postdoctoral research fellow working with Drs. Larry Sweet and Ron Cohen. She has worked on a variety of projects investigating cardiac functioning and cognition among elderly patients with cardiovascular disease. Her specific interest during her fellowship has focused on integrating her previous background in genetics with functional neuroimaging with a focus on neurodegenerative diseases. Beth would like to thank her mentors, colleagues, and friends at Brown/Butler Hospital for the excellent training she received as a postdoctoral fellow. She is appreciative of Dr. Larry Sweet, whose mentorship was exceptional and whose support enabled her to submit a Mentored Research Scientist Award (K01) entitled "Vascular Effects on Functional Brain Response at Mid-Life APOE4 carriers" during fellowship. Beth expects to join the faculty this fall and will be continuing this work.
Lisa Joseph, Ph.D. (E.P. Bradley Hospital, 9/1/07-8/31/08) received her B.S. in psychology from Barry University, and her M.S. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Pacific Graduate School of Psychology. Lisa completed her predoctoral psychology internship at St. Anthony’s Point in Franklin, Pennsylvania, specializing in children and adolescents. In September 2007, Lisa moved to Rhode Island for a postdoctoral fellowship at Bradley Hospital’s Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities with Dr. Lori McKinsey. While at her fellowship, under the guidance and supervision of Dr. Debra Lobato, Lisa worked on a qualitative research study that examined the perspectives of siblings of children with developmental disabilities receiving home-based therapeutic services. Lisa is thankful for the training experience she had at Brown, and wishes to thank the mentors that contributed to her professional development. She would like to especially thank Drs. Barbara Tylenda and Tony Spirito for their support and encouragement throughout her fellowship. Upon completion of her fellowship, Lisa will continue to pursue both her research and clinical interests in the area of child and adolescent mental health.
Nicole C. R. McLaughlin, Ph.D. (Butler Hospital, 09/01/06-08/31/08) received her B.A. from Boston University and her M.A. and Ph.D. from Suffolk University in Boston, MA. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at Brown in the Neuropsychology track, and then continued her training at Brown as a Clinical Neuropsychology fellow in geriatrics, primarily working on the Senior Specialty Unit at Butler Hospital. She also continued to perform pediatric neuropsychological evaluations at Memorial Hospital. In addition to her clinical work, she has also completed several research articles on neuropsychology and neuroimaging, and completed a chapter on mild cognitive impairment and dementia with her primary mentor, Paul Malloy, Ph.D. She would like to thank the staff of the Senior Specialty Unit, in particular Drs. Marino and Epstein-Lubow, as well as the Brown neuropsychology faculty, including her supervisor from Memorial Hospital, Dr. Julie Wilson, and especially her primary mentor at Butler Hospital, Dr. Paul Malloy, for their excellent training and support throughout her internship and fellowship experience. Upon completion of her fellowship, she will be working with Dr. Benjamin Greenberg on OCD genetics and psychosurgery research as a staff psychologist at Butler Hospital and faculty member of Brown Medical School, as well as continuing clinical neuropsychology work privately with Dr. Karen Holler.
Amy Przeworski, Ph.D. (Rhode Island Hospital, 9/1/06-8/31/08) completed her B.A. at the University of Pennsylvania and her M.S. and Ph.D. from The Pennsylvania State University. Amy completed her predoctoral psychology internship here at Brown in the adult clinical track and then began a pediatric T32 postdoctoral fellowship with Jen Freeman, Abbe Garcia, and the late Henrietta Leonard. Her current research focuses on the development of new treatments for children with anxiety disorders, including family therapy focusing on children’s emotion regulation skills. The goal of this work is to adapt emotion-focused treatments that are efficacious for adults with anxiety to young children with anxiety disorders. In August, Amy will join the faculty in the clinical psychology department at Case Western Reserve University as an assistant professor.
Lilia Romero-Bosch, M.D. (Rhode Island Hospital, 8/1/06-6/30/08). My professional path started when I graduated from the New Jersey Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, in 2001. After medical school, I went on to complete my clinical training through the 5-year combined General Pediatrics/General Psychiatry/Child & Adolescent Psychiatry residency program, at Brown. After residency, I chose to enhance my clinical training by gaining a solid understanding of clinical research. To that end, I began a NIMH T32 research fellowship, at the Bradley/Hasbro Children’s Research Center, which I will be completing this summer.
Through my research fellowship, I have gained the fundamental skills needed to function as a true physician-scientist by working in the area of health disparities research, with Latino children and families. As part of my research training, I have enjoyed presenting academic posters at multiple scientific conferences across the country, and collaborating on several scientific manuscripts related to Latino mental health issues. I am also preparing my first independent investigator research proposal that I will be submitting in June, to the NIH.
During these past two years, I have also been lucky to enjoy special recognition for my work, through such acknowledgements as: Loan Repayment Program award from the NIMH, and First Prize Poster award at the 2007 Brown University Teaching Day conference. Though my primary focus over the past two years has been my research, I have not forgotten my clinical roots, and have enjoyed working one day a week in a local community mental health center serving children and families with significant mental health needs.
However, of all the things I’ve accomplished during fellowship, the most meaningful has been developing close relationships with my primary mentors: Debra Lobato, Ph.D., and Greg Fritz, M.D. Working alongside these special role models, and alongside all the members of their labs, has been professionally rewarding in an innumerable number of ways, and for that I am really grateful. Lastly, my fellowship gave me the opportunity to see Dr. Henrietta Leonard (my residency training director) in her role as a researcher, which was an experience that will stay with me.
Now that I’ve finally finished training (for real!), I am happy to say that I won’t be straying too far from my training “home”. I have accepted a position at Women and Infant’s Hospital, as the attending psychiatrist for their nationally recognized post-partum Partial Hospitalization Program. The Partial Program serves post-partum women and their young children. In addition to the important clinical work that I will assist with, I am eager to continue doing research by becoming part of the many NIH funded research projects that the Partial Program has in place. This is a true “dream job”, combining my clinical and research passions. Plus, my move to Women and Infant’s Hospital makes the bittersweet experience of finally leaving training a lot less bitter and a lot more sweet!
Eva R. Serber, Ph.D. (The Miriam Hospital, 8/28/2006 – 8/27/2008) received her B.A. in psychology from the University of San Diego and her M.A. in psychology from San Diego State University. She then received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology with a specialization in health/medical psychology from the University of Florida, Department of Clinical and Health Psychology. Eva completed her clinical psychology pre-doctoral internship at the Medical University of South Carolina, in Charleston. Eva came to Brown Medical School and The Miriam Hospital, Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine for a postdoctoral research fellowship in Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine, funded by a NHLBI T32 Training Program. She is specialized in psychosocial and behavioral cardiology, optimizing medical and psychosocial interventions, and enhancing quality of life, particularly among cardiac patients with biomedical devices (e.g., implantable cardioverter defibrillator [ICD]). During her tenure as a fellow, she has gained expertise, has submitted grant applications, and was awarded the NIH Loan Repayment Program in examining autonomic function in relation to arrhythmias, aiming to enhance autonomic regulation via exercise training, and mood and therapy. The interdisciplinary mentorship, support, and collaboration she has received have been invaluable. Following completion of her fellowship, Eva will continue with her cardiovascular behavioral medicine research and providing clinical services at The Miriam Hospital as Staff Psychologist and looks forward to joining the faculty in Brown’s Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior.
Angelique West, Ph.D. (Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 9/1/06-3/31/08) received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology in 2006 and completed her pre-doctoral internship at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, TN. Under the mentorship of Drs. Ivan Miller, Cynthia Battle, and Lisa Uebelacker in the Psychosocial Research Department at Butler Hospital, Angelique participated in a T32 postdoctoral fellowship for training in treatment research. In addition to her involvement in research protocols related to novel treatments for depression and suicide, Angelique’s research endeavors focused on developing clinical interventions for low-income and minority populations. She served as a volunteer therapist for the Rhode Island Free Clinic, which provides medical and mental health services to uninsured Rhode Island residents. Angelique was also a postdoctoral representative for the training consortium’s Diversity Committee. Upon completion of her fellowship, Angelique will be employed as a projector director for Milwaukee Health Services Inc., a community health center, which has received SAMHSA funding to provide collaborative mental health services to underserved individuals with HIV. Angelique would like to thank her mentors for their exceptional mentorship and support during her training at Brown.
Samantha L. Wilson, Ph.D. (E.P. Bradley Hospital, 9/11/06-7/4/08) received her Ph.D. in 2006 from Saint Louis University following predoctoral internship experiences at Tulane University and the University of South Florida. As a postdoctoral fellow in Early Childhood, she was involved in a number of grant-supported projects, including a statewide survey to explore the rate of preschool expulsion, program evaluation to document the impact of mental health consultation within preschool settings, and implementation of the Incredible Years Parenting Curriculum. Throughout these endeavors, she has benefited greatly from the supportive mentorship of Drs. Christine Low, Susan Dickstein, and Stephanie (Shepard) Umaschi. Following a two-month sabbatical in Guatemala to increase her Spanish proficiency, Dr. Wilson will move to Milwaukee, WI to join the faculty at the Medical College of Wisconsin as an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics. In this capacity, she will conduct research with and provide clinical care to children who have been adopted internationally as the staff psychologist within the only international adoption clinic in the state. She has general clinical and research interests in young children, their families, and the greater social and political climate that impacts their functioning. Published work includes topics such as adoption, institutional care and follow-up, pediatric assessment, and attachment.