Taylor A. Barber
Taylor is a junior at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in Psychology and Neuroscience. She is interested in the link between atypical cognitive function and how it affects intrapersonal functioning and interpersonal relationships. When she graduates, she hopes to attend medical school and go on to further study either neurology or psychiatry.
Anmol Baxi
MSW Student, Social Work, University of Pittsburgh
Nicole Caballero
SUPRE, 2018
Undergraduate Student, East Carolina University
Nicole is a senior at East Carolina University majoring in Psychology minoring in Drug and Alcohol Abuse Studies and pursuing a Global Understandings Certificate. She is interested in studying coping mechanisms that come from trauma and mental illness specifically with overlooked populations such as immigrants, the homeless, sexual assault survivors and ex convicts. After graduation, Nicole plans to pursue a Ph.D in Counseling Psychology.
Shen Chang
Hsuan (Shen) graduated from University of Pittsburgh with a major in Psychology and minors in theatre arts and economics. She is interested in mood disorder research, child autism and behavioral genetics.
Alexandria Chisholm
Undergraduate Student, University of Pittsburgh
Alexandria is a junior at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in Psychology and minoring in Dance, with certificates in children’s literature and western European studies. She is interested in how personality is affected by trauma and adverse childhood experiences. Her favorite part of research is the hands-on experience with patients, and upon graduation she hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, and eventually have her own private practice.
Megan Christ
Undergraduate Student, University of Pittsburgh
Alexis Connors
Undergraduate Student, University of Pittsburgh
Alexis is a senior at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in Psychology and minoring in Sociology. She is most interested in the way that early childhood trauma effects development of the brain and other things such as personality, memory and adult onset of mental disorders. After graduation, she plans on pursuing a Ph.D in Clinical and Developmental Psychology.
Erika Coury
Undergraduate Student, University of Pittsburgh
Erika is a junior at the University of Pittsburgh, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Neuroscience. Her post-graduate studies will be Clinical, Developmental, and Forensic in nature, as her research interests are particular to the development and manifestation of Personality Disorders, specifically Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD). Erika hopes to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology, focusing on (a) maladaptive neuropsychological development in children who have experienced childhood trauma and (b) limbic components of risky, violent and sexual behavior in those with ASPD.
Samantha C. Dashineau
Samantha graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in the fall of 2015 with a major in Psychology. She completed an Honors Thesis in the PPOL, which examined the effect of pathological narcissism on various domains of psychosocial functioning. She is primarily interested in how both overall and interpersonal functioning is affected by psychopathology, specifically in regard to Borderline Personality Disorder and pathological narcissism. In the future she intends to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology.
Chloe Galler
Undergraduate Student, University of Pittsburgh
Chloe is a sophomore at the University of Pittsburgh, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Religious Studies and Administration of Justice. She is especially interested in abnormal psychology and hopes to pursue a career in the field of Forensic Psychology. She is excited to get some experience in a research setting for the first time and be able to actively participate in research on individuals with personality disorders.
Jonathan Hale
Undergraduate Student, University of Pittsburgh
E-mail: jfh34@pitt.edu
CV: download
Jonathan is a senior at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in Psychology & Neuroscience and minoring in Chemistry, with a certificate in conceptual foundations of medicine. He is particularly interested in the integration between neurobiology and psychology, particularly the biological foundations of mental illnesses. Major illness of interest to Jonathan are addiction, bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety. After he graduates with his Bachelor’s degree, he wishes to pursue a Master’s degree in Neuroscience before applying for an Medical Scientist Training Program. His future career goals involve running his own psychiatric practice, continuing to pursue research in both neurobiology and psychology, and also teaching.
Philip Himmelstein
Honors Thesis Candidate, Undergraduate Student, University of Pittsburgh
E-mail: phh15@pitt.edu
Philip is a Senior at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in Psychology and pursuing a minor in neuroscience. His primary research interests lie in using ambulatory assessment to improve post psychotherapeutic outcome by 1) developing predictors for who will respond to different forms of psychotherapy2) integrating EMA into psychotherapeutic practice and 3) measuring affect in dynamic processes like non-suicidal self-harm, emotional dysregulation, and eating disorders. He is a current Honors Thesis Candidate pursuing a BPhil degree at the University of Pittsburgh. His honors thesis involves examining psychometric properties of event contingent and signal contingent recording methodologies. He is also an RA in the Biological Affect Modulation Laboratory, led by Dr. Kymberly Young, in which he runs fMRI scans and manages recruitment, scheduling, and self-report data collection. He is presently writing a paper with his lab manager, Scott Barb, that examines linguistic biases within the autobiographical memories of depressed individuals. Upon graduation he plans to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology.
Eden Hu
Undergraduate Student, Carnegie Mellon University
Eden is a junior at Carnegie Mellon University majoring in Psychology and minoring in History, Business Administration and Economics. She is particularly interested in finding out the different motives behind people’s behaviors. Following graduation, she hopes to join a Psy.D. program to do further research on mental health treatments and also to be trained for clinical practice.
Rebecca Huang
Undergraduate Student, University of Pittsburgh
Rebecca Huang is a junior at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in Psychology with minors in French and Administration of Justice. She is interested in criminal psychology, with a focus on the service aspect, including working with re-entry programs for offenders. Upon graduation, she hopes to pursue a Masters in Social Work.
Samuel Jennings
Undergraduate Student, University of Pittsburgh
Sam is a Senior at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in Psychology with a certificate in Jewish studies. He is interested in clinical psychology, psychotherapy, and learning to treat mental illnesses. After he graduates he hopes to continue his studies and pursue a graduate degree in clinical psychology.
Zara Khan
Undergraduate Student, University of Pittsburgh
Zara Khan is a senior at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in Psychology and minoring in Religious Studies and Sociology. Her favorite part about research, particularly in Psychology, is to be able to apply findings to the real world and understand why people behave the way they do. Upon graduation, she hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.
Marc Khouzami
Marc Khouzami recently graduated with a major in both Psychology and Sociology. He is particularly interested in the research related to the social aspects of technology and how people interact with it. What he enjoys most about research is finding the practical applications of what he studies applying his findings in everyday life. He hopes to continue his education in a Ph. D program within the field of clinical psychology.
Jillian H. Kluss
Jillian is a senior at the University of Pittsburgh, majoring in Psychology and Neuroscience. Her interests include the pathology and cognitive function of neurodegenerative diseases as well as psychiatric disorders. When she graduates, she hopes to pursue a Ph.D. program.
Anna K. Knabe
Anna is a senior at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in Psychology and pursuing a certificate in Public & Professional Writing. She is interested in researching the causes and treatments related to anxiety and mood disorders. Her favorite part of the research is its potential to improve real people’s quality of life. When she graduates she hopes to go on to get her Masters in Social Work.
Sarah Lazzaro
Sarah is a Junior at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in Neuroscience and Psychology, and minoring in Chemistry, English Literature, and Studio Arts. She is interested in neural basis of consciousness and metacognition, and hopes to direct her own research someday. After graduation, she will be pursuing this in a PhD program in cognitive science.
Destin LeCornu
Jessica Mak
Undergraduate Student, University of Pittsburgh
Jessica is a junior at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in psychology. She is from Hong Kong and is very interested in pursuing a career in clinical psychology, particularly in children.
Cynthia J. McCormick
Cynthia is a recent graduate of the University of Pittsburgh with a B.S. in Psychology. Se is now pursuing a Master of Social Degree at the University of Pennsylvania with a focus on Gerontology. Upon graduating she intends to gain clinical experience aiding the senior population and ultimately hopes to pursue a doctorate in social work. Her research interests include the development of personality pathology across the lifespan and the manifesting characteristics and challenges present among various age groups.
Nkeiruka Nwobu
Undergraduate Student, University of Pittsburgh
Nkeiruka is a junior at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in Psychology and minoring in Chemistry and Economics. She is interested in the ways personality is affected by biopsychological functioning and disease. She is also interested in neuropharmacology. Her favorite part of research is the patient interaction, and upon graduation she hopes to pursue a career in clinical psychology.
Abigail Obenski
Undergraduate Student, University of Pittsburgh
Abby is a senior at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Chemistry. Additionally, she intends to take an extra year to graduate in order to declare a Psychology major at the end of the semester. She is most interested in how the etiology behind Cluster B pathology produces interpersonal dysfunction. Upon graduation, she hopes to obtain a Psy.D. and eventually go into private practice.
Alexa R. Packard
Alexa is a junior at the University of Pittsburgh, majoring in Psychology. She is interested in learning about how personality disorders affect interpersonal relationships and how environmental stressors can add to this effect. Her favorite part of research is collaborating with others to get a broader understanding of the topics at hand. After graduation, she hopes to attend medical school to further study pediatrics and rheumatology
Mariah Parrish
Mariah is a junior at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in Psychology and pursuing a minor in Sociology. She is interested in understanding the everyday realities of individuals affected by various psychological disorders. Her favorite part of research is interacting with participants, as well as the potential to discover or further improve intervention approaches. Upon graduating, she hopes to gain more clinical experience and attend a graduate program for counseling psychology.
Emily Reagan
SUPRE, 2017
Undergraduate Student, Chatham University
E-mail: emily.reagan@chatham.edu
CV: download
Emily Reagan is a junior at Chatham University pursuing a double major in Psychology and Women & Gender Studies. She originally came to the PPOL lab as a fellow with the University of Pittsburgh’s SUPRE program, during which she found a great interest in researching personality pathology. Her long term research interests also include the implications of psychopathology on the individual, the pathology behind domestic violence, and rehabilitation of domestic violence victims.
Mathi Rengasamy
Mathi is a senior at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in Psychology and minoring in Spanish. He is interested in researching maintenance and continuation therapies for major depressive disorder. After graduation, he intends to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology.
Carolina A. Ribo
Lina received her Bachelors of Arts in Psychology from The Pennsylvania State University. She is interested in studying personality and interpersonal processes. She is also interested in studying how psychology and technology can be integrated together to study individuals interactions with the environment, and others, more accurately. She hopes to continue her education and attend graduate school in the coming years
Cassandra Rompala
Undergraduate Student, University of Pittsburgh
Cassandra is a senior at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in Psychology and minoring in Dance. She is most interested in how abnormal and personality psychology interact in interpersonal relations, specifically within groups and relationship conflicts. After graduation, she hopes to gain additional research experience and eventually attend graduate school.
Jaclyn M. Ross
Jackie is a recent graduate of Carnegie Mellon University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a concentration in clinical/counseling psychology. Her interests include couples research and observational data collection. She is particularly interested in how individual differences in personality and relationship qualities predict behaviors and outcomes in romantic relationships. Jackie is now a doctoral student in UCLA's clinical psychology program, where she works in the UCLA Marriage Lab with Dr. Tom Bradbury.
Emily Schindler, B. S.
Emily is a recent graduate from the University of Pittsburgh. While completing a degree in emergency medicine, she gained an interest for psychopathology. She is excited to get the opportunity to focus on psychology and get hands-on research experience in the field. She hopes to pursue a Ph.D.
Lorraine Scott
Lorraine Scott graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, and minors in Sociology and English Literature. She joined the Personality Processes and Outcomes Laboratory in 2016 as a Research Assistant. She is interested in interpersonal relationships, personality disorders, and attachment styles . After working in the lab, she hopes to attend attend graduate school to receive her Counseling PhD and become a Marriage and Family Therapist.
Shutian Shen
Undergraduate Student, University of Pittsburgh
Shutian is a senior with major in Psychology, minor in French and certificate in Global Studies with a Global Health track. Her research interests involve how family and parenting factors affect adolescent behavioral development and how personality and neurological factors moderate this relationship. After graduation, Shutian plans to take some years off to explore more research methodologies and continue learning foreign languages. Eventually she plans to apply to graduate school for either clinical or developmental programs.
Gabe Shoglow-Rubenstein
Gabe is a senior at Carnegie Mellon University where he is pursuing a Bachelor's of Humanities & Arts in Psychology and Violin Performance with a minor in Neuroscience. He is particularly interested in studying maladaptive behaviors associated with personality disorders, specifically regarding the clinical implications of such research. Upon graduating, he hopes to pursue graduate work related to the intersections between psychology/neuroscience and public policy.
Linda Sun
Linda is a senior at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in Psychology and Anthropology. Her research interests lie at the intersection of psychopathology and health disparities. She is passionate to learn more about the implications of mental illness and social inequalities on individuals as well as societies. In her free time, she enjoys walking briskly, baking pie, and discovering local coffeeshops. Upon graduation, she hopes to attend graduate school for Public Policy.
Brinda Vaidya
Undergraduate Student, University of Pittsburgh
Brinda is a sophomore at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in Neuroscience and Psychology with a minor in Creative Writing. She hopes to attend graduate school in pursuit of a Ph.D. in neuropsychology or clinical psychology. Her research interests include the development and treatment of mental disorders in adolescents.
Kirsten E. Wong
Kirsten Wong is a junior at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in Public Service with a minor in Psychology. She is interested in the clinical implications of research in personality pathology and mental health policy. When she graduates, she hopes to obtain her masters in Public Administration, influencing policy in mental health, education, and social services.
Leqi Zhang
Leqi is a junior at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in Psychology and minoring in Applied Statistics. She is particularly interested in researching the causes and prevention related to schizophrenia and personality disorders. Her favorite part of the research is its focus on the connection between personality disorders and interpersonal relationships. After graduation, she hopes to attend a graduate program and get her Doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology.
Bella Wu
Undergraduate Student, University of Pittsburgh
Bella is a senior at Pitt majoring in psychology with minors in studio arts and economics. She plans on pursuing graduate study in the fields of counseling or cognitive psychology. She hopes to become a therapist in the future and apply her knowledge to serve people in need.
Maayra Butt
Undergraduate Student, University of Pittsburgh
Maayra is a senior at the University of Pittsburgh, conducting her Honors Thesis under Dr. Wright. She is majoring in Psychology with a minor in Chemistry. Her primary research interests include the onset and progression of antisocial personality disorder and its relation to interpersonal functioning as well as developmental aspects of psychopathology.
Victor Schmithorst
Undergraduate Student, University of Pittsburgh
Victor is a senior at the University of Pittsburgh, conducting his Honors Thesis under Dr. Wright. He is majoring in Psychology, with minors in Sociology and Social Work. Following graduation, he hopes to attend graduate school to obtain his PhD in psychology. His research interests involve the development and treatment of anxiety and depression in adolescents and young adults. He enjoys sports and movies. He is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Jessica Armstrong
Undergraduate Student, University of Pittsburgh
Jessica is a junior at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in Psychology and minoring in American Sign Language. She is particularly interested in abnormal psychology and the relationship between psychopathology and allied health. She is excited to gain research experience and learn more about personality disorders.
Chen Dang
Siyan (Annie) He
Ashley-Rose Starry
Sierra Strickland
Rachhana Baliga
Risa Bodkin
Gillian Early
Desta Zegeye
Holly Shultz
Grace (Youn Ji) Choi
Bryn Howe
Dana Konadu
Lily Jensen
Nicole El Hayek
JP Galligan
Emma Yoon
Anoushka Parnerkar
Jack DiCarlantonio
Paige DeGennaro
Anusha Sahay
Cecilia Wu
Bella Will
Jasmine Forrest
Lily Crowner
Anna Sedlak
Isabella Schultheis
Sanjana Das
Lindsey Reilly
Lindsey is a senior at The University of Pittsburgh majoring in Psychology and minoring in Administration of Justice with a certificate in Corporate/Community Relations. Her interests lie with better understanding the intersection between psychopathology and the law, and how personality processes play a role in criminal proceedings. After graduation, she plans to pursue a PsyD in Clinical Psychology. She is excited to gain research experience and work with a great group of researchers.