Clinical Psychology Resident Blurbs 2015
Natasha L. Burke graduated from New York University Stern School of Business in 1997 with a
BS in marketing and international business and a minor in psychology. After working in business
for several years, she pursued her dream of becoming a clinical psychologist by enrolling in the
Psychology Master’s program at NYU in 2006. She graduated with a MA in psychology from
NYU in 2009 and enrolled in the Clinical Psychology Doctoral program at The University of
South Florida that same year to continue her research interests on the complex interplay among
weight status, demographic characteristics, psychological comorbidities, and associated risk
factors. During her tenure, she secured three competitive fellowships from The Ford Foundation,
The McKnight Doctoral Fellowship Program, and The University of South Florida. She was also
awarded the Clinical Alumni Award for Citizenship by the USF Department of Psychology in
2014. She feels very grateful and blessed to have had the opportunity to work with wonderful
mentors throughout her graduate training and clinical psychology pre-doctoral internship year and
sends a special thanks to her fantastic clinical supervisors at the Hasbro Children’s Hospital and
Bradley Hospital, her research mentor, Dr. Jelalian, and her advisor and mentor, Dr. Lobato.
Natasha is very excited to continue her line of research in pediatric obesity and disordered eating
behaviors as a postdoctoral fellow at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
under the mentorship of Dr. Marian Tanofsky-Kraff and wishes her fellow clinical psychology
residents continued success in all of their endeavors.
Christine B. Cha graduated from Wellesley College in 2007 with a BA in psychology and
Spanish. She pursued her doctoral studies in clinical psychology at Harvard University under the
mentorship of Dr. Matthew Nock. She received her MA from Harvard in 2011 and will graduate
with a PhD in clinical psychology. Her work has focused on translational research across social,
cognitive, and clinical science to understand psychological risk factors of suicide and self-injury.
Christine has received a number of awards including the Elsie Ramos Memorial Student Research
Award by the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (2013), Merit Fellowship
awarded by Harvard University (2013), and Distinguished Contribution Poster Award by the
Society of Clinical Psychology (APA Div 12) at the annual Association of Psychological Science
convention (2010). After completing the clinical psychology pre-doctoral internship at the Alpert
Medical School of Brown University, she will continue her line of research as Assistant Professor
of Clinical Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University starting Fall of 2015. Christine
is extremely grateful to her graduate school advisor, Dr. Nock. She would also like to thank her
research mentors at Brown, Drs. Spirito, Liu, and Wolff, who have provided an exceptionally
innovative and collaborative learning environment. Christine would also like to recognize and
thank the many clinical supervisors who have truly inspired her throughout this year. Finally,
Christine thanks her family and her fiancé, Dustin, for their tremendous patience, love, and
encouragement. She wishes all the best to her fellow class of clinical psychology residents.
Ateka Contractor graduated from Mithibai College, India with a BA in psychology. With an
interest to advance her training in psychology, she chose to pursue further education in the U.S.
She obtained a MA in clinical psychology from Eastern Illinois University in 2007 and received
the “Distinguished Graduate Student Award.” Subsequently, she worked as a mental health
counselor in Indiana until 2010. She will graduate from University of Toledo (UT) with a PhD in
clinical psychology upon completion of her clinical psychology pre-doctoral internship at the
Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Her research interests address heterogeneity in
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder’s symptomatology, PTSD’s comorbidity with other disorders, and
cultural influences. Ateka is Senior Editor for Europe’s Journal of Psychology and an editorial
board member of Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice and Policy. She was
awarded the “Whiteford Memorial Scholarship” at UT and a Clinical Psychology Internship
Grant. Ateka expresses sincere gratitude to her clinical supervisors especially Drs. Metrik,
Keitner, Mansfield, Wincze, Lambert, Crozier, Unger, Costello, and Eriseman; and research
Clinical Psychology Resident Blurbs 2015
mentor Dr. Shea for their outstanding mentorship. Ateka will continue to look up to her graduate
school mentor, Dr. Elhai. Ateka would have never been able to undertake this journey without the
love and support from her family in India, her husband Waseem, daughter Zoya, and her friends.
Next year, Ateka will be a postdoctoral fellow at the Boston VA Research Institute under the
mentorship of Dr. Brett Litz, with the ultimate aim to inform trauma treatment within a crosscultural framework.
Elena Goetz Davis graduated summa cum laude from Harvard College in 2006 with an AB in
neurobiology and a certificate in mind, brain, and behavior studies. She then worked as a
research assistant in the Affective Neuroscience Laboratory at Harvard with Diego Pizzagalli
before pursuing her graduate education in clinical psychology at Duke University. At Duke,
under the mentorship of Drs. Timothy Strauman and Ahmad Hariri, she earned her MA in 2012
and successfully defended her dissertation in 2014. Her research focused on self-regulation
failure and vulnerability to depression using a candidate gene approach. She was awarded a
James B. Duke Fellowship for outstanding scholars and received a Graduate Research Fellowship
from the National Science Foundation in 2009. During her clinical psychology pre-doctoral
internship at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University, she furthered her training in adult
psychology and behavioral medicine, and continued research in the area of psychiatric genetics
and neuroimaging with Drs. John McGeary and Tara White. In September 2015, she will begin a
postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University under the co-mentorship of Drs. Ian Gotlib and
Alan Schatzberg as part of a T32 training grant on biobehavioral research. Elena would like to
thank her clinical and research mentors at Brown, particularly Drs. John McGeary and Shannon
Erisman, for their valuable insight, guidance, and genuine caring. She is also grateful for having
experienced this year alongside such talented and supportive classmates.
Thomas J. Farrer graduated from Brigham Young University-Idaho in 2008 with a BA in
psychology. He began his graduate training in neuropsychology at Brigham Young University,
completing a master’s in 2010. Following completion of his clinical psychology pre-doctoral
internship at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Thomas will graduate from
Brigham Young University with a PhD in clinical psychology, specializing in neuropsychology.
His primary research interests are in TBI, dementia, and neuroimaging. During his time at BYU,
Thomas co-authored more than 15 articles and was the recipient of the BYU’s Mary Lou Fulton
graduate student research award for his work in TBI. This summer, he will begin a postdoctoral
fellowship in clinical neuropsychology with the Duke University Medical Center. Thomas would
like to thank his graduate advisors, Drs. Erin D. Bigler, Michael J. Larson, and Dawson W.
Hedges, for their outstanding mentorship and support. He would also like to thank his supervisors
at Brown, Drs. Stephen Correia, Megan Spencer, Laura Messier, Geoffrey Tremont, and Jennifer
Davis, who contributed greatly to his clinical and research development. Most of all, Thomas
would like to thank his family - Loralee, Evelyn, and Vivian - for their constant love and support.
Rachel Galioto graduated from the Ohio State University in 2009 with a BS in psychology. She
began graduate school at Kent State University in 2010 and received her MA in clinical
psychology in 2013. Rachel will be awarded a PhD in clinical psychology, with a concentration
in neuropsychology, following the completion of her clinical psychology pre-doctoral internship
at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Rachel's primary research interests involve the
cognitive effects of chronic medical conditions and the relationships among cognition, obesity,
and successful weight loss. Rachel will remain at Brown as an APA-accredited postdoctoral
fellow in neuropsychology at Rhode Island Hospital/The Miriam Hospital. She plans to develop a
line of research examining neuropsychological predictors of weight loss and maintenance among
individuals in a behavioral weight loss program at The Miriam Hospital. She would like to thank
her graduate advisors, Drs. John Gunstad and Mary Beth Spitznagel, for their support and
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guidance throughout her training, as well as Drs. Geoffrey Tremont, Karen Holler, Jennifer
Davis, Paul Malloy, Judy DePue, and Justin Nash for their outstanding mentorship during
internship. Rachel would also like to give a special thanks to her family and friends for their
continuous support and encouragement.
Carly Michelle Goldstein graduated with honors from Skidmore College with a BA in
psychology and dance performance & choreography and minors in women’s studies and public
health. She earned her MA in clinical psychology from Kent State University with concentrations
in behavioral medicine and neuropsychology, and will graduate with a PhD. Her research targets
the prevention, secondary prevention, and intervention of cardiovascular disease and obesity
using novel technologies. Her Master’s Thesis was a randomized controlled feasibility trial of two
telemedicine medication reminder systems in heart failure, and dissertation examined moderating
factors of the relationship between depressive symptoms and electronically-measured medication
adherence. Carly served on the Society of Behavioral Medicine’s Student Special Interest Group
executive board twice. She was awarded the Judie Fall Lasser Graduate Psychology Research
Grant for work on the development and assessment of a plate designed to improve food portion
accuracy, and won a Most Outstanding Poster Presentation Award presenting the findings. Carly
was awarded a Clinical Psychology Internship Grant for her development of a mHealth
intervention targeting poor dietary selection. After completion of her clinical psychology predoctoral internship at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Carly will continue at
Brown as a postdoctoral fellow on the Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine T32. She thanks the
mentors that have shaped her experience at Brown, namely Drs. Thomas, Wing, McCaffery,
DePue, Bond, Oliver, and Buckley. She thanks her fellow clinical psychology residents for their
invaluable perspectives. Carly is grateful to her friends and family for their interminable support.
Amy Hughes Lansing graduated magna cum laude from the University of California, Los
Angeles with a BS in psychobiology in 2007. Following her undergraduate studies, she worked as
a research coordinator for UCLA’s Pediatric Pain Program and then began her graduate studies in
clinical child and family health psychology with Dr. Cynthia Berg at the University of Utah. Her
research takes a developmental and psychobiological approach to the examination of how
children and adolescents develop and apply self-regulatory and co-regulatory skill, in the context
of their family and social environments. Her current work examines these questions in the
context of adolescent chronic illness management and health risk behaviors. Amy was named
both a Rosalind Alcott and Katherine W. and Ezekiel R. Dumke, Jr. Scholar, granted membership
in Phi Beta Kappa, and received numerous awards for her research from the Society of
Behavioral Medicine and Society of Pediatric Psychology, as well as departmental
commendations for her research and teaching at the University of Utah. Following completion of
her clinical psychology pre-doctoral internship at the Alpert Medical School of Brown
University, Amy has accepted a postdoctoral research fellowship position in Adolescent Health
Behavior Intervention at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth University. Amy would like
to express tremendous gratitude to her graduate mentors and supervisors and mentors from her
internship training, namely Drs. Houck and Hadley. Amy would like to especially recognize her
husband and family for their continued support of her academic journey.
William V. Lechner graduated from College of Charleston in 2008 with a BS in psychology. He
worked as a research assistant at the Center for Drug and Alcohol Programs at Medical
University of South Carolina prior to further study at Oklahoma State University where he
received his MS in clinical psychology in 2011. William will graduate with a PhD in clinical
psychology from the same institution upon completion of his clinical psychology pre-doctoral
internship at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University. His research interests include
identification and treatment of trans-disease processes contributing to the comorbidity between
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addiction and psychopathology. Following internship, William will serve as a postdoctoral
research fellow at the Center for Alcohol and Addiction studies at Brown University. William’s
graduate education was impacted heavily by several key mentors including Robert J. Malcolm,
DeMond M. Grant, and Carl W. Lejuez.
Douglas Long graduated from the University of Iowa in 2007 with a BA in philosophy and a BS
in psychology with honors. Doug was awarded the Gustav Bergmann Philosophy Prize from
University of Iowa. After completion of his clinical psychology pre-doctoral internship at the
Alpert Medical School of Brown University, he will graduate with a PhD in clinical psychology
from the University of Nevada in Reno (UNR) and will continue at Brown as an APA-accredited
postdoctoral fellow at the the Providence VA. Doug’s work has examined how pragmatism and
evolutionary science can systematically guide methods of treatment development and the
formation of scientific communities - such as in Contextual Behavioral Science (CBS). His
research has evaluated the dissemination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in
novel settings, with particular focus on ACT’s transdiagnostic model of psychological flexibility.
Doug’s dissertation piloted a new web-based assessment of therapist ability to identify
psychological flexibility processes occurring in therapy sessions. He is grateful to the CBS
community for showing him that psychology can address global problems through peace, love,
understanding, and empirical science - especially his mentor Dr. Stephen Hayes and fellow UNR
labbies. He has grown intellectually and personally with the generous guidance of many others especially Drs. Follette, Fruzzetti, Pistorello, Coyne, and Dalrymple. Finally, Doug is eternally
grateful to all of his clients and fellow therapists, who remind him that every moment offers a
choice and that in the end, the love you get is equal to the love you give.
Joseph Meyer graduated magna cum laude from University of Richmond in 2002 with a BA in
psychology. He went on to earn his AM in experimental psychology from The College of
William & Mary in 2005, where he published research with Dr. Glenn Shean on social cognition
in the schizophrenia spectrum. After receiving an MA in clinical psychology from Columbia
University in 2007, Joe spent two years in the clinical PhD program at Boston University learning
CBT and conducting research in psychometrics with Dr. Timothy Brown. Upon learning that one
of his most admired luminaries in psychology was still involved in research, Joe decided to
transfer to University of Rhode Island to finish his doctorate under Dr. David Faust, a close
colleague of the late Dr. Paul Meehl with a special focus on clinical decision making and metascience. Joe has received numerous awards and honors over the years, including an international
Critical Thinking Scholarship Award from the James Randi Educational Foundation, a
competitive neuroscience fellowship, the Boston University Presidential Graduate Fellowship,
and a URI Enhancement of Graduate Research Award. He will receive a PhD in clinical
psychology upon completion of his clinical psychology pre-doctoral internship at the Alpert
Medical School of Brown University. Joe would like to express his sincere gratitude to Drs.
David Faust, Robert Laforge, Glenn Shean, Timothy Brown, and Mark Zimmerman for their
generous support. He would also like to extend his most heartfelt thanks to his family and close
friends for their forbearance and warm encouragement.
Mary Beth Miller graduated from Westminster College in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in
psychology and Spanish and a minor in music. After working at an adolescent substance abuse
center for a year, she returned to school at Oklahoma State University to pursue a doctorate in
clinical psychology under the mentorship of Dr. Thad Leffingwell. During that time, she
collaborated on projects targeting high-risk drinking, tobacco use, medication non-adherence
among individuals living with HIV, and MI training for healthcare providers. Collectively, her
research aims to identify the types of feedback that motivate change in a variety of health
behaviors. Mary Beth has been blessed with a number of invaluable relationships during her year
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as a clinical psychology resident at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University and wishes to
express gratitude to all her mentors and supervisors at the VA and Butler. In particular, she would
like to thank Dr. Elizabeth McQuaid for making trainees feel heard and supported, Dr. Brian
Borsari for his fantastic support and guidance in both her research and clinical training, Dr. Mary
Carskadon for her good-natured help navigating the field of sleep research, and Dr. Kate Carey
for agreeing to adopt her as a postdoctoral research fellow next year at the Center for Alcohol and
Addiction Studies. She has sincerely enjoyed working and commiserating with the outstanding
clinical psychology residents and postdoctoral fellows in the Brown training program, and she
looks forward to hearing about all the amazing things they do in their future careers.
Melissa Mitchell graduated from Northwestern University in 2007 with a BA in psychology. She
was the recipient of the Hunt Award for the Best Undergraduate Research Paper in Psychology
for her senior honors thesis. She received her MS in clinical psychology from Florida State
University and will receive her PhD from the same institution upon completion of her clinical
psychology pre-doctoral internship at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Her
research focuses on cognitive maintenance factors, specifically rumination and anxiety
sensitivity, in Social Anxiety Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. She is excited to
continue her program of research and training as a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for the
Treatment and Study of Traumatic Stress directed by Dr. Patrick Palmieri. She would like to
thank all of her clinical and research supervisors here at Brown for their invaluable mentorship.
She feels very fortunate and grateful to have completed her internship here. She would also like
to thank her graduate school mentor, Dr. Brad Schmidt, and supervisors at Florida State for their
excellent guidance throughout her doctoral studies. Most importantly, Melissa is forever grateful
to her family and friends for their unending support and encouragement.
Cara M. Murphy graduated magna cum laude from the Union College with a BS in psychology
and Spanish in 2007. Under the mentorship of Dr. James MacKillop, she earned her MS in
clinical psychology at the University of Georgia in 2012. Upon completion of her clinical
psychology pre-doctoral internship at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Cara will
graduate with a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Georgia. Cara’s primary
research interest is in advancing the understanding, prevention, and treatment of addictive
disorders and overweight and obesity. In particular, her research explores the synergistic effects
of maladaptive patterns of substance use and eating predominantly using a behavioral economic
approach. Following internship, Cara will have the privilege of continuing to pursue outstanding
training at Brown as a postdoctoral research fellow at the Center for Alcohol and Addiction
Studies under the excellent continued mentorship of Dr. Damaris Rohsenow. Cara would like to
thank all of the psychologists with whom she had the pleasure of working this year for their
guidance and support, particularly, Drs. Metrik, Czech, and Didie. For their positivity and
encouragement, Cara would like to sincerely thank her friends, family, and mentors. In addition,
Cara would like to express immeasurable gratitude to her parents for teaching her to aim high,
work hard, and care deeply, and to Ryan, Lilly, and Murf for reminding her of the importance of
laughter, play, and rest. Lastly, she would like to congratulate her fellow clinical psychology
residents. We did it!
Jessica Peters graduated summa cum laude from the University of Massachusetts Boston in 2007
with a BS in psychology. After working as a research coordinator at Cambridge Health Alliance,
she attended the University of Kentucky, where she earned an MS in 2012 and will graduate with
a PhD in clinical psychology in August 2015 upon completion of her clinical psychology predoctoral internship at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University. She has won several
fellowships and awards at the University of Kentucky, including a College of Arts & Sciences
Outstanding Teaching Award, an Exceptional Clinical Performance Award, the 2015 Michael
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Nietzel Award for the Outstanding Psychology Doctoral Graduate Student, and a Research
Support Grant to fund her dissertation on the rewarding nature of anger rumination in borderline
personality disorder. Jess is looking forward to continuing her training at Brown as a postdoctoral
fellow on the Child Mental Health T32. She would like to thank the Brown training program in
general for providing an excellent experience this year, particularly Drs. Yen, McQuaid,
Abrantes, and Erisman for their supervision and support. She would also like to thank her
graduate mentor, Dr. Ruth Baer, for her guidance and equanimity. Finally, Jess would like to
thank her family and friends, whose love and companionship made all of this possible.
Ajeng J. Puspitasari graduated from University of Minnesota Morris with a BA in anthropology,
sociology, and human services. Following her undergraduate education she began working
toward her PhD in clinical psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee under the
mentorship of Dr. Jonathan Kanter. Ajeng completed her Master’s Thesis where she evaluated the
efficacy of a web-based Behavioral Activation walking intervention. Guided by her passion to
disseminate evidence-based psychotherapy for depression from research to practice, Ajeng
developed an online Behavioral Activation training program for mental health providers. She
received the Distinguished Dissertation Fellowship from the University of Wisconsin-Milwauke
to test the efficacy of the online BA training program in a randomized-controlled trial. Ajeng has
provided several Behavioral Activation training in her home country, Indonesia, where access to
psychotherapy training is very limited. For this work, she was awarded the Outstanding Doctoral
Student Professionalism Award by Milwaukee Area Psychological Association. During her time
at Brown, Ajeng collaborated with her research mentor, Dr. Andrew Busch, on the dissemination
of Behavioral Activation research. Ajeng accepted a postdoctoral fellowship at Indiana University
under the mentorship of Dr. Cara Lewis where she will receive research training in the
dissemination and implementation of psychological interventions for depression. Ajeng would
like to express graditute for her research mentors, Dr. Jonathan Kanter and Andrew Busch. She
would also like to thank her clinical supervisors particularly Drs. Stephanie Czech, Katie Kendra,
and Margaret Howard. Ajeng is forever grateful to her parents and husband, Angga, for their
unwavering love and support.
Giulia Righi graduated with honors from Brown University in 2004 with a ScB in cognitive
sciences. She then pursued a PhD with specialization in cognitive neuroscience under the
guidance of Drs. Sheila Blumstein and Michael Tarr at Brown University. In 2009, Giulia joined
the laboratory of Dr. Charles Nelson at Boston Children’s Hospital to pursue postdoctoral training
in developmental cognitive neuroscience. During her tenure in Dr. Nelson’s laboratory, Giulia
became interested in the study of autism spectrum disorders and decided to pursue further training
to integrate her scientific background with clinical work. From 2011 to 2014, Giulia attended the
University of Massachusetts, Amherst as a respecialization fellow in clinical psychology. After
completing her clinical psychology pre-doctoral internship at the Alpert Medical School of
Brown University, Giulia is looking forward to continuing at Brown as an APA-accredited
postdoctoral fellow at Bradley Hospital in developmental disabilities. Giulia aims to further
develop her expertise in the assessment and treatment of individuals with developmental
disabilities, as well as continue to engage in research activities aimed at increasing our knowledge
of autism spectrum disorder by examining bio-behavioral markers. Giulia would like to express
gratitude towards the wonderful mentors that have supported her transition from research to
clinical work, particularly Dr. Sheila Blumstein, and Dr. Charles Nelson. Giulia would also like
to thank all of her residency clinical supervisors, particularly Dr. Barbara Tylenda, and Dr.
Stephen Sheinkopf, for their tremendous support and mentorship.
Marisa Sklar earned her BA in psychology from the University of California Santa Cruz in
2006. Upon graduating, she designed/implemented psychosocial rehabilitation programs for
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foster children in Costa Rica in collaboration with Peace Corps and Patronato Nacional de la
Infancia. She later returned to the states and worked as case manager in an inpatient mental health
rehabilitation center. Marisa returned to school and earned an MS in applied psychology: program
evaluation from San Diego State University. Marisa designed evaluation efforts for Behavioral
Health Services of San Diego County HHSA which included MHSA Prevention and Early
Intervention efforts, consisting of 30+ programs, budgeted over 20 million dollars. Marisa entered
SDSU/UCSD’s Joint Doctoral Program in clinical psychology conducting research with Drs.
Groessl and Aarons. She received $5,000 from the Veterans Medical Research Foundation to
research integrative care treatment strategies for Veterans with hepatitis C and chronic pain. With
Dr. Aarons as primary sponsor, Marisa received an F31 to research mental health recovery in the
patient-centered medical home. After defending her dissertation, Marisa began her clinical
psychology pre-doctoral internship at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Under Dr.
Nash’s mentorship, Marisa evaluates the integration of behavioral health services within primary
care. She received 2nd place award for the DPHB Research Day and received a Clinical
Psychology Research Grant Award to test an evaluation of implementation climate for evidencebased practices in the PCMH. Marisa recently submitted an F32 to expand on this work, and
hopes to continue at Brown as a postdoctoral fellow.
Laura Skriner graduated from Boston University with a BA in psychology in 2004. She worked
as a research assistant before pursuing a Master’s Degree in psychology at San Diego State
University. Laura completed her Master’s Thesis focused on longitudinal trajectories of
behavioral resilience in maltreated youth under the mentorship of Dr. Litrownik. She began the
Clinical Psychology Doctoral program at Rutgers University in 2009, under Dr. Chu. Laura’s
research focused on the study of treatment processes in evidence-based treatments for youth
anxiety. She received an NIMH pre-doctoral grant (F31) to examine symptom trajectories and
predictors of treatment response/non-response in CBT for youth anxiety. Laura is expanding her
research to focus on the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based practices for youth,
and is excited to be starting a postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Mental Health Policy and
Services Research at the University of Pennsylvania upon completion of her PhD. Laura would
like to express her sincerest gratitude for the mentorship and support she has received from her
supervisors while on her clinical psychology pre-doctoral internship at the Alpert Medical School
of Brown University. In particular, she would like to thank Drs. Freeman, Garcia, and all
members of the Pediatric Anxiety Research Clinic for their dedication to her training. Laura
would also like to thank to her fellow clinical psychology residents, in particular those in the
child track, for their friendship and encouragement. Finally, Laura would like to thank her family
for the unwavering encouragement and support throughout her graduate career.
Ashley Smith Watts graduated magna cum laude from University of New Mexico with a BS in
psychology and anthropology in 2004. As an undergraduate, Ashley was the recipient of the
psychology department’s Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award. After completing her
undergraduate degree, she was a study coordinator at the New Mexico VA Medical Center from
2004-2009. During her time there, she worked on studies investigating associations between
cognitive abilities and severe psychopathology. Upon completion of her clinical psychology predoctoral internship at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Ashley will graduate with
a PhD in clinical psychology and a certificate in behavioral genetics from the University of
Colorado Boulder. During graduate school, her research focused on heritability and
developmental models of executive functions, self-restraint, and temperament. She was awarded a
T32 institutional pre-doctoral training grant from the National Institute of Child Health and
Human Development from 2010-2014. She was also selected for the Psychology Department’s
Heyer Award for exceptional applied psychology research in 2014. Ashley is excited to continue
her training at Brown as an APA-accredited postdoctoral fellow in neuropsychology at Rhode
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Island Hospital/The Miriam Hospital. Ashley would like to thank her graduate school mentors,
Drs. Rhee and Richardson. Internship has been a tremendous year of growth, and she would like
to thank all of her supervisors for sharing their time and expertise, especially Drs. Correia, Holler,
Malloy, and Spencer. She would also like to thank her husband, friends, and family for their
support and encouragement.
Molly Tanenbaum earned her BA in human biology with interdisciplinary honors in feminist
studies at Stanford University in 2003. She worked at a public health nonprofit and then spent
several years working as a reporter for community newspapers in the Bay Area before returning
to graduate school. Upon completion of the clinical psychology pre-doctoral internship at the
Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Molly will receive her PhD from the Ferkauf
Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University in clinical psychology with a health
emphasis. For her dissertation, Molly used mixed methods to examine how adults with type 2
diabetes learn and maintain effective self-management strategies. During her internship, she
received an internal Clinical Psychology Research Grant Award which she used to investigate the
use of mHealth for self-monitoring in type 2 diabetes. Following internship, Molly will return to
the Bay Area for a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford, where she will study human factors
related to technological advances in diabetes management as well as depression prevention in
adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Molly is grateful for her wonderful clinical and research
mentors at Brown for the high quality training and guidance she received this year. She will really
miss her fellow clinical psychology residents!
Eva Woodward her core professional value is improving the health of marginalized people, and
she has learned much from advisors and peers in her clinical psychology training at Oklahoma
State University (BS), Suffolk University in Boston (PhD), and Brown (clinical psychology predoctoral internship). She was acknowledged as the 2013 Outstanding Student contributor to
sexual minority health research by the American Psychological Association, and awarded a grant
for an innovative study improving HIV prevention among a high-risk, marginalized population.
Training at Brown has given her a very special gift of being supervised by faculty who are
incredibly competent and warm—a rare combination. It has been a pleasure to learn from experts
at Brown, especially during behavioral medicine seminars and from the sharp women in the
behavioral medicine resident track. She hopes to carry these special connections to her
postdoctoral research fellowship at the VA in Little Rock, Arkansas, disseminating and
implementing primary care mental health integration care models to medical centers in
underserved areas.