Postdoctoral Fellows

• Kyung Hwa Lee, Ph.D.
  
  My research focuses on neural mechanisms associated with explicit/conscious emotional processing of self (one’s own emotion) and others (others’ emotions). Specifically, I am interested in whether social factors (e.g., empathy situations) modulate neural mechanisms of self and others.

   

• Patricia Tan, Ph.D.
  
  My interests center on understanding the role of emotion regulation in developmental trajectories of childhood-onset mood disorders, specifically, anxiety. I’m particularly interested in examining the interplay between cognitive control and emotion regulation processes, specifically, the influence of information processing biases (i.e., threat biases and action monitoring) on anxious youths’ ability to flexibly and effectively uses cognitive-behavioral strategies to modulate emotion.

• Vinod Sharma, Ph.D.

 

Graduate Students

 
• Darcy Mandel, M.S.
  
  My research primarily involves the investigation of individual differences in cognitive and biological processes that contribute to the development and maintenance of emotion-related psychopathology. In Dr. Siegle’s lab, I have been using fMRI to examine functional neural correlates of biased information processing in clinical populations. I’m particularly interested in linking trait characteristics with maladaptive patterns in the way individuals process incoming emotional information. I am currently working on identifying neural correlates of interoceptive awareness in anxious youth and depressive rumination in adults with MDD.

 

         Project Coordinators

• Mandy Collier, B.S.
  
  I am interested in cognitive biases in mood disorders, (i.e.--predicting negative outcomes, or interpreting stimuli as negative) and how the biases impact physiology, depressive symptoms, and recovery. Two ongoing projects include a cognitive training study of undergraduates and an fMRI analysis of word rating data from pre and post-treatment scans of depressed adults.

• Simona Graur, MSW
  
  I am interested in using neurological research as a motivational tool to engage individuals in therapy and increase the utilization of various therapeutic practices (such as mindfulness and exercise) towards recovery.
  

 

         Research Specialists

• Thomas Kraynak, BA
  
  My research currently explores three domains: emotion regulation, psychoneuroendocrinology, and music cognition.

• Danielle Gilchrist

• Jillian Rodgers

         Undergraduate Students

• William Bird
  
  I am a junior undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in neuroscience and psychology. My research for Dr. Siegle involves investigation into the Emotiv EPOC EEG headset and its feasibility for other research purposes. Using the EPOC, I am also looking into the stability of alpha wave asymmetry in the brain and how listening to music affects the asymmetry. 

 

         Research Administrators

• Greg Smith, B.S.
• Lisa Stupar

         Former Staff

• Emily Brickell, B.S.

• Jennifer Kurtzman, B.S.

  Adam Magerman, B.A.

• Ashley McFarland, M.A.
  

  Lindsay Nickel, M.S.

• Kevin Topolski, M.Ed.

• Olivia Conner, B.S.

Faculty Collaborators

• Howard Aizenstein, Ph.D., M.D.
• David Brent, M.D.
• Judy Callan, Ph.D.
• Wendy D'Andrea, Ph.D.
• Alex Dombrovski, M.D.
• Peter Franzen, Ph.D.
• Edward Friedman, M.D.
• Tina Goldstein, Ph.D.
• James Gross, Ph.D.
• June Gruber, Ph.D.
• Martica Hall, Ph.D
• Neil Jones, Ph.D.
• Cecile Ladouceur, Ph.D.
• Carla Mazefsky, Ph.D.
• Dana McMakin, Ph.D.
• Paul Pilkonis, Ph.D.
• Nicole Prause, Ph.D.
• Dana Rofey, Ph.D.
• Neal Ryan, M.D.
• Michael Schlund, Ph.D.
• Walt Schneider, Ph.D.
• Jen Silk, Ph.D.
• Stuart Steinhauer, Ph.D.
  
• Kati Szanto, Ph.D.
• Eva Szigethy, Ph.D., M.D.

Former Postdoctoral Fellows & Graduate Students

 
• Anita Barber, Ph.D.-Kennedy Krieger
• Marci Chew, Ph.D.-pharmaceutical firm
• Naho Ichikawa, Ph.D.-Stanford University
• Christine Larson, Ph.D.-University of Wisconsin, Milkwauki
• Desmond Oathes, Ph.D.-Stanford University
• John Scott, Ph.D.-pharmaceutical firm
• Bruce Smith, Ph.D.-Arizona State University
• Andrea Stocco, Ph.D.-Carnegie Mellon University
• Rita Svetlova, Max Plank Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
• Dongli Zhou, Ph.D.
• Ben Paul, M.S.
  
  I'm broadly interested in whether the skills that are useful from recovering from depression are also useful for maintaining gains. Specifically, I'm interested in whether using Cognitive Therapy skills like reappraising negative thoughts helps to maintain gains and to prevent relapse following Cognitive Therapy for depression. For my Master's Thesis, I investigated the use, usefulness, and effort of implementing Cognitive Therapy skills in formerly depressed individuals who had previously responded to Cognitive Therapy around 4 years ago.

 

• Wessyl Kelly, Ph.D.
  
  I am interested in the use of multi-modal imaging to investigate neural patterns of mental diseases, and to measure the efficacy and effects of drug therapies on the brain.

Former Postdoctoral Fellows who are now local faculty

• Judith Callan, Ph.D.
• Alexander Dombrovski, M.D.
• Erika Forbes, Ph.D.
• Peter Franzen, Ph.D.
• Peter Gianaros, Ph.D.
• Tina Goldstein, Ph.D.
• Michelle Horner, Ph.D.
• Neil Jones, Ph.D.
• Carla Mazefsky, Ph.D.
• Samay Jain, M.D.
• Jen Silk, Ph.D.
• Stephanie Stepp, Ph.D.
• Rebecca Price, Ph.D.