People

Director

George M. Slavich, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences
Founding Director, Laboratory for Stress Assessment and Research
Investigator, Staglin One Mind Center for Cognitive Neuroscience
Research Scientist, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior
B.A. with honors, M.A., & M.A., Stanford University
M.S. & Ph.D., University of Oregon
Clinical Internship, McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School
NIMH Postdoctoral Fellowship, UCSF & UCLA

Interests: psychoneuroimmunology, social safety, stress, depression, social genomics, health
Email | Website


Post-Doctoral Fellows

Jenna Alley
Postdoctoral Fellow
Chair, CAL STAR Network Diversity Equity and Inclusion Workgroup
Ph.D., University of Utah

Interests: Biopsychosocial underpinnings of early adversity experience on sexual development, experience, and health in sexually diverse populations.

Jeff Gassen
Postdoctoral Fellow
Senior Statistician, UCLA-UCSF ACEs Aware Family Resilience Network
Ph.D., Experimental Psychology, Texas Christian University

Interests: Psychobiology of stress, adverse childhood experiences, immunometabolism, multivariate statistical methods

Summer Mengelkoch
Postdoctoral Fellow
Co-chair, CAL STAR Network Community Partnerships Workgroup
Ph.D., Experimental Psychology, Texas Christian University 

Interests: stress, health, immune function, inflammation, hormonal contraceptives, hormones, decision-making, evolutionary psychology 

Daniel Moriarty
Postdoctoral Fellow
Co-chair, CAL STAR Network Science & Research Workgroup
Ph.D., Temple University

Interests: Inflammatory phenotyping of psychopathology, physiometrics, and inflammation and cognitive vulnerabilities 

Lydia Roos
Postdoctoral Fellow
Co-Chair, CAL STAR Network Education & Professional Training Workgroup
Ph.D., Health Psychology, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Interests: Psychobiological stress reactivity and health, resilience, stress measurement and methodology, social processes, coping and emotion regulation

Lab Coordinator

Lauren Kim
Lab Coordinator
Chair, CAL STAR Network Project Coordinator & Community Partnerships Workgroup
B.A., UCLA

Interests: mental health, health disparities, resilience, community, loneliness, risk factors

CAL STAR Network Executive Director

Anna Ginther
CAL STAR Network Executive Director
B.A., UC Berkeley, 2020
Current Master of Public Health and Master of Social Welfare student at UCLA

Interests: social buffering of stress, adverse childhood experiences, child maltreatment, social determinants of health

STRAIN Project Coordinators

Zach Gray
STRAIN Project Coordinator
B.A., Hendrix College, 2020

Interests: stress, decision-making, habit formation, health outcomes

Chandler Spahr
STRAIN Project Coordinator

M.A., San Diego State University, 2020; B.S., UC Davis, 2017

Interests
: stress, mental health, r
elationships, social interactions


Research Assistant Coordinators

Juliet Cushing
Research Assistant Coordinator
Co-Chair, CAL STAR Network Education & Professional Training Workgroup
Current UCLA Student

Interests: stress disparities, social determinants of health, stress mitigation in primary care, resilience

Crystal Hsueh
Research Assistant Coordinator
Current UCLA Student

Interests: psychopathology, mental health and neurodegenerative diseases, stress

Shareef Tubeileh
Research Assistant Coordinator
Current UCLA student

Interests: biotechnology and bioengineering, psychosocial aspects of health, psyconeurology 

Luyan Zhang
Research Assistant Coordinator
Chair, CAL STAR Network Communications & Social Impact Workgroup
B.S., Neuroscience and Global Health, UCLA, 2023.

Interests: mental health, neurodegenerative diseases, depression, health disparities, developmental neuroscience

Lab Members

Amara Ajon
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Current UCLA Student

Interests: psychopathology, mental health, population health disparities, and pharmacology

Gigi Alioto-Pier
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Current Brown University Student

Interests: Mental health, chronic stress, healthcare inequality

Ayushi Banerjee
Research Assistant
B.S., Psychobiology and Global Health minor, UCLA, 2023

Interests: health disparities, minority health, women’s health, intersections of mental and physical health

Kimya Afshar
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Current UCLA Student

Interests:  Memory and aging, social determinants of health, stress/mental health disparities, drugs, chronic stress

Theresa Bui
Graduate Research Assistant
B.S., UCLA, 2017

Interests: stress, genetics of depression, cultural psychology, mental health

Milton Cazassa, Ph.D.
Ph.D., PUCRS/UCLA (Visiting Graduate Researcher), 2019
Specialist in Clinical Psychology, Federal Council of Psychology (Brazil), 2018
M.S., B.A., PUCRS (Brazil)

Interests: stress, mental health, psychoneuroimmunology, social genomics

Michael Chen
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Current UCLA Student

Interests: immune system, stress neurobiology, drugs, resilience

Terrence Chi
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Current UCLA Student

Interests: physical & mental health, health disparities, stress risks factors, depression

Nur Emanet
Research Assistant
M.Ed., Human Development, Harvard Graduate School of Education; M.A., Clinical Psychology, Teachers College, Columbia University

Interests: adverse childhood experiences, SES differences, effects of environmental exposures on neurodevelopment

Ayaan Ekram
Digital Content Specialist & Undergraduate Research Assistant
Current UCLA Student, Human Biology & Society

Interests: Physical manifestations of stress, stress education, impact of stress on development

Matthew Figueroa
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Current UCLA Student

Interests: Stress, coping, chronic illness, resilience, psycho-oncology, health-related adversity

Katie Firestone
Project Coordinator
B.A., University of Washington

Interests: mind-body connection, stress, physical activity, digital mental health

Sofia Flynn
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Current Harvard student

Interests: biomarkers of anxiety and depression, neuro-imaging, mental healthcare delivery, adolescent mental health

Emily Furtado
Project MHISS Coordinator
B.A., Psychology and Organizational Studies, University of Michigan

Interests: early life stress, depression, effects of adverse experiences on social and neurodevelopment

Sutapa Goswami
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Current University of Delhi Student

Interests: Childhood adversity, resilience, contemplative practices- mindfulness meditation, yoga etc., transdiagnostic treatment approaches to mental illness

Adelina Grusca
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Current UNC Chapel Hill Student

Interests: chronic stress, epigenetics, gut-brain axis, social determinants of health

Grace Hajjar
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Currently UCLA Student

Interests: long term implications of stress and resilience.

Nainika Hira
Graduate Research Assistant
M.A., Clinical Psychology, University of Delhi

Interests: contemplative practices, mindfulness based interventions, e-mental health, stress, positive psychology, third wave psychotherapies

Japneet Kaur
Graduate Research Assistant
B.A., Psychology, University of Delhi (India)

Interests: chronic stress, body dysmorphia in adolescence, adverse childhood experiences, mood disorders, resilience

Briana Lay
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Current UCLA Student

Interests: Epigenetics, adverse childhood experiences, public health, health disparities

Albert Luu
Research Assistant
B.A., Physiological Science, UCLA

Interests: social determinants of health, relationship between stress/ACEs and health outcomes

Andrea Miller
Graduate Research Assistant
B.S. & B.Ed., University of Toronto
M.Sc., King’s College London

Interests: adverse childhood experiences, mechanisms of depression, sex differences, mindfulness interventions

Nandani Patel
Digital Content Specialist & Undergraduate Research Assistant
Current UCLA Student

Interests:  Digitial content/marketing, nanotechnology, public health disparities, microbiology, healthcare equity, reproductive health justice

Ritika Prasad
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Current UCLA Student

Interests: mental health, risk factors for mood disorders, relationship between stress and mental illnesses 

Rizun Sharma
Research Assistant
M.A., Counseling Psychology, Indira Gandhi National Open University, 2022
Master Diploma in Training & Development, Indian Academy of Training & Development, 2019
B.M.S., SIES College of Arts, Science & Commerce, University of Mumbai, 2017

Interests: Stress, Memory, Trauma, Depression, Resilience, Decision Making and Positive Psychology

Stassja Sichko
Graduate Research Assistant
B.A., Pomona College, 2015

Interests: stress, physical & mental health, mindfulness, intergenerational transmission of risk

Abhinaya Sridhar
Research Assistant
Current Christ University Student

Interests: Neurodevelopmental disorders, child psychotherapy

Tanvi Tomar
Graduate Research Assistant
B.A. (Honors) in Applied Psychology, 2022, Amity University (India)
Current M.A. Applied Psychology student, Jamia Millia Islamia (India)

Interests: Psychoneuroimmunology, Stress Reactivity, Health, Resilience, Psychosomatic Medicine, Neuropsychology, Health Technology

Mathilda Von Guttenberg
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Current UCLA Student, Neuroscience

Interests: Immune-gut-brain axis, psychoneuroimmunology, stress and mental health disparities.

Makaila Williams
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Current UCLA Student

Interests: mental health, depression, resilience, social support, developmental neuroscience

Saja Zidan
Undergraduate Research Assistant 
Current UCLA Student

Interests: social determinants of health, health equity, health disparities, stress inequality


Collaborators

Randy P. Auerbach, Ph.D., ABPP, Harvard Medical School | Website
Larry W. Barsalou, Ph.D., University of Glasgow | Website
Julie E. Bower, Ph.D., UCLA | Website

Melynda D. Casement, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh | Website
Steven W. Cole, Ph.D., UCLA | Website
Naomi I. Eisenberger, Ph.D., UCLA | Website

Elissa E. Epel, Ph.D., UCSF | Website
Ian H. Gotlib, Ph.D., Stanford University | Website
Greg Hajcak Proudfit, Ph.D., Stony Brook University | Website
Constance Hammen, Ph.D., UCLA | Website
Kate L. Harkness, Ph.D., Queen’s University | Website
Michael R. Irwin, M.D., UCLA | Website
Farrah Jacquez, Ph.D., University of Cincinnati | Website
Michael R. Jarcho, Ph.D., Loras College |
 Website
Margaret E. Kemeny, Ph.D., UCSF | Website
Mark F. Lenzenweger, Ph.D., SUNY | Website
Susan K. Lutgendorf, Ph.D., University of Iowa |
Website
Jennifer Malat, Ph.D., University of Cincinnati | Website
Greg E. Miller, Ph.D., Northwestern University | 
Website
Scott M. Monroe, Ph.D., University of Notre Dame | Website
Matthew K. Nock, Ph.D., Harvard University | Website
Aoife O’Donovan, Ph.D., UCSF | 
Website
Hector A. Olvera, Ph.D., University of Texas at El Paso | Website
Elizabeth A. Phelps, Ph.D. | Website
Diego A. Pizzagalli, Ph.D., Harvard University |
Website
Mitch J. Prinstein, Ph.D., UNC Chapel Hill | Wesbite
Roxann Roberson-Nay, Ph.D., Virginia Commonwealth University | Website
Nicolas Rohleder, Ph.D., Brandeis University | Website
Karen D. Rudolph, Ph.D., University of Illinois | Website
Suzanne C. Segerstrom, Ph.D., University of Kentucky | Website
Grant S. Shields, Ph.D., University of Arkansas | Website
Anil K. Sood, M.D., MD Anderson Cancer Center | Website
Shelley E. Taylor, Ph.D., UCLA | Website
April D. Thames, Ph.D., UCLA | Website
Loren Toussaint, Ph.D., Luther College | Website
Heather L. Urry, Ph.D., Tufts University | Website
Roland von Känel, M.D., Klinik Barmelweid AG | Website
Tor D. Wager, Ph.D., University of Colorado, Boulder | Website
Aidan G.C. Wright, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh | Website
Gail E. Wyatt, Ph.D., UCLA | Website
Philip G. Zimbardo, Ph.D., Stanford University |
Website

Lab Alumni

Mashal Ali
Jacob Allely
Lauren Anas
Daniel Araiza
Kayla Ardebilchi
Erica Aronson
Kaitlyn Breiner
Theresa Bui
Siong-Guan Chng
Alberto Collazzoni
Pauline de Lange
Bailey Deal
Christopher DeMatteo
Corrie Doyle
Elizabeth Fisseha
Chantal Gabayan
Stephen Imperiale-Hagerman
Asako Kanazawa
Dora Kirigin
Halina Kowalski
Brandi Lewis
Abigail Looi
Mimi Lu
Robert Manley
Kimberly Merrill
Natalie Muren
Rachel Ogata
Santhosi Samudrala
Kelly Sun
Tiffany Thornton
Hilary Wilson

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