Lab Members

Lab Members

Director of Data Science
Lab Coordinators
Postdoctoral Fellow
Graduate Students
Research Assistants
Lab Alumni

Director of Data Science

Michael Mullarkey, Ph.D.

Michael (he/him/his) earned his PhD in Clinical Psychology at University of Texas at Austin. His current lab-related projects include setting up computational infrastructure, developing prediction-focused pipelines to identify which single session interventions work best for whom, and creating open source data science workshops.

E-mail: michael.mullarkey@stonybrook.edu
Links: Website | Resume

Lab Coordinators

Akash Shroff, B.S.

Akash (he/him/his) is a Lab Coordinator for the Lab for Scalable Mental Health. He graduated from Stony Brook University in 2020 with a B.S. in Business Management and a minor in Chemistry. His years of work with children and adolescents at a socio-spiritual organization has led him to be interested in the behaviors and attitudes of young people. He hopes to pursue a MD/PhD program after graduation and aspires to a career in pediatrics and psychology research.

Chantelle Roulston, B.A.

Chantelle (she/her/hers) graduated from Stony Brook University in 2020 with her B.A. in Psychology and Sociology. She is a research fellow with the iSchool Inclusion Institute as well as a member of Psi Chi. She is passionate about working with young adults, having spent three summers as a camp counselor. Chantelle hopes to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology and work with adolescents in the future.

Julia Fassler, B.A.

Julia (she/her/hers) is a Lab Coordinator for the Lab for Scalable Mental Health. She graduated from Hofstra University in 2018 with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Disability Studies. She is interested in researching scalable interventions for families of adolescents with anxiety. In the future, Julia intends to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology

Sharon Chen, B.S.E.

Sharon (she/her/hers) is a Lab Coordinator in the Lab for Scalable Mental Health. She graduated from Case Western Reserve University in 2019 with a B.S.E. in materials science and engineering with a secondary major in Psychology and a minor in Business Management. Her research interests include resilience, anxiety and mood disorders in adolescents, and effective treatment options. She hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology.

Postdoctoral Fellow

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Atina Manvelian, Ph.D.

Atina Manvelian (she/her) is a Postdoctoral Fellow working with Dr. Jessica Schleider & Dr. Joanne Davila at Stony Brook University; she is also a Postdoctoral Affiliate at Stanford University for Dr. James Gross’ lab. Sponsored by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, Atina earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Arizona. As a relationship researcher, Atina investigates how our social contexts give rise to attachment orientations or emotion regulation capacities that impact our mental health outcomes across the lifespan. As a clinical scientist, she is invested in developing scalable relationship interventions that target transdiagnostic mechanisms of change for disadvantaged youth. Through this work, she hopes to increase healthy relationship functioning and promote more positive views of self/other to improve the trajectory of people’s lives.

E-mail: atina.manvelian@stonybrook.edu
Links: CV | Instagram | Twitter

Ph.D Students

Mallory Dobias, B.S.

Mallory (she/her/hers) is a second-year Clinical Psychology Ph.D. student at Stony Brook University. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.S. in Psychology. Her primary research interests include evaluating and improving the treatment of internalizing symptoms in youth, particularly symptoms of self-injury and suicidality. She plans to (1) identify at-risk youth who are less likely to access traditional mental health treatments, (2) develop brief, scalable interventions, and (3) implement these interventions within accessible community settings.

E-mail: mallory.dobias@stonybrook.edu
Links: Website

Jenna Sung, B.A.

Jenna (she/her/hers) is a second-year Clinical Psychology Ph.D. student at Stony Brook University. Jenna graduated from Emory University with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Educational Studies. Her primary research goal is to increase access to mental health treatment by testing and disseminating accessible, scalable interventions that can address multiple level barriers to care. Jenna also aims to maximize the impact of this research by engaging with policy level work.

E-mail: jenna.sung@stonybrook.edu
Links: CV

Jenny Shen, M.A.

Jenny (she/her/hers; they/them/theirs) is a second-year Clinical Psychology Ph.D. student at Stony Brook University. They graduated from the University of Toronto with a B.S. in Psychology and received an M.A. in Clinical Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University. Jenny's research interests include (1) elucidating the impact of minority stress on mental health disparities among gender and sexual minorities, racial and ethnic minorities, and their intersections; (2) ameliorating the effects of such minority stressors through accessible, transdiagnostic interventions; and (3) identifying potential implications for policy. Jenny is also a student in Dr. Nick Eaton's lab and is co-mentored by Drs. Schleider and Eaton.

E-mail: jenny.shen@stonybrook.edu
Links: CV

Isaac Ahuvia, B.A.

Isaac (he/him/his) is a first-year Clinical Psychology Ph.D. student at Stony Brook University. Isaac graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.A. in Sociology in 2016. Since that time, he has worked at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine and the University of Chicago Poverty Lab. He is interested in the relationship between individuals' beliefs about mental health and their mental health outcomes, and hopes to identify interventions that leverage mindsets to improve mental health in accessible, scalable ways.

E-mail: isaac.ahuvia@stonybrook.edu
Links: Website

Riley McDanal, B.A.

Riley (she/her/hers) is a first-year Clinical Psychology Ph.D. student at Stony Brook University. She graduated from UC Berkeley with a B.A. in Psychology, where she studied idiographic mental health data. Riley is interested in potential data-driven changes in the classification and treatment of mental health problems. Her current research interests include HiTOP, transdiagnostic interventions, and possible connections between the two. Riley is also a student in Dr. Nick Eaton's lab and is co-mentored by Drs. Schleider and Eaton.

E-mail: riley.mcdanal@stonybrook.edu
Links: Website

Katie Cohen, M.A.

Katie (she/her/hers) is an incoming Clinical Psychology Ph.D. student at Stony Brook University. She received a B.S. in Psychology from the University of South Carolina in 2019 and an M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Northwestern University in 2020. Katie is interested in the integration of non-traditional mental health interventions (single session interventions, mental health apps, peer support, etc.) into traditional settings frequented by youth and young adults (schools, primary care, etc.). She is committed to leveraging user-centered design and community-based participatory research methods in her work to ensure that interventions are designed to meet participants’ needs and minimize the research-to-practice gap.

E-mail: katherine.cohen@stonybrook.edu
Links: Website

Dr. Schleider plans to review applications for a new clinical psychology Ph.D. student for the 2022-2023 academic year. More information about Stony Brook University's clinical psychology doctoral program is available here, and more information about applying to join the Lab for Scalable Mental Health as a Ph.D. student is available here.

M.A. Students

Sakura Ito

Sakura (she/her/hers) graduated from Purdue University with a major in Psychological Sciences under the Research Focused Honors Program in 2020. She is interested in the influence of risk factors on the developmental pathways of depression and anxiety within adolescents and young adults and its translation to intervention outcomes. In the future, Sakura hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.

Laura Jans

Laura (she/her/hers) graduated from Stony Brook University with a major in psychology with minors in chemistry and biology. Broadly, she is interested in
the causes of and effective treatments for youth mental health problems. Additional interests include accessibility of mental health resources, risk factors for youth mental health problems, and the roles of family and parenting in a child’s well-being. In the future, she would like to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and hopes to work with children and adolescents.

Research Assistants

Shreya Addepalli

Shreya (she/her/hers) is a freshman at Stony Brook University double majoring in Psychology and Globalization Studies & International Relations. She has long been passionate about advocacy for and engagement with under-talked about issues. Her experiences as a South Asian American have exposed her to the mental health access gap and the stigma associated with meaningful action. Shreya is currently a Peer Reviewer at the Stony Brook Young Investigators Review (SBYIR) and serves as a volunteer tutor for K-12 students. She hopes to attend graduate school.

Bailey Campbell

Bailey (she/her/hers) is a junior at Stony Brook University studying biology with a concentration in developmental genetics. She has a minor in both chemistry and health and wellness. She is an EMT on the Stony Brook campus, and this involvement sparked a dedication for helping her peers in any way that she can. Bailey has always had a passion for helping others with mental illnesses and has become involved in programs on campus such as Red Watch Band, Green dot, and QPR which have helped her to pursue that passion.

Jody Huie

Jody (she/her/hers) is a junior at Stony Brook University and is currently pursuing a major in Psychology and a minor in Chemistry. She is the President of Sigma Beta Honor Society and was the Secretary for University Scholars' Council. After shadowing a pediatrician working in the Pediatric Emergency Department at Kings County Hospital, Jody became passionate about learning about the different opportunities and support available for youths facing mental illnesses. She hopes to attend graduate school in the future.

Kailyn Fan

Kailyn (she/her/hers) is a junior at Stony Brook University majoring in psychology with a minor in journalism and China studies. She is public relations officer for the Psychology Student Alliance and sophomore representative for the Honors College Student Advisory Board. Her experience as a crisis hotline volunteer at Suffolk County’s Response Crisis Center helped shape her interest in improving youth access to mental health services and reducing the stigma surrounding mental illness. Kailyn is currently working towards completing an honors thesis through the psychology honors program. In the future, Kailyn hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology.

Lucy Gordon

Lucy (she/her/hers) is a senior at Stony Brook University majoring in Psychology and Women & Gender Studies with a minor in Biology. She is a resident assistant and an undergraduate coordinator with Stony Brook’s Center for Civic Justice. Through both of these experiences, as well as her experience working with young students at the summer program the GO Project, she has found a passion for working with young people to navigate both personal and systemic barriers to social and emotional well being. In the future, Lucy hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and conduct research as well as practice.

Anna Guo

Anna (she/her/hers) is a junior at Stony Brook University. She is a Health Sciences major with a specialization in Public Health and is interested in pursuing medical school. Anna is the event coordinator of Sigma Beta Honor Society and a volunteer at the Stony Brook University Hospital in the Emergency Department. Her personal experiences as a first-generation Asian American has allowed her to develop a passion for advocating for mental health awareness and raising accessibility in order to defeat the stigma against seeking help.

Rinchen Lama

Rinchen (he/him/his) is a freshman on the pre-medical track at Stony Brook University pursuing a major in Psychology. His experience tutoring 4th and 5th graders helped him discover his passion for helping children and with the time he spent as a volunteer at a nursing home and hospital, he was able to discover an interest in learning about mental health and treatment accessibility. Currently, Rinchen either wants to pursue a medical degree to become a pediatrician or go on to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology.

Ashley Larose

Ashley (she/her/hers) is a junior at Stony Brook University. She is a Psychology B.A. major with a concentration in Africana Studies. She is currently a member of the First Generation Women in STEM program here at Stony Brook. Ashley has a strong interest in mental health in underserved, particularly Black and other minority, communities. Following graduation she has hopes of pursuing a PhD in Counseling Psychology and using her credentials to help provide those in the communities that need it most the proper mental health care services and resources.

Colette Lopez

Colette (she/her/hers) is a senior at Stony Brook University pursuing a major in Psychology with a minor in Chemistry. She is a registration support assistant for the Undergraduate Colleges Advising Office, as well as a teaching assistant for an upper-division Psychology course. Through these experiences, in addition to volunteering in the Surgical Oncology department at Stony Brook University Hospital, Colette has fostered her interests in mental health advocacy. In the future, she hopes to pursue an MD program and continue research in the field of psychology.

Michael Shamouil

Michael (he/him/his) is a junior at Stony Brook University. He is a Psychology major and Professional Writing minor with the aim of becoming a dentist in the future. Michael has been involved on-campus as a tutor at the Writing Center and as the lead teaching assistant for the Introductory Chemistry Laboratory Sequence. Michael's involvement as an educator and advocate, for students and patients alike, has inspired him to encourage growth and support for various communities locally and internationally. This interest has recently led Michael to establish an international campaign which works to academically support students in Iran.

Isha Trivedi

Isha (she/her/hers) is a sophomore at Stony Brook University and is double majoring in Psychology and Philosophy. Her personal experiences as an assistant teacher in a daycare center and stigmas in her own culture have allowed her to develop a passion for mental health, especially in adolescents. Isha aspires to acquire a medical degree and become a psychiatrist to continue in the fight for mental health treatment, accessibility, and awareness in the future.

Yuqian Zheng

Yuqian (she/her/hers) is a freshman at Stony Brook University and is currently pursuing a major in Biology. Her experience as a teacher assistant, camp counselor, and a street ambassador for the NYCDOT has allowed her to develop a passion for communicating with youth and shaped her interest in learning about mental health and the role of intervention strategies in prevention and recovery. After graduation, she plans on pursuing a medical degree with the hopes of becoming a pediatrician.

Aqsa Mirza

Aqsa (she/her/hers) graduated from Stony Brook University in 2021 with her B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Medicine, Health, & Society. As a first generation South Asian-American, she has experienced how harmful the negligence of mental health is for children and how it may affect them growing up, and strives to actively work on spreading awareness as well as what role families can take to support their youth for better outcomes. Aqsa is interested in the intervention and prevention of child maltreatment and mental illness, and hopes to pursue graduate school for Clinical Psychology with a specialization in Adolescents so that she may work with children in the future.

Fiona Lam

Fiona (she/her/hers) is a rising sophomore pursuing a major in Nursing and minoring in Creative Writing. She’s currently a Research Review Writer for the Stony Brook Young Investigators Review (SBYIR) and a CHILL intern at the Center for Prevention and Outreach (CPO) on campus. Her fascination with the field of psychology and how it applies to every aspect of life, especially to having a healthy mindset/outlook on life has led her to become a strong advocate for mental health awareness. She enjoys listening to self-help podcasts and reading books to learn more about psychological findings. Her past volunteer experiences working with children have also sparked her interest in studying child psychology and looking into becoming a pediatric neuropsychologist. She hopes to go on to graduate school and complete a Ph.D.

Jessica Singh

Jessica (she/her/hers) is a sophomore at Stony Brook University majoring in Psychology on the pre-med track. She is also a part of the Honors College. She has always been passionate about mental health, especially in regards to young adults. She hopes to work towards greater advocacy and reducing societal stigma surrounding mental health. Jessica's personal experiences, as well as volunteering at Stony Brook University Hospital, helped shape this passion and encourage her to get involved while solidifying her interest in medicine. With a love for working with children, Jessica is interested in and hopes to become a pediatrician in the future.

John Difonzo

John (he/him/his) is a senior at Stony Brook University who is majoring in Psychology and Sociology. He is a captain of the Stony Brook Campus-Community Emergency Response Team and a member of the Stony Brook Democracy Matters Chapter. His past research experience in areas surrounding the modeling of risk behaviors on social media has motivated his passion for proper accessibility of mental health care and support for youths facing mental illness. John is also currently working towards completing his honors thesis through the Psychology Honors Program. After graduation, John hopes to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology. .

Kateryna Korobkina

Kateryna (she/her/hers) is a junior at Stony Brook University majoring in Psychology and Sociology. As a crisis counselor at Crisis Text Line, she has gained experience in performing risk assessments and supporting individuals with a variety of mental health needs. She further channels her commitment to destigmatizing the topic of mental health into her position as a writer for the Humanology Project. Kateryna hopes to pursue a Psy.D. and become a clinical psychologist who delivers empirically based therapy to her clients.

Nicole Lutsky, B.A.

Nicole (she/her/hers) is a post graduate student who graduated Summa Cum Laude with a major in psychology. Throughout her experience through various RA positions, being Vice President of PSA, and a crisis hotline counselor, she has found that exploring the potential risk factors to psychopathology and the different therapeutic approaches (specifically during adolescents) can exponentially improve quality of life. Nicole aspires to pursue a career as a psychotherapist and to use her experiences to help those struggling with mental illness. She hopes to accomplish this with a Psy.D or Ph.D in Clinical Psychology.

Valerie Thomas

Valerie (she/her/hers) is a sophomore at Stony Brook University majoring in Psychology with a concentration in Sociology as well as a minor in Health, Medicine, and Society. She is the Secretary of Psychology Student Alliance, as well as a Skills Based Tutor with the Academic Success and Tutoring Center, and a University Scholars Fellow. Her experience volunteering at a camp for children with disabilities has developed her passion of advocating for children to receive the care they deserve. Valerie’s future aspirations are to go to graduate school to pursue a career as an elementary school psychologist.

Wagdy Eissa

Wagdy (he/him/his) is a senior at Stony Brook University pursuing a major in Psychology and a minor in Biology on the pre-dental track. Born and raised in Egypt, he was exposed to the cultural and religious stigma that surrounded the issue of mental health. He hopes to use that experience along with that of being an undergraduate college fellow, a Biology lab teaching assistant, and a pediatric dental assistant to advocate for youth mental health and spread awareness, especially within underserved communities including his own. Wagdy hopes to pursue a career in Pediatric Dentistry allowing him to combine his interest in developmental psychology and his love for dentistry.

Kelly Kwong

Kelly (she/her/hers) is a sophomore at Stony Brook University pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a minor in Health, Medicine, and Society. She is currently an early intervention teacher assistant working one-on-one with children on the autism spectrum and she also volunteers as a crisis counselor. Her personal experiences as an Asian American have exposed her to the prominent stigma surrounding mental health and help seeking behavior. Passionate about mental health treatment, advocacy, and accessibility, she hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.

Daanyal Syed

Daanyal (he/him/his) is a sophomore at Stony Brook University majoring in Health Science and is on the pre-medicine track. His experience as a Peer Leader to young high school students helped him refine his passion for mental wellbeing, as well as fostering his interests in the field of psychology. He aims to gain acceptance into medical school, in order to achieve his goal of becoming a psychiatrist and continuing his career in mental health.

Jason Steiner

Jason (he/him/his) graduated from Stony Brook University in 2021 with a B.S. in Biology with a Neuroscience concentration, and a minor in Anthropology. He was a volunteer EMT on the Stony Brook campus as well as a Medical Scribe for Stony Brook physicians. These experiences drove his passion towards helping those struggling with their mental health. He saw firsthand, in both a pre and post hospital setting how inadequate mental health interventions have affected a wide variety of patients. Jason hopes to go to medical school to pursue a career in medicine and continue research in psychology.

Syed Ahsan

Syed (he/him/his) is a junior at Stony Brook University pursuing a BS in Psychology on the pre-med track. He served as Treasurer for and is currently in charge of Public Relations for the Pakistani Students’ Association. Syed has a strong interest in mental health, especially in the mental health of teenagers and young adults. Learning from his personal experiences, he has found a desire to improve the mental health of others in any way he can. After graduation, he aims to pursue a degree in Osteopathic Medicine and hopes to serve his community and improve people’s lives with his knowledge of medicine and psychology.

Skylar Sichel

Skylar (she/her/hers) is a sophomore at Stony Brook University majoring in Psychology on a pre-med track. She has a keen interest in medicine, specifically dermatology. She currently has clinical experience as an ophthalmic technician at a practice located in East-Setauket. She became interested in learning about mental health, specifically with children, because of her past experience as a student teacher at her karate school. She is also in the Sigma Beta Honor Society with a passion for volunteering. Mental health is especially important to her, which is why she aspires to become a physician that understands the mind as well as the body.

Jessica Liao

Jessica (she/her/hers) is a senior at Stony Brook University pursuing a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Music. She is currently tutoring English to college students from Taiwan. Her experience as a student music therapist has enabled her to develop a strong passion and interest to conduct clinical sessions, especially by supporting them with efficient interventions. In the future, Jessica aspires to become a clinical psychologist in hopes of providing accessible mental health care.

Manreet Ranu

Manreet (she/her/hers) is a sophomore at Stony Brook University pursuing a Bachelors of Science in Psychology with a concentration in Chemistry and Biology. She is currently interning with an international charity organization known as Khalsa Aid. She also volunteers in her local community by providing children with tutoring and volunteers for 7 Cups which allows her to support teenagers dealing with mental health issues. Her volunteering experiences taught her how to help individuals cope with mental health problems and educated her about the disparities in accessibility of mental health care. She hopes to use this knowledge in her studies and wishes to pursue a career in the field of psychiatry where she hopes to combat the disparities in mental health care.

Elena Vacanti

Elena (she/her/hers) is a senior at Stony Brook University majoring in psychology. She is a Psychology Peer Mentor for the Psychology Peer Mentoring Program, the Public Relations Officer for Psychology Student Alliance, and a CHILL intern with the Center for Prevention and Outreach on campus. She currently supports individuals in crisis through a local crisis hotline. She is passionate about helping adolescents and young adults with psychological needs and is interested in exploring intervention approaches that can be more accessible and individualized for members of this population. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology in the future.

Victoria Sarita

Victoria (she/her/hers) is a senior at Stony Brook University majoring in Psychology with concentrations in Biology and Chemistry and minoring in Women's and Gender Studies. She is the Executive Vice President of the Undergraduate Student Government and a member of the University Scholars Program. Life experiences and internships regarding social-emotional learning within underserved communities has led Victoria to pursue a Ph.D in Clinical Psychology to advocate and ultimately develop interventions and psychological services that prioritize the emotional well-being of Afro-Latinas within her community. In the future, she hopes to own a wellness center tailored to women and LGBTQIA+ communities

Cris Zhang

Cris (she/her/hers) is a sophomore at Stony Brook University pursuing a BA in Psychology and a minor in Studio Art. She is currently interning with the Center for Prevention and Outreach. She is also a resident assistant and a University Scholars Fellow. Cris is currently on the pre-med track but open to wherever life leads her. She is passionate about suicide prevention and destigmatization of mental illness.

Valentina Silva

Valentina (she/her/hers) is a senior at Stony Brook University studying Psychology with concentrations in Biology and Physics. She is the Secretary of Psi Chi, the Psychology Honor Society, and is a member of Project Sunshine, a non-profit organization that provides free programs to children and their families facing medical challenges. She has a passion for learning about psychology in adolescents and specifically, further understanding and advocating for mental health issues. She hopes to pursue a master's to become a Physician Associate.

Lab Alumni

Former Master's Students:

Aijia Yao (2020-2021)
Amanda Bianco (2019-2020)
Renee Gilbert (2019-2020)
Bianca Rosenberg (2019-2020)
Jacquelyn Marriott (2018-2019)
Charlotte Palmer (2018-2019)
Shreya Sheth (2019)

Former RAs:

Michael Sugarman
Aleta Thomas
Lauren Edwards
Carolyn Lorenzi
Astrid Cousins
Anastasia Philippopoulos
Angeles Paucar
Elden Flores