Faculty

Nicole Nugent
Nicole Nugent, Ph.D.
Dr. Nugent is a Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Pediatrics, and Emergency Medicine at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and is a child clinical psychologist at Hasbro Children’s Hospital. Dr. Nugent is the Founding Director of the Rhode Island Resilience Project and Associate Director of the Stress Trauma and Resilience (STAR) Institute. Dr. Nugent also serves as Director of Resilience and Psychological Services at the Hasbro Pediatric Refugee Clinic, a role that informs research efforts that permit translation to intervention across diverse populations. Dr. Nugent is the Principal Investigator of Projects BEAR and ED EAR, and Co-Investigator on Projects Ground Truth and ED CAT.

Leslie Brick
Leslie Brick, Ph.D.

Dr. Brick serves as the Associate Director of the Quantitative Sciences Program at Brown to provide consultation of research design and analysis, as well as training and expertise to faculty and trainees within the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown. Her research focuses on genetic and contextual factors contributing to risk for substance use behaviors and stress sensitive sequelae (PTSD, depression). She is also interested in longitudinal models of behavior change surrounding periods of risk and transition in relation to environmental and social context, emotion regulation, and biological influences. Dr. Brick is the Principal Investigator of Project ED CAT.

Shaquanna Brown
Shaquanna Brown, Ph.D.
Dr. Brown is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and a Research Scientist on the COBRE Center for Stress, Trauma, and Resilience (STAR). Her research focuses on mechanisms of risk and resilience following childhood adversity. Dr. Brown was recently awarded a K08 career development grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to implement a novel multi-method approach that integrates ecological and laboratory methods to examine the role of affect in the link between childhood adversity and adolescent substance use.

Margaret Bublitz
Margaret Hanson Bublitz, Ph.D.
Dr. Bublitz is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior and the Department of Medicine. She is a clinician and researcher with specialties in perinatal mental health and Integrated Behavioral Health. She leads several research studies among pregnant and postpartum women at the Women’s Medicine Collaborative, and she is the primary supervisor of the Women’s Primary Care rotation for the psychology internship training program at Brown.
Anastacia Kudinova
Anastacia Kudinova, Ph.D.
Dr. Kudinova is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University and a Research Scientist at Bradley Hospital. Her program of research is on bio-behavioral mechanisms of youth suicide risk focussing on the intersection between self-referential cognitive-affective processes and sleep and circadian timing. The current studies integrate ecological momentary assessment technology, neuroimaging techniques, circadian phase and sleep biology measures, and self-report interview and questionnaire assessment modes to examine proximal individual and contextual risk factors for suicide risk in children and adolescents.

Charlene Collibee
Charlene Collibee, Ph.D.
Dr. Collibee is an Assistant Professor at the Brown University Warren Alpert Medical School and Staff Psychologist with Rhode Island Hospital Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Bradley/Hasbro Children’s Research Center. Her research focuses on developmental psychopathology and interpersonal relationships. She specifically aims to understand variation in risk and resilience as a function of individual characteristics, context, and development. She is currently funded on a K01 award from NICHD. Her K01 uses naturalistic methods (e.g., social media extraction, EMA) to examine proximal and distal associations between romantic partner, parent, and peer interpersonal interactions and dating violence among child welfare involved adolescents.

Janine Galione
Janine Galione, Ph.D.
Dr. Galione is a psychologist with the Young Adult Outpatient Psychiatry program at Lifespan and is a clinical instructor of psychiatry and human behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. She specializes in the use of mindfulness and evidence-based treatments including dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and compassion-focused therapy (CFT). Her research interests focus on the interplay of social stress and personality pathology, and has been published in a variety of media. Dr. Galione is also the primary data analyst for projects BEAR and ED EAR.

Postdoctoral Fellows

Katie Ingram, Ph.D.

Katherine (Katie) Ingram, PhD, is a NIH T32 Postdoctoral Research Fellow funded by the Research Training Program in Stress, Trauma & Resilience (STAR) at The Miriam Hospital and the department of psychiatry and human behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Dr. Ingram focuses her research on assessment of traumatic stress and the mechanisms underlying comorbidity with suicide attempts, self-injurious behavior, and interpersonal difficulties among adolescents. In addition to serving this patient population clinically, she is also interested in methodological advancement toward enhancing scientific rigor, patient care outcomes, and system-level transformation in her research. Dr. Ingram completed her PhD at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her predoctoral internship at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Center for Child and Family Traumatic Stress at Kennedy Krieger Institute.
Tiffany Jenzer, PhD
Tiffany Jenzer, Ph.D.
Dr. Jenzer is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Bradley Hospital, currently funded on a K99 training grant mentored by Dr. Robert Miranda. Her program of research focuses on the treatment and prevention of substance use, particularly in adolescents and young adults. Her work examines treatment mechanisms that can be targeted to enhance substance use treatment outcomes, including emotion regulation skills. She also investigates how best to teach these skills in therapy. Dr. Jenzer received her Ph.D. from the University at Buffalo and completed her predoctoral internship at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.

Clinical Psychology Interns

Allegra Anderson
Allegra Anderson, M.S.
Allegra is a clinical psychology resident at the Brown University Warren Alpert Medical School and a sixth-year doctoral candidate in Vanderbilt University’s clinical psychology PhD program. Her research focuses on familial, behavioral, and physiological mechanisms underlying the development of psychopathology in youth exposed to adversity or trauma. Using a range of advanced statistical methods, she aims to elucidate modifiable risk and protective factors that may promote adaptive outcomes in at-risk and underserved youth. Clinically, she has worked with children and families affected by trauma, acute psychiatric illness, and chronic medical conditions. She is passionate about the provision of culturally humble care that centers on diversity, equity, and the role of intersectional identities.

Esther Palacios-Barrios
Esther Palacios-Barrios
Esther is a clinical psychology resident at the Brown University Warren Alpert Medical School and a doctoral candidate in the joint Clinical and Developmental Psychology Ph.D. program at the University of Pittsburgh. In her research, she endeavors to better understand the behavioral and neurobiological mechanisms by which experiencing stress and trauma in childhood and adolescence increases the risk for developing internalizing psychopathology. Clinically, she is passionate about providing psychological services to children, adolescents, and families impacted by adversity and trauma. She is devoted to providing therapeutic treatment to historically underserved populations, particularly in Spanish to Hispanic/Latinx communities.

Aleks Karnick
Aleks Karnick, M.A., M.P.H.
My research is focused on examining how neurological and biological risk factors interact with stressful and traumatic experiences to interfere with daily functioning and lead to maladaptive coping (e.g., substance use, suicidal thoughts and behaviors). Using multiple methods, I hope to probe these interactions through the development of neuroaffective models of behavior and decision-making. Clinically, I am interested in identifying modifiable treatment targets and addressing biased cognitive processes using principles derived from cognitive-behavioral and third wave frameworks.

Project ED CAT Research Assistants

Rachna Iyer
Rachna Iyer, B.A.
Rachna is a Research Assistant in the Resilience Lab working on the Cannabis and Trauma study. She graduated with a BA from the University of Michigan in 2022 where she studied Psychology and English with a creative writing concentration. Rachna’s research interests include traumatic stress following sexual assault or other forms of violence against women/womxn. You can also find her playing Scrabble or pretending to read.
Miranda McSherry
Miranda McSherry, B.A.
Miranda graduated from Simmons University with a Bachelor’s Degree in psychology and is currently a Clinical Research Assistant working on the Cannabis and Trauma study. Her background includes working with cannabis and practicing trauma-informed care with adolescents dealing with suicidality. In her free time, you can find Miranda being crafty or hanging out with family, friends, and her cat Macy.

Project Ground Truth Staff

Dimitri Luzincourt, M.A.
Dimitri graduated from Brown University with a Bachelor’s Degree in psychology, and from Boston University with a Master’s Degree in psychology. Dimitri is currently a research coordinator for the Social Media, Violence, and Social Isolation Among At-Risk Adolescents: Exploring Ground Truth study. In this position, Dimitri manages all aspects of the study, working to fulfill the study goal of understanding peer victimization, social connectedness, and adolescent psychological well-being. His research interests include adolescent mental health, technology, public health, social media, and internet use. His personal interests include sports and cats.

Georgette Metrailer
Georgette Metrailer, B.A.
Georgette Metrailer is originally from Baton Rouge, LA. She graduated from Louisiana State University with a major in Psychology and a minor in Fine Arts. Her research interests include exploring how early life experiences and adversity contribute to adolescent development and psychopathology. In her free time, Georgette loves to paint, draw, garden, cook, and she is always interested in trying new activities related to health and fitness. Currently, she is a Clinical Research Assistant for the Ground Truth study. In the future, Georgette plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.

Aanandita Bali, B.A.
Aanandita graduated from Clark University in 2023 with high honors in Psychology and Theatre. She is a Clinical Research Assistant for the Ground Truth study, which explores the connection between social media use and peer victimization. Her research focus lies at the intersection of social media and psychology, and she’s interested in exploring the offline impacts of the online world. She also enjoys writing (both academically and creatively) and watching Survivor in her free time.

Project Adversity, Emotions, and Behaviors in Teens Research Assistants

Amanda Desmarattes, B.A.
Amanda graduated from the University of Albany in 2022 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Human Development, with a concentration in counseling psychology. She works on two projects within the RI Resilience Lab, including Dr. Bublitz’s Mindfulness and Daily Experience study and Dr. Brown’s Adversity, Emotions, and Behaviors in Teens study. Amanda’s research interests include examining outcomes associated with early life stress, particularly prenatal stress. In her free time, Amanda enjoys listening to music, journaling, and trying out new restaurants.

Undergraduate Research Assistants

Molly Adiletto, Stonehill College

Afzal Ariff, Brown University

Annakate Colvin, University of Rhode Island

Kaitlyn Crowley, Wellesley College

Kyleigh Domingues

Sofia Guzman Farias, Clark University

Julia Kennedy, Clark University

Lindsay Martin, Rhode Island College

Sierra Martin, Brown University

Emma Medrano, Wellesley College

Aji Fatou Sanneh, Rhode Island College