Team

Leadership

Directors

Jason Schiffman, Ph.D.
he/him

Elizabeth Martin, Ph.D.
she/her

PREVENT Lab Director
Dr. Jason Schiffman is Professor of Clinical Science and the inaugural Director of Clinical Training for UCI’s Clinical Psychology program. He received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Southern California in 2003. Dr. Schiffman is founder and past Co-Director of the Maryland Early Intervention Program’s Strive for Wellness Clinic.
Dr. Schiffman’s research seeks to refine the identification of young people at risk for psychotic disorders, better understand the effects of psychosocial interventions for adolescents with psychosis, and uncover mechanisms that can reduce stigma against people with serious mental health concerns.

BEAN Lab Director
Dr. Liz Martin received her B.A. from the College of New Jersey (2004, summa cum laude), MLA from the University of Pennsylvania (2006), and Ph.D. from the University of Missouri (2013, Clinical Psychology).  She completed her predoctoral internship at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, followed by a one-year postdoctoral fellowship at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Pittsburgh/University of Pittsburgh.

Director of MRI Training

Theo G.M. van Erp, Ph.D.
he/him

Dr. Theo G.M. van Erp is Associate Professor in Residence at the University of California Irvine Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, where he directs the Clinical Translational Neuroscience Laboratory. His research program is focused on imaging and imaging genetics in psychiatric disorders. The primary aim of Dr. Van Erp’s Clinical Translational Neuroscience Laboratory is to understand the mechanisms underlying psychotic and affective disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder. To achieve this aim, he conducts magnetic resonance imaging, neurocognitive, and genetic studies.

Psychiatry and Clinical Trials Specialist

Adrian Preda, M.D.

Dr. Adrian Preda is Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Human Behavior at University California Irvine School of Medicine. His clinical and research focus is on schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, cognitive disorders, and clinical trial methodology.


Graduate Students

Ceouna Hegwood – 1st year
she/her

Ceouna is a first year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology program at UCI and a member of the LEAPS team and PREVENT lab. She graduated from Purdue University in 2021 with a B.S. in Brain and Behavioral Sciences, B.A. in Law and Society, minor in Forensic Sciences, and a certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Prior to coming to UCI, Ceouna was a NIH Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) fellow at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. During her time in the program she was a full time research assistant in the CLASP Lab and contributed to a range of studies focused on schizotypy, schizophrenia, childhood trauma, resiliency, and positive symptom analysis. Furthermore, she was a member of the Adolescent Behavioral Research Program with IU School of Medicine working on studies focusing on dissemination of health information to youth in at-risk communities. Ceouna is interested in conducting research examining biological, neurocognitive, and environmental risk factors for the development of psychosis and schizophrenia spectrum disorders among racial minorities. Furthermore, how risk and identity impact utilization of mental health services. With an ultimate goal of progressing creation and implementation of interventions and preventatives that are culturally responsive, effective, and accessible. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, baking sweet treats, and attending art shows/festivals. 

Maks Giljen – 2nd year
he/him

ResearchGate
Email: mgiljen@uci.edu
Mentor: Schiffman

Maks is a second-year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology program at UCI, and a member of the LEAPS Team and PREVENT Lab. He graduated from Northwestern University in 2020 with a B.A. in Psychology. Before coming to UCI, Maks was a lab manager and research coordinator at Northwestern’s ADAPT Program. He was the primary coordinator for the CAPR study, which aims to develop a computerized task battery that can be administered online to help identify individuals who may be at increased risk for developing psychosis. Maks is interested in studying how stress and stigma in marginalized communities, particularly SGM and immigrant populations, interact with psychosis risk and contribute to symptom presentations and diagnoses. In his spare time, he enjoys listening to music, hiking, and trying new desserts. 

Emily Petti – 3rd year
she/her

Google ScholarResearchGate

Email: epetti@uci.edu
Mentor: Schiffman

Emily is a third-year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology program at UCI, and a member of the LEAPS Team and PREVENT Lab. She graduated from Cornell University in 2016 with a B.A. in Psychology and minors in Human Development and Spanish. Before coming to UCI, Emily was a Research Coordinator for two years at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), managing studies focused on the etiology, assessment, and detection of psychosis-risk in adolescents and young adults. Prior to UMBC, she worked as a Research Assistant at Weill Cornell Medicine in NYC, and as an AmeriCorps member for City Year in an East Harlem public school. She is interested in studying sociocultural and contextual factors that contribute to psychosis-spectrum symptoms and diagnoses, stigmatization of mental health concerns, and disparities in access to and utilization of mental health services. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, reading mystery novels, playing soccer, and trying lots of different foods!

Miranda Bridgwater – 4th year
she/her

Google Scholar

Email: mbridgwa@uci.edu
Mentor: Schiffman

Miranda is a fourth-year graduate student in the PREVENT lab and a member of the LEAPS Team. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a BS in Psychology and Sociology. Previously, she worked with Drs. Leslie Horton and Peter Bachman at Pitt as a Research Associate managing EMA and EEG studies of teenagers at high risk for psychosis and assisted the HOPE TEAM Clinic, which provides mental health services to teenagers and young adults in the greater Pittsburgh area. She is interested in evaluating mental health service utilization and pathways to care amongst young people at high risk for psychotic disorders in addition to exploring how social determinants may influence risk for psychosis.  In her spare time, she enjoys reading, listening to podcasts, and traveling.

Madeline Snyder – 4th year
she/her

Google Scholar

Email: snyderme@uci.edu
Mentor: Martin

Madeline is a fourth-year graduate student at UC Irvine and is a member of the BEAN Lab and LEAPS Team. She graduated from UC San Diego in 2019 with a B.S. in Cognitive Science (specializing in Neuroscience) and a minor in Psychology. During her undergraduate years, she worked in the Systems Neuroscience Lab and in the Collaboratory for Neuroimaging Research and Development with UCSD Health. Her research interests include studying the manifestation of schizophrenia-spectrum disorder symptoms and the relations between emotional, social, and cognitive functioning. She hopes to use a combination of electrophysiological and behavioral measures to study the interplay between executive (dys)function and emotional (dys)regulation in psychiatric vs control populations.

LeeAnn Akouri-Shan – 6th year
she/her

Google Scholar

Email: leeanns@uci.edu
Mentor: Schiffman

LeeAnn is a sixth-year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology program at UMBC — she is currently completing her Predoctoral Internship at the West Los Angeles VA. LeeAnn earned her B.A. in Psychology and Social Behavior from the University of California, Irvine, and an M.S. in Social Work from Columbia University. Prior to to UMBC, she worked with Dr. Jack Blanchard at the University of Maryland, College Park, where she managed a neuroimaging study examining social affiliation and reward processing in psychosis. LeeAnn is interested in mechanisms that contribute to social impairment in individuals at risk for psychosis. In her free time, LeeAnn enjoys boxing, yoga, and traveling.


Research Staff

Lindsay Healey, Ph.D.
she/her

Lindsay is a postdoctoral scholar in the PREVENT Lab. She graduated from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada with a doctoral degree in Forensic Psychology with a Concentration in Quantitative Methodology. Before joining the PREVENT Lab, Lindsay worked for nearly a decade as a Research Coordinator in the Forensic Research Unit at the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group, a psychiatric facility headquartered in Ottawa, Canada. Most of Lindsay’s previous research has been at the intersection of the mental health and criminal justice systems, and in particular with individuals who have been found not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder, most of whom have psychotic-spectrum disorders. Lindsay is interested in applied clinical research focusing on improving the quality of life of individuals at risk of, and who have developed psychotic-spectrum disorders, and in particular how to prevent contact with the criminal justice system. She is also especially passionate about understanding and developing interventions to address public stigma of those with serious mental disorders. In Lindsay’s free time she enjoys traveling, playing softball, trying new restaurants, and listening to live music.

Alison Boos, B.A.
she/her

Google Scholar

Email: boosa@uci.edu

Alison is the Lab Manager in the PREVENT Lab and a member of the LEAPS Team. She graduated from University of San Francisco with a B.A. in Psychology and minors in Neuroscience and German Studies. Previously she worked with Drs. Dan Mathalon and Judy Ford at University of California, San Francisco studying the neural mechanisms underlying psychosis using multimodal neuroimaging methods. She then joined Dr. Schiffman’s lab at University of Maryland, Baltimore County as a Research Assistant, where she worked for one year before moving with the team to UCI. Alison is interested in evidence-based approaches to meeting the needs of youth who are at-risk for psychosis and integrating mental health education into schools and community organizations to improve early identification, access to care, and to reduce stigma. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, camping, swimming in the ocean, and eating cookies. She will be starting a Masters of Social Work program at Cal State Long Beach in Fall 2023.

Mia Villegas, B.A.
they/she

Email: mcville1@uci.edu

Mia is a Senior Project Coordinator in the PREVENT lab. She graduated from University of Southern California with a B.A. in Psychology as well as Cognitive Science. Previously, she worked with Dr. Stanley Huey Jr. studying cultural adaptivity within trauma assessment measures, and Dr. Clayton Stephenson studying the effect COVID-19 has had on student’s wellbeing and academic endeavors.  Mia is interested in culture and mental health, and medical anthropology within the clinical psychology field. In her free time, she can be found roller-skating, reading, cooking, and enjoying the outdoors.

Karen Coronado, M.A.
she/her

Email: kcorona4@uci.edu

Karen is a Senior Project Coordinator in the PREVENT lab. She graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a B.S. in Social Psychology and then graduated from the University of California, Irvine with her M.A. in Legal and Forensic Psychology. At UCI Karen worked with Dr. Elizabeth Cauffman in the Development, Disorder, and Delinquency Lab looking into patterns of normative development in samples of community and delinquent youth and what implications these would have for practice and policy. Karen’s interest in clinical psychology stems from her curiosity in race/ethnicity’s relationship in diagnostic and referral for care. In her free time she enjoys cooking, traveling, and getting outside as much as possible. 

Yerim Ryu, B.A.
she/her

Email: yerimr@uci.edu

Yerim is a Project Coordinator in the PREVENT Lab. She graduated from Pepperdine University with a B.A. in Psychology, and is also a former UCI post-baccalaureate student. Her research interests include effects of varying family dynamics (e.g. parent-child relationship) and possible risk factors and interventions for psychopathology in children and adolescents. She is also currently working in Dr. Jessica Borelli’s THRIVE Lab studying various aspects of parent-child relationships (e.g., attachment security, reflective functioning, and parenting behaviors) and how they are associated.  In her free time, she loves to read, watch movies, and spend time with friends.


Research Assistants

Paul Delacruz
he/him

Paul is a 4th year Psychological Sciences Major. He is a research assistant for the PREVENT lab and the Technology And Mental health (TEAM) Lab. His research interests include psychopathology, trauma, and (diverse/low income) family dynamics/relationships. His hobbies include playing games with friends, watching anime, and trying out new places to eat. He looks to continue doing research at the lab as he transitions to UCI’s Post-Baccalaureate program.

Bingyi Xu
she/her

Bingyi is a third-year Psychological Science and Sociology double major. She is interested in psychosis, affective disorders, and CBT. She is also passionate about destigmatizing mental illness and raising public awareness for mental health. In her free time, she enjoys crafting, reading, and spending time with families.

Anaiza Cortez
she/her

Anaiza is a 3rd-year Psychological Science major with a minor in Creative Writing. She is interested in how psychopathology and relationships interact with one another. She is also passionate about educating people on how to support those experiencing mental illness. In her free time, she enjoys writing poetry, listening to Taylor Swift, and playing Dead by Daylight on her Xbox.

Jessie Lee
she/her

Jessie is a fourth-year majoring in Psychology and a research assistant for the PREVENT Lab. She is interested in clinical psychology and cognitive neuroscience, particularly conditions that can interfere with one’s social cognition. She is also currently a research assistant for Dr. Nadia Chernyak’s Development of Social Cognition Lab, and is exploring children’s cognitions about different social group markers. Her hobbies include watching new shows, drawing, and journaling.

Michelle Zernick, B.A.
she/her

Michelle received her B.A. in Psychology from Cal State Long Beach in 2020 and completed the
Psychological Science post-baccalaureate program at UCI in 2022. Michelle is a research
assistant for the PREVENT lab and her research interests include social and cognitive function,
and emotional regulation in individuals across the psychopathological spectrum, as well as early identification and interventions for mental illnesses such as psychosis, trauma, and depression. Her hobbies include baking, embroidery/sewing, reading, and gardening.

Alex Kyebasuuta-Portouw
they/them

Alex is a 4th-year Psychological Sciences major and research assistant for the PREVENT lab. Their research interests include psychopharmacology, schizophrenia, and the intersections of race and gender in relation to psychopathology. Their end goal is to obtain a Ph.D. in Psychological Sciences to perform psychological assessments, diagnose, and/or become a professor. They enjoy gardening, video games, rollerskating, and crafting. In the meantime, you can find them playing MTG, painting clay, or sleeping with their cat.

Marco Maldonado, B.A.
he/him

In 2023, Marco received his B.A. in Psychological Sciences with double minors in Biology and Business Management from UC Irvine. Currently, he works as a research assistant for the PREVENT Lab and THRIVE Lab. His research interests lie in the field of attachment psychology, developmental psychopathology, and the prevention and intervention of mental health illnesses. Marco is also passionate about exploring ways to reduce stigma and improve accessibility to mental health services in Latinx communities. He plans to apply and attend a Ph.D. program in Clinical Psychology in the future. During his leisure time, Marco enjoys going to the movies, delving into Wikipedia rabbit holes, and spending quality time with his friends and family.

Hannah Moring
she/her

Hannah is a 4th year Biological Sciences major and a research assistant at the PREVENT Lab. Her academic interests include- psychosis, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and anxiety disorders. She aspires to be a Physician’s Assistant with a specialization in psychiatry after she finishes her studies at UCI. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, figure skating, and watching shows/movies.

Arlene Dominguez
she/her

Arlene is a third-year Psychological Sciences major and research assistant for the PREVENT Lab. She aims to become a Physician Assistant, specializing in psychiatric emergencies in a hospital. As a Native American woman, from the Gabrieleño Band of Mission Indians, she understands the stigma surrounding mental health and would like to be a part of the solution to making minorities feel comfortable accessing the help they may need. In her free time, she loves spending time with her family, friends, and pets. She enjoys advocating for a better future concerning climate change and racial justice. 

Princess Osonwa
she/her

Princess is a third year Psychology Major on a pre-med track with a minor in biological sciences. Her research interests include different types of trauma and its affects on memory specifically episodic memory, using various neuroimaging techniques and GABA receptor drugs in order to test their importance/effects on parts of the brain responsible for memory recall, in order to reverse the impact of traumatic memories on individuals and their abilities to recall their memories. She is also interested in knowing how traumatic events trigger psychosis and what areas of the brain are mostly impacted with these disorders. Her end goal it to obtain an M.D in Neuropsychiatry or Neuropathology. Her hobbies include dancing, cooking, drawing/painting and she is trying to get into scrapbooking.

Danielle Munguia, B.S.
she/her

Danielle is a current student in the Psychological Science post-baccalaureate program at UCI. She graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a B.S. in Psychobiology and a minor in entrepreneurship. During her time at UCLA, she worked in two labs—in Dr. Chavira’s CALMA lab where she helped explore the mental health needs and acculturative stress of people that identified as Hispanic and in Dr. Bath’s Commercial Sexual Exploitation (CSE) lab where she examined substance use profiles and treatment needs of judicially-involved CSE youth. After graduating, she spent her first postgraduate year working as an administrative assistant for the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services on a project that helped mitigate COVID-19 amongst people experiencing homelessness. For the past 3 years, Danielle has been working as a research assistant at WestEd where she primarily conducts qualitative research at the intersection of education, mental health, and juvenile justice. Danielle has a passion for social justice research and her interests include examining risk and protective factors in the development of a serious mental illness (SMI) in justice/non-justice involved Black and Latinx adolescents. In her spare time, Danielle likes to exercise, practice yoga, and travel to new places with friends and family.


Lab Alumni

Project Coordinators

Research Assistants

Alex Martinez
Bernardo Martinez

Apphia Freeman
Rui Ma

Julie Jimenez
Tiffani Pope
Leo Capuno
Cici Zheng
Katie Rugh
Jingyi (Violet) Yang
Phoebe Pham
Daniel Lozano

Estevan Hernandez
Mia Quintero
Sono Lee
Sidney Acero


Other Awesome Collaborators!

Caroline Roemer

Caroline is a Clinical Project Manager for the Strive for Wellness clinic, and works with Dr. Schiffman to develop manuals and trainings for Modular Treatment for Youth at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis. She graduated from Pepperdine University and then received her master’s degree in Early Intervention in Psychosis from King’s College London. She is interested in co-occurring mental health issues and individualized treatment for people at risk for psychosis.


UMBC Graduate Students
Schiffman Mentor – YouthFIRST Lab

Samantha Redman
5th Year

Samantha is a fourth-year graduate student  in the YouthFirst lab. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.S. in Neuroscience and later from Columbia University with an M.A. in Clinical Psychology. She previously worked with Dr. Dolores Malaspina at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine as a research coordinator managing a multidisciplinary study examining the gut-brain axis in schizophrenia. Samantha is interested in evaluating the etiology of psychosis from a prospective framework and adding to current research on effective identification strategies and interventions in early psychosis. Samantha enjoys running, reading, spending time with her family & dog and flashmobs!

Samantha Jay
6th Year

Samantha is a fifth-year graduate student in the clinical psychology program, on the child track, at UMBC. She graduated from University of Maryland, College Park with a B.S. in Psychology in May 2016. Before joining the YouthFIRST lab, Samantha worked as a research coordinator for the Maryland Suicide Prevention and Early Intervention Network at Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health. Samantha is interested in the prevention, assessment, and intervention of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in adolescents at clinical high risk for psychosis. Samantha is also interested in the influence of psychosocial risk factors on the development and course of psychosis-risk symptoms. Samantha enjoys reading, spending time at the beach, running outside, traveling, and flash mobs!

John Fitzgerald
6th Year

John is a sixth-year graduate student in the YouthFirst lab. As the program manager for the Maryland Early Intervention Program, John’s work focuses on expanding accessibility of empirically-based care around the state for those at-risk for, or experiencing, a first episode of psychosis. He also assists in several research projects for these populations, specifically in assessment of cognitive and clinical functioning for those in the early stages of care. John likes spending his spare time at concerts, cooking, finding new podcasts, following US track and field, and flashmobs!