Morrissey-Compton Research Assistants: Past and Present Present Research Assistants: Michelle Kan Michelle is currently a graduate student at the California School of Professional Psychology, Alliant International University in San Francisco. She just finished her second year in the Clinical Psychology PhD program. Michelle graduated from Washington University in 2000 with a B.A. in Psychology and Educational Studies. She also earned a Master s degree in Psychological Services from the University of Pennsylvania in 2001. Michelle started off her career as a research assistant in the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University. She then shifted her focus to clinical practice and became a mental health clinician. She worked in various settings in New York and Connecticut, providing individual psychotherapy, family therapy and group counseling in primary care clinics, communitybased mental health centers, substance abuse treatment programs, and private practice. She relocated to the Bay Area in 2014. Michelle's research interests include complex trauma, attachment and neuropsychological development in children. On her spare time, she likes to go hiking with her husband and their two boys. Summer 2016 to present; wtmkan@gmail.com Lupe Saucedo Hello, my name is Guadalupe Saucedo, you can call me Lupe. I am a senior college student at Palo Alto University currently pursuing my B.S. in Psychology. My fields of interest are neuropsychology, medicine, and education. I have a passion for learning and learning how to cook! In my extra time, I enjoy reading a good book or watching an episode of The Big Bang Theory. Most importantly, I love spending time with my family. My goals in life are helping others to have access to healthcare and spreading the idea of a sustainable earth for our future generations. Fall 2015 to present; grosas-blanco@paloaltou.edu Kyle Greenman Kyle grew up in San Mateo, California. He is currently a senior at Palo Alto University in the Psychology and Social Action program. His academic interests include developmental psychology and language acquisition. These interests were driven by personal experiences as the father of a deaf daughter. Future academic and professional aspirations include graduate study in neuropsychology. In rare moments of downtime Kyle enjoys opera, practices cello, and is an avid rollercoaster enthusiast. Fall 2015 to present; kgreenman@paloaltou.edu
Megan Broome My name is Megan Broome. I am a 22-year-old college student attending Palo Alto University. Psychology is the field that I feel like I belong in because I am fascinated by many of the types of work that Psychologists do. At this point in my educational career I am opening myself up to opportunities in many different parts of the field in order to find where I fit. When I'm not at school or dreaming about my future, I am usually home with my dog doing something creative, like drawing or painting. Fall 2015 to present; meganbroome93@gmail.com Nicole Heller Nicole Heller graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in May 2016 where she earned a B.A. in Psychology and an Education minor. While at UC Berkeley, Nicole worked as a Research Assistant in Silvia Bunge s Lab: The Building Blocks of Cognition, a UC Berkeley cognitive neuroscience lab. During the summers, Nicole worked as an educator at the Marine Science Institute in Redwood City where she taught kids of all ages about marine science and oceanography. Her research and academic interests include cognitive neuroscience and executive function, and the roles they play in the education system. Additionally, Nicole is interested in field of School Psychology. In her spare time, Nicole loves to watch baseball and football, read a good book, go for a run/hike, or bake something delicious. Summer 2016 to present; n.heller717@gmail.com
Past Research Assistants: Megan Fok Megan is a graduate of Virginia Tech and earned two BS degrees in Human Development and Psychology. Her research interests include social/emotional development in Autism. Megan hopes to one day return to school to become a clinical psychologist and work with kids and families with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Fall 2015 to Spring 2016; mfok@vt.edu Jared Van Irene Vega My name is Jared Van and I graduated from The University of the Pacific in 2014 and received a B.A. in Psychology. I am a Radical Behaviorist, yet I refuse to turn a blind eye to any branch of Psychology scientifically supported by statistically salient data. I currently work as a Behavioral Instructor for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and am also looking at Post-Grad Universities to fulfill one of my dreams of earning a PhD before I turn 30 (I am currently 22). I have aspirations of leading research in many domains beginning with multitasking and improving efficiency and effectiveness of human behavior. In a dream world, I would also have a private psychotherapy practice where I work with children, adolescents and adults. I started as a client of Morrissey-Compton and have worked to become a member of their team of diligent research assistants. I would happily discuss my past, present, and future with anyone with a curious mind. Fall 2014 to Fall 2015; jared.van92@gmail.com Irene Vega is one of our Research Assistants for the Executive Function Research Program and has been with us since Fall 2014. She recently graduated from Palo Alto University with a B.S. in Business Psychology and is currently taking Early Childhood Education courses at Canada College in Redwood City. Fall 2014 to Fall 2015; irivera-vega@paloaltou.edu Shira Woodlee Shira Woodlee went to the University of Miami for college and majored in psychology and secondary education in English. Graduating a year early from college, Shira moved back to the Bay area and joined a movement called Teach for America. She was eager to teach youth in the areas in which she grew up, seeing the need for strong education in underserved areas in California. Shira taught Special Education at a high school in Richmond, and then Biology at a high school in Oakland for several years. Shira recognizes that students are different and need to be taught in differing ways. Shira is committed to educating today's youth through individualized educational approaches. Currently, Shira works as an Academic Coach and Learning Specialist at Student Organizational Services (SOS) serving students with all needs from schools across the Bay Area. Summer 2015; shira.woodlee@gmail.com
Deanna Kim Aaron Gorelik Deanna Kim obtained a B.A. from UC Berkeley, M.Ed. from the University of San Francisco and graduated from the Educational Therapy program at Holy Names University. Since 2003, she has been working with a diverse group of students ranging from kindergarten to high school both in the classroom and in one-on-one settings. Some of the cognitive profiles of these students include ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, autistic spectrum, and processing challenges. Currently she provides educational therapy and coaching services to students with executive function challenges on campus at the Athenian school in Danville and privately at the Summit Center in Walnut Creek. In particular, she has found that training and empowering parents can bring effectiveness in helping teens not only develop and sustain pertinent executive skills but also generalize them in other contexts. In her family approach, she has been facilitating the fine balance between the adolescents desire to be autonomous and their need to receive external support from others. She is interested in further exploring this parent/child dynamic in the context of intervening for the student s executive function skills. Her other research interests are in the area of the role of emotion in fostering executive skills and the relationship between the use of executive strategies in math and the working memory. She is a blessed mother of twin boys, and enjoys reading and hiking in her spare time. Summer 2015; deanna.m.kim@gmail.com Hello my name is Aaron Gorelik! I am an incoming senior at Gunn High School. I am interested in neuroscience and hope to broaden my understanding of neuroscience through this summer internship. In my free time I enjoy running, hiking with my dog and research things that interest me. I can t wait to work with the Morrissey Compton team. Summer 2014, 2015; aaron255@gmail.com Leo Rosas Hello my name is Leonardo (Leo) Rosas! I am an incoming senior and psychology major at the University of California, Berkeley. I can happily say that I love my major and I m ecstatic to pursue a career in psychology. At Berkeley I am a research assistant at Allison Harvey's Golden Bear Sleep & Mood Research Clinic. I primarily work as an Overnight Assistant Supervisor. My duties consist of assisting the overnight supervisor in running all aspects of the overnight study (teen participants come into the lab for assessments and collection of biological measures DNA, cytokines, hormones, melatonin) to ensure that everything runs smoothly and effectively. To add, I also have research interests in executive function, emotions, consciousness, and psychopathology. Additionally, I absolutely enjoy playing sports, especially soccer, being outdoors (hiking, camping, exploring, etc.), and listening to music & dancing. I like to read and do personal research on topics that interest me in order to satiate my desire for knowledge and personal growth. I'm really happy and thankful to have this opportunity to work at Morrissey-Compton, I do hope to meet you very soon and get to know you all. Take very good care and GO BEARS!!! Summer 2014; leonardorosas@berkeley.edu
Kate Lazar My name is Kate Lazar and I am an incoming Junior at Menlo School in Atherton. I enjoy making art and have participated on my school's cross country team for the last two years. I like trying new restaurants and chilling with my two cats. In the future, I might major in psychology or neuroscience. I look forward to gaining work experience through this internship and getting to learn more about psychology. Summer 2014; kate.lazar@menloschool.org Lauren Allerhand My name is Lauren Allerhand, and I am a first year Psy.D student at the Pacific Graduate School of Psychology-Stanford Consortium. My clinical and research interests include the relationship between ADHD and social skills, the connection between Executive Function deficits and ADHD, and translating research findings into clinical practice. I am excited about the opportunity to join the Morrissey-Compton Research Program, and I look forward to meeting all of you! Spring and Summer 2014; lallerhand@paloaltou.edu Alicia Vanden Bussche Genevieve Alicia is a first-year doctoral student at Palo Alto University (PAU). She moved to California in September of 2013 from Michigan. She received her bachelor's degree from Michigan State University in 2012. During her last two years of college and her year off before starting graduate school, she was a full-time psychometrician and conducted neuropsychological assessments on patients with various forms of psychopathology. She is interested in research focused on how minority stress and level of outness in the LGBT community can impact executive functioning on neuropsychological assessment and level of severity in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in LGBT active military and Veteran personnel. Her clinical interests are focused on LGBT individuals, active military personnel and non-military, minority stress, PTSD, depression, and anxiety. She is pursuing the neuropsychology emphasis at PAU and is currently working as a teaching assistant for the PAU undergraduates. Spring and Summer 2014; avandenbussche@paloaltou.edu My name is Genevieve and I have a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. In 2012, I moved to the Bay Area for graduate school and received an MSc in Psychology from Palo Alto University. My research interests are in cognitive functioning in children with learning disabilities and autism as well as creating culturally competent interventions to increase cognitive abilities in these populations. I am also interested in the areas of industrial/organizational and human-computer interaction, specifically the user experience and how it relates to cognition and executive functioning limitations. In my free time, I like to go on hikes with my two dogs, volunteer at animal shelters, and travel. Spring and Summer 2014; glinchan@gmail.com