Current Members of the SEA Lab at the Fall 2020 Orientation Held Over Zoom
Principal Investigator:
Kathryn L. Humphreys, Ph.D., Ed.M. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology and Human Development at Vanderbilt University. She is a member of the Clinical Science faculty and directs the Stress and Early Adversity (SEA) Laboratory. Dr. Humphreys attended Vanderbilt as an undergraduate, where she studied Child Development and Cognitive Studies. She earned a master’s in Risk and Prevention at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Humphreys completed her clinical internship and clinical postdoctoral fellowship in Infant Mental Health at the Tulane University School of Medicine. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University. Dr. Humphreys’s ultimate goal is to promote healthy development through supporting families during what is often a challenging time. She has two young children of her own, who inspire her daily.
Post Doctoral Fellows:
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Lauren Bailes, Ph.D. is a Postdoctoral Scholar in the SEA Lab in the Department of Psychology and Human Development. She studied Psychological Sciences at Western Kentucky University and received a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. Lauren’s research focuses on children’s social and emotional development during infancy, toddlerhood, and early childhood. Her graduate work focused on caregivers' early interactions with infants as predictors of toddlers’ emotion expression. Outside of the lab, Lauren enjoys spending time with her nieces and nephews and traveling.
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Whitney Barnett, Ph.D., MPH is a Postdoctoral Scholar in the SEA Lab in the Department of Psychology and Human Development. Her graduate research focused on identifying pathways underlying child exposure to domestic violence and adverse growth and developmental outcomes in early life. Her current research interests are understanding the impact of maltreatment in early life on child outcomes and implementing evidence-based approaches to support parents and children to prevent maltreatment. Whitney graduated with an honors degree from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and earned her Masters in Public Health and her Ph.D. from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Outside of the lab, Whitney enjoys spending time outside with her husband and two children, Madison and Jackson.
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Kaylin Hill, Ph.D. is a postdoctoral scholar in the NIH T32: Development of Psychopathology: From Brain and Behavioral Science to Intervention Training Program, primarily working with Drs. Autumn Kujawa and Kathryn Humphreys in the Department of Psychology and Human Development at Vanderbilt University. Kaylin’s research utilizes multiple methods, including psychophysiology, behavioral measures, and self-report/structured interviews, to examine cognitive and affective processes. Kaylin is most interested in assessing intergenerational risk factors and the rigor of commonly used methods to support early identification and intervention for mood disorders. Kaylin graduated summa cum laude from Butler University, earned her Ph.D. from Purdue University, and completed her clinical internship at the University of Notre Dame. Outside the lab, Kaylin enjoys adventuring and spending time with her family.
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Staff:
Lab Manager
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Regan Carell graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2019 with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Neuroscience. Regan is currently the lab manager for the Vanderbilt Stress and Early Adversity Laboratory. Her research interests include understanding differences in how parents mentally represent their children, and whether these differences are linked to child outcomes. Outside of the lab, Regan enjoys spending time with loved ones and cooking.
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Project Coordinator
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Hannah Piersiak received her M.Ed. in Child Studies from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody School of Education in 2020. Before completing her master’s degree, she received a B.A. in Psychology from Colby College in 2017. Her research interests include the developmental outcomes associated with different early life experiences, particularly emotion regulation and mental health, and protective factors, and interventions that can promote resilience and positive outcomes for children and families. Outside of the lab, Hannah enjoys being outdoors, running, and watching sports.
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Ph.D. Students:
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Sanjana Ravi is a second-year doctoral student in the Clinical Science program. She graduated from University of Washington in 2018 with a double degree in Psychology and Early Childhood and Family Studies. Prior to joining the SEA Lab, Sanjana worked as a research coordinator in the Child Development Lab at the University of Maryland. She is interested in studying parenting of young children, as well as identifying how to promote healthy development/protect against the development of psychopathology. Outside of the lab, Sanjana is an avid CrossFitter. She loves trying new restaurants and cafes as well as watching vlogs on YouTube.
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Collaborating Graduate Students:
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Emilia Cárdenas is a fourth-year doctoral student in the Clinical Science area. Emili graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2016 with a dual degree in Psychology and Art. Emili then worked as a research coordinator in the Lab for Affective and Translational Neuroscience at McLean Hospital for two years. Emili is interested in advancing translational neuroscience to promote resilience in vulnerable children and families. Specifically, she is interested in using multimodal methods (e.g., ERPS, heart rate variability, behavior) to investigate predictors of caregiving behavior and postpartum health. Emili is excited about an NIH grant awarded to the MED and SEA Labs to study predictors of peripartum depression across pregnancy. When Emili is not in the lab, she enjoys listening to albums from start to finish (as the artists intended), cooking new recipes, and taking long walks around Nashville.
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Lauren Malachowski is a fourth-year doctoral student in the Developmental Science area. She graduated from Davidson College in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. She worked as a regulatory intern at Sarah Cannon Research Institute and then as the lab manager of the Vanderbilt Infant Learning Lab. Lauren is interested in investigating sources of variation in the early environment– particularly in terms of cognitive stimulation and enrichment. Outside of research, Lauren enjoys walking Nashville's historic neighborhoods, traveling, and shopping at Trader Joe's.
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Tom Qian is currently a participating graduate student at the SEA Lab, working mainly on the biomarker hype curve project, as well as troubleshooting statistical issues. His research interests include human emotions, appraisals, and metascience modeling. Currently he is interested in gardening and reading books about history.
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Collaborating Trainees:
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Elizabeth Hinckley is a Coordinator at VUMC in Pediatric Neurology and is collaborating with the SEA Lab on a project looking at neural plasticity during the peripartum period. She graduated from the University of Michigan in 2018 with honors and a double major in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience (BCN) and Spanish. Before moving to Nashville, she was the coordinator for the Mindfulness Lab at the University of Michigan for 2 years. Elizabeth is interested in the effects stress and environment have on development, risk and resilience, and how these factors may be considered to both inform interventions and engage underserved populations.
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Masters Students:
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Clare Hansen is currently a student in the Child Studies master’s program. She graduated from the University of Minnesota in December 2019, where she studied psychology and family social science. Her interests center around research that examines the importance of understanding early life adversity, the influence of caregiving experiences in childhood, and protective factors for stress and trauma. Outside of lab, Clare enjoys painting and trying new recipes.
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Brooke Fleming is currently a student in the Child Studies master’s program. She received her B.S. in Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of Kansas in 2020, along with certificates in the Brain and Mind and Service Learning. Her research interests are in developmental psychopathology, early life adversity, the role of caregiving, and the use of neurobiological approaches within research. Outside of the lab she enjoys spending time with her dog (Roxanne), creating art, listening to podcasts, and traveling.
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Karen Jacques received her B.A. in Psychology from Dartmouth College in 2017. After graduating, she spent a year in France as an English Language Teaching Assistant in elementary schools. She then went on to work as a research coordinator in the JK Lifespan Development Lab, under Dr. Jungmeen Kim-Spoon, at Virginia Tech. Her research interests focus on understanding the pathway from early childhood experiences to later life outcomes, and protective factors and interventions that can help lead to more positive developmental outcomes. Outside of the lab she enjoys spending time outdoors, playing sports, and watching crime mysteries.
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Kate Kwasneski is currently a student in the Child Studies master’s program. She received her B.A. in psychology from Grinnell College in 2021. Her research interests include investigating the impact of parent–child interactions on outcomes for children exposed to early life stress as well as the development of interventions aimed at fostering resilience in these children. Outside of the lab, she enjoys traveling, reading, and most kinds of crafts.
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Undergraduate Students:
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Kerissa Bryant
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Isabella Capra
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Casey Carrow
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Nancy Collie
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Nikkie Dutta
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Garrett Ennis
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Alex Katz
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Megan Lin
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Jadyn Rogers
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Michael Scudder
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Sydney Takemoto
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Lab Alumni:
Ekene Azuka
Emma Baker
Trinity Bell
Jenna Collazzo
Nikki Delgado
Vikas Dodda
Addison Dunn
Nelson Eiselstein
Elizabeth Estes
Nicky Farren
Sean Gallagher
Vedant Gandhewar
Margaret Gaw
Addison Glover
Madi Halwes
Paige Hamilton
Sarah Lempres
Mia Letterie
Maya Matsumoto
Leah Mortimer
Gabrielle Napper
Connor Pinson
Marissa Roth
David Russo
Virginia Salo
Bria Savoy
Sara Schunck
Sabrina Scollar
Joyce Woo
Rachel Yang
Chao Zhang
Emma Baker
Trinity Bell
Jenna Collazzo
Nikki Delgado
Vikas Dodda
Addison Dunn
Nelson Eiselstein
Elizabeth Estes
Nicky Farren
Sean Gallagher
Vedant Gandhewar
Margaret Gaw
Addison Glover
Madi Halwes
Paige Hamilton
Sarah Lempres
Mia Letterie
Maya Matsumoto
Leah Mortimer
Gabrielle Napper
Connor Pinson
Marissa Roth
David Russo
Virginia Salo
Bria Savoy
Sara Schunck
Sabrina Scollar
Joyce Woo
Rachel Yang
Chao Zhang
