BA, Gettysburg College. PhD, The New School for Social Research. Postdoctoral fellow at Mount Sinai Behavioral Health Center in the Department of Psychiatry. Interests include clinical psychology, cognitive neuroscience, the impact of traumatic stress on autobiographical memory, future thinking and identity, protective mechanisms to prevent and treat posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Dissertation investigates the mediating role of future self-continuity after exposure to a traumatic event in the development of PTSD and other clinical disorders, including anxiety and depression. Through the analysis of longitudinal data collected during the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrating how a perceived connection to a future version of yourself can decrease the severity of PTSD, depression, and anxiety symptoms following significant distress and trauma exposure as a direct consequence of the pandemic. Recipient of the Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award in Cognitive Neuroscience. Published on topics in global mental health, post-traumatic stress disorder, and autobiographical memory. Presented research at national and international conferences. SLC, 2024–
Undergraduate Courses 2024-2025
Psychology
Neural Narratives: Understanding Memory in the Mind
Open, Lecture—Fall
PSYC 2029
The adage, “You are what you remember,” speaks to the profound impact of autobiographical memories on our sense of self. These personal recollections serve as the building blocks of our identity, allowing us to maintain a coherent narrative of our lives across time. From our earliest childhood experiences to significant milestones, from personal triumphs to shared tragedies, autobiographical memories weave through every facet of our existence. As we age, the evolution—and sometimes deterioration—of these memories not only reflects but also shapes the ongoing story of who we are. Despite major achievements in neuroscience, researchers don't fully understand how memory, our sense of self, and the brain all fit together. The study of memory is an active area of contemporary research, including topics such as autobiographical memory, mental time travel, intergenerational memory, collective memory, and false memories. In this course, we will examine the neuropsychology and neuroscience research of the memory system’s integral role in shaping self-identity across the lifespan. We will also discuss how significant events alter our self-identity, imagined future, and emotional functioning. Through empirical research, we will also explore memory’s role in mental illness and the ways in which neuropsychologists develop therapeutic interventions. Students will learn the basic structural and functional properties of the human nervous system and their relationship to the cognitive processes of memory, in addition to the cognitive neuroscience of memory and self-identity.