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Lauren S. Hallion, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator Dr. Hallion is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Hallion joined the Pitt faculty in 2016 as a Research Assistant Professor, and began her tenure-stream Assistant Professor position in 2018. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, completed her predoctoral clinical psychology internship at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Anxiety Disorders Center at the Institute of Living. **I am planning to review graduate applications for the 2024-2025 admissions cycle.** |
Graduate Students and Postdocs
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Mary Blendermann, B.S.
Mary is a graduate student in the Cognitive and Neural Mechanisms of Anxiety Lab pursuing her PhD in clinical psychology. She received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 2018. Prior to joining the CNMA Lab, Mary worked as the lab manager of the Psychopathology and Emotion Processing Lab at the UC Davis Medical Center, where she studied cognitive control of emotion in individuals with early psychosis. Mary’s research interests include attentional control, perseverative thought, anxiety, mindfulness, and advanced quantitative methods. |
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Cecilia Westbrook, M.D, Ph.D.
Research Fellow Ceci Westbrook, MD PhD is a fourth-year psychiatry resident at Western Psychiatric Hospital. She completed her Ph.D. in Psychology in 2017 with Dr. Richard Davidson, and her MD in 2019, both at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Her research interests are in understanding the role of stress-diathesis interactions in the development of depression and anxiety disorders, with a focus on the cognitive and neural mechanisms leading to worry and rumination in vulnerable individuals. In her free time she enjoys hiking, baking and creative writing. |
Research Assistants
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Brittany Alberts, B.S.
Lab Manager Brittany graduated from India University Bloomington with a BS in Psychology in 2020. She joined the Cognitive and Neural Mechanisms of Anxiety Lab in 2021 as the lab manager/project coordinator. She previously worked as a research assistant in the Cognitive Developmental Lab at IU, where she studied how different types of cognition develop in infants and how different environments affect this development. Brittany is interested how maladaptive behaviors in parents, specifically emotional dysregulation, affects their children behaviors and their potential psychopathology. Katie Caulfield, M.S.
Katie graduated from the Cognitive and Neural Mechanisms of Anxiety Lab with her Master's degree in 2022, and now works in the lab part-time as a data scientist. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Classics from the College of the Holy Cross in 2011, after which she worked as an ESL teacher for Kaplan International and began post-baccalaureate studies in Psychology. Prior to coming to the University of Pittsburgh, she worked as a research specialist and the lab manager in the Kable Neuroeconomics Lab at the University of Pennsylvania studying decision-making. Currently, Katie is pursuing formal graduate training in data science, and plans to pursue a career as a full-time data scientist. |
Lab Alumni: Graduate Students and Research Staff
Tracie Ebalu, M.S.
Tracie received her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Vermont in 2013. Afterwards, she worked as a Research Technician at the National Center for PTSD in Boston and later on as a Student Research Grantee at the Central Institute of Mental Health (Zentral Institut für Seelische Gesundheit) in Mannheim, Germany. Her research interests are investigating transdiagnostic cognitive mechanism associated with emotional and stress-related disorders. In her free time, Tracie loves swimming, cooking, solo-travelling, and salsa dancing. Tracie graduated from the program with her Master's degree in 2024 and is currently pursuing a career in data science.
Tracie received her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Vermont in 2013. Afterwards, she worked as a Research Technician at the National Center for PTSD in Boston and later on as a Student Research Grantee at the Central Institute of Mental Health (Zentral Institut für Seelische Gesundheit) in Mannheim, Germany. Her research interests are investigating transdiagnostic cognitive mechanism associated with emotional and stress-related disorders. In her free time, Tracie loves swimming, cooking, solo-travelling, and salsa dancing. Tracie graduated from the program with her Master's degree in 2024 and is currently pursuing a career in data science.
Susan Kusmierski, M.S.W.
Susan was the CNMA lab manager until 2020, when she left the lab to focus on her graduate training in social work. She currently works as a clinical social worker.
Susan was the CNMA lab manager until 2020, when she left the lab to focus on her graduate training in social work. She currently works as a clinical social worker.
Essang Akpan
Essang was a data analyst in the lab, with time split between the CNMA lab and another lab. He is currently working in analytics at PNC and in pursuit of a master's degree in data analytics.
Essang was a data analyst in the lab, with time split between the CNMA lab and another lab. He is currently working in analytics at PNC and in pursuit of a master's degree in data analytics.
Lab Alumni: Undergraduate Honors Thesis Students
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Yasmine Crawley
Yasmine graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in spring 2021 with a double major in Psychology and Africana Studies and a creative writing minor. She is currently a Pediatric Research Technician at John Hopkins University. She plans on going to graduate school to become a therapist and also wants to pursue a career in screenwriting. |
Paige DeGennaro
Paige graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor's degree in Neuroscience and Sociology. She currently works full-time as a project coordinator, and plans to attend graduate school and earn her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology to pursue a career as a clinical researcher/psychologist.
Paige graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor's degree in Neuroscience and Sociology. She currently works full-time as a project coordinator, and plans to attend graduate school and earn her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology to pursue a career as a clinical researcher/psychologist.
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Isabella Demo
Isabella is a fourth year student at the University of Pittsburgh. She plans to double majoring in Psychology and Sociology. |
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Nikita Karulkar
Nikita graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2018 and remains actively involved in ongoing research in the Cognitive and Neural Mechanisms of Anxiety Lab. She is currently a Masters of Health Psychology student at the University of Auckland focusing on digital health. |
Immanuela Obisie-Orlu
Immanuela graduated the University of Pittsburgh in 2022. She is currently a clinical psychology PhD student at Northwestern University following her interests in OCD, anxiety, and perseverative thought.
Immanuela graduated the University of Pittsburgh in 2022. She is currently a clinical psychology PhD student at Northwestern University following her interests in OCD, anxiety, and perseverative thought.
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Justine Thompson
Justine is currently a clinical research assistant at Rhode Island Hospital/Brown Medical School in Providence, RI. |
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Grace Wilson
Grace graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2019 and remains actively involved in ongoing research in the Cognitive and Neural Mechanisms of Anxiety Lab. She is currently working on a meta-analysis on the relationship between worry, rumination, and cognition. |
