Our Team
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Lauren S. Hallion, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator Dr. Hallion is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Regina. 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. Dr. Hallion joined the University of Pittsburgh faculty in 2016 as a Research Assistant Professor and was later an Assistant Professor. She joined the University of Regina as an Associate Professor in 2025. |
Graduate Students and Postdocs
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Mary Blendermann, B.S., M.S.
Mary is a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. Mary studies repetitive thought, mindfulness, and subjective attentional functioning using intensive longitudinal assessment and advanced quantitative methods. Clinically, Mary specializes in working with adults with anxiety- and trauma-related disorders, with modalities of choice including acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and cognitive processing therapy (CPT) for PTSD. Mary is also an experienced undergraduate instructor and enthusiastic pedagogy nerd. Get in touch at maryblendermann.com. |
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Audrey Reuman, B.A.
Audrey is a first-year graduate student in the CNMA Lab at the University of Regina. After receiving her BA in Psychology from Bowdoin College (USA) in 2021, Audrey worked at McLean Hospital's OCD Institute and contributed to perinatal and reproductive psychiatry research at Massachusetts General Hospital. She is interested in the structure and dynamics of transdiagnostic perseverative thought. In her free time, Audrey enjoys reading; playing cello; and spending time with her fiancée, Natalie, and their cat and dog. |
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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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Brooke Armstrong, B.A. (Hons)
Lab Coordinator Brooke recently graduated from the University of Regina with a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in Psychology, a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies, and a certificate in Forensic Psychology. She began working for CNMA as the lab coordinator in August of 2025, and she is also currently the lab coordinator for the Anxiety and Illness Behavior Lab at the University of Regina. Brooke has experience working in various psychology labs as a volunteer, research assistant, and lab coordinator. In the future, she hopes to pursue graduate studies. |
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Brittany Alberts, B.S.
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. |
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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. |
