Cara Atcher (she/her). Cara graduated in May 2023 from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Science in developmental psychology. Her research interests are in ACES and psychopathology. She is currently working at the YMCA on campus with children in the community. She plans to attend graduate school to get her Masters of Science in Child Life Studies and eventually pursue a career in the field.
Maddie Belrose (she/her). Maddie graduated in May of 2020. Maddie is applying for PhD programs in Clinical Psychology and working at an international medical device company. She is also still involved in research on campus and always looking for more opportunities!
Rachel Bollig (she/her). Rachel is a senior at the University of Minnesota majoring in Psychology (BS) and minoring in Public Health. Some of her research interests include the role of familial risk factors in the development of psychopathology and the association between substance use and psychopathology. She currently works at the University of Minnesota Medical Center as a Nursing Station Technician. She plans to attend graduate school and eventually pursue a career as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner.
Elise Brown (she/her). Elise graduated from the University of Minnesota in May 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in developmental psychology with a minor in family social sciences and family therapy. Her research interests include ACES, addiction impacts, and child psychopathology. She currently works in an early childhood enrichment center and coaches softball. She is hoping to continue her education after undergrad and pursue her Ph.D. in neuropsychology, and is currently applying to graduate programs out East.
Lucy Carey (she/her). Lucy graduated from the University of Minnesota in May 2023 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Developmental Psychology with a minor in public health. Her research interests are focused on psychopathology with a specific interest in Adverse Childhood Experiences and the impact they have on childhood development. After graduation, Lucy hopes to attend a graduate program to further her education within these interests.
Addison Cavender (she/her). Addie is studying Developmental Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota. Her research interests include child development within the education system as well as the general development of psychopathology. After graduating, she hopes to pursue a career advocating for students everywhere through advancements in Educational Neuroscience research.
Lauren Doescher (she/her). Lauren is a Senior at the University of Minnesota from Madison, Wisconsin. She’s pursuing both a BA in Developmental Psychology and a BS in Early Childhood Education with a minor in History. After graduation, Lauren hopes to attend graduate school in clinical psychology and pursue a career as a child psychologist. Her research interests include understanding the effects of trauma on the developing brain as well as psychopathology in children.
Jessalyn Dvorak (she/her). Jess is from Waseca, Minnesota and is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Developmental Psychology with a minor in Social Justice. She graduated in the spring of 2022 and hopes to pursue a P.h.D in Developmental Psychology. She is planning on a future career working in research examining the emotional regulation abilities of children in varying contexts.
Erin Gallert, BS (she/her). Erin was the Lead Research Assistant for the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study at the Minnesota Center for Twin and Family Research. She completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. In addition to her position with the ABCD Study, Erin worked with Dr. Sylia Wilson’s Children of Twin Study recruiting participants, running MRIs, and assisting data projects. Erin is now a graduate student in the Developmental Psychology program at Rutgers University, working with Danielle Dick. She is interested in researching the development of externalizing psychopathology in adolescence and its consequences for adult mental health and psychological adjustment.
Samantha Gardow, BA (she/her). Sam is a post baccalaureate Research Assistant in the Gunnar and Thomas labs. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with minors in Neuroscience and Developmental Psychology from the University of Minnesota in the spring of 2020. Her current research interests include attachment and the underlying mechanisms linking in utero experiences to fetal development and later life outcomes, as well as potential pathways of risk and resilience. Sam plans to pursue a PhD in Developmental or Clinical Child Psychology.
Celeste Guse (they/them). Celeste is a senior at the University of Minnesota from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They are pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Developmental Psychology with a minor in Music. Their research interests focus on autism spectrum disorder and neurodiversity in childhood and adolescence. After graduation, Celeste hopes to pursue a career in special education or school psychology.
Gregory Jansen (he/him). Gregory is a graduate MPH student in the Maternal and Child Health program at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. He graduated from the University of Minnesota in May 2023 with a Bachelor of Individualized Studies with concentrations in developmental psychology, psychology, and speech-language-hearing sciences. His research interests are focused on atypical trajectories for infant development as well as disordered eating and feeding behaviors in children.
Jeanne Johnson (she/her). Jeanne is from a suburb outside of Minneapolis called Shoreview, Minnesota, and studied developmental psychology. She graduated in May 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Developmental Psychology and a minor in Social Justice, and plans to go on to grad school.
Julia Hackett (she/her). Julia graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Developmental Psychology. She was born and a raised in Minneapolis, so being able to be apart of this community and program has been a dream of hers for years.
Lauren Hagert, BS (she/her). Lauren graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Developmental Psychology with a minor in Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies in Spring 2021. She is really passionate about diversifying research and the role trauma has in childhood outcomes. Post graduation, she hopes to attend graduate school for counseling and work in a school as a behavioral therapist.
Jeremy Harper, PhD (he/him).
Jeremy is a former postdoctoral fellow on the National Institute of Drug Abuse T32 in the University of Minnesota Department of Psychiatry. A native Floridian, he earned a Bachelor of Science with honors in psychology and minors in statistics and religion from Florida State University in 2012. In 2020, he completed his clinical internship at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and received his doctorate in Clinical Science and Psychopathology Research at the University of Minnesota while training at the Minnesota Center for Twin and Family Research. The broad aim of his research involves testing how biobehavioral correlates of cognitive control, impulse regulation, and executive functioning reflect the risk for, and consequence of, substance misuse and other disinhibitory behaviors in adolescence through young adulthood. He approaches these research questions by applying his expertise in EEG-based cognitive neuroscience, behavioral genetics, and dimensional psychopathology. Jeremy is now a Data Scientist with Equip.
Caroline Hudock (she/her). Caroline is a junior at the University of Minnesota pursuing a major in Developmental Psychology and possibly a minor in African American studies. Following graduation, she plans to pursue school to receive a Masters’s in Nursing in hopes of becoming a neonatal/pediatric nurse. Her research interests include mother and child interaction and attachment styles of children/adolescents with adverse experiences.
Shreeya Kakumanu (she/her). Shreeya graduated from the University of Minnesota in Spring 2022 with a BS in Psychology and a minor in film. Her research interests include psychopathology in young children with adverse experiences and learning ways to help them with emotional regulation. She hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in Pediatric neuropsychology in the future.
Sheng Thunder Lei (he/him).
Jailene Lopez (she/her). Jailene is a senior at the University of Minnesota pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. Her research interests are focused on Adverse Childhood Experiences and child psychopathology. After graduating in the Spring of 2023, she hopes to attend medical school for psychiatry.
Mara Lund (they/she). Mara graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Science in Developmental Psychology, with a minor in Racial Justice in Urban Schooling. Their research interests are the potential assets of culture in the education system for children of varying backgrounds. After graduation, Mara is interested in continuing their education in school psychology and getting involved with education legislation and policy. Mara worked in the lab on a pregnancy/postpartum depression project and assisted with the Healthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study.
Abigayle McClendon, BS (she/they). Abigayle was the Lab Manager for the FamCAN Lab. She spent three years as a research assistant at the FamCAN Lab, the Minnesota Center for Twin and Family Research (MCTFR), and the Cognitive Development and Neuroimaging Lab, including a year of funding on a NIAAA Diversity Grant and a summer as a McNair Scholar. Her primary interest centers on promoting equity and representation of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities within academic and research institutions. Additionally, her research interests include the transmission of internalizing disorders and the use of neuroimaging to detect the development of these disorders. She hopes to attend graduate school and obtain a PhD in clinical or developmental psychology. Abigayle is now working as the University of Minnesota’s TRIO programs (SSS & McNair) office manager.
Julia McIntosh (she/her). Julia graduated in May 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in developmental psychology and minors in psychology and family social science. Her research interest is studying the effects of environmental influences on prenatal development and their impact on child psychopathology. After graduation, Julia hopes to attend a graduate program to further her education in child psychology and later pursue a career in the field.
Mehrnaz Mirhosseini, BS (she/her). Mehrnaz is from Palo Alto, California. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology with minors in Music and Neuroscience in Spring 2021. Her research interests include psychopathology, specifically the role environment and genetics have on developing mental disorders. She hopes to attend graduate school in clinical psychology following graduation.
Brinley Montour, BS (she/her). Brinley graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Developmental Psychology and minor in Leadership. She is hoping to attend graduate school to become a clinical psychologist focusing on a patient-care environment. Her research interests include both the genetic and environmental effects on mental illness, specifically Substance Use Disorder (SUD’s) and how that affects offspring.
Kaylee Munger (she/her). Kaylee is a junior at the University of Minnesota, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Developmental Psychology and a minor in Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences. Her research interests include early attachment styles and how they may affect people later in life. She plans to graduate in the Fall of 2023 and hopes to attend graduate school.
Olivia (Liv) Munson (she/her). Liv is a senior at the University of Minnesota studying developmental psychology with a minor in management. She hopes to continue her education at the U next year in the PhD program! This is her first year doing research.
Brittney Olivares (she/her). Brittney graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in developmental psychology. Her research interests include impacts of childhood adversity, resilience, and developmental psychopathology. After graduating she hopes to continue pursue a PhD in clinical psychology.
Pengmai Qiu (she/her). Pengmai is a junior at the University of Minnesota, pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Developmental Psychology with a minor in Psychology. Her research interests include psychopathology of children, especially how early childhood experiences have impacts on it. After graduation, she hopes to attend graduate school and to become a clinical psychologist.
Paige Raymond (she/her). Paige is a Fall 2020 Graduate. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Developmental Psychology and a minor in Family Social Science. Her research interests include psychopathology and its environmental and genetic components, as well as the interaction between mental illness and addiction. Paige is now attending graduate school to become a school psychologist.
Bolade Santos (she/her). Bolade graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2017 with a degree in Psychology. Since graduating, she worked as a behavioral therapist for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and coordinated studies researching eating disorders. Bolade was the site coordinator for the Healthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) study, and continues to provide consultation on that project. She is now pursuing her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Jonathan Schaefer, PhD (he/him).
Dr. Schaefer is a former Postdoctoral Fellow on the National Institute of Mental Health T32 at the University of Minnesota’s Institute of Child Development and the National Institute of Drug Abuse T32 in Psychology. He graduated with Highest Honors in Psychology from Swarthmore College in 2011. Subsequently, he completed post-baccalaureate research training at the National Institute of Mental Health, graduate training in Clinical Psychology at Duke University, and clinical internship at the Minneapolis VA. Dr. Schaefer’s research centers on (1) understanding why some individuals develop mental health problems following exposure to stress or adversity whereas others remain resilient, as well as (2) identifying the mechanisms through which these experiences “get under the skin” and influence mental and physical health. His work is explicitly multi-modal and multidisciplinary, drawing on tools and approaches from developmental psychopathology, neuropsychology, psychiatric epidemiology, and behavioral genetics. Jon is now an Assistant Professor in Clinical Science at Vanderbilt University.
Kasey Stack, BS (she/her). Kasey graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, with a Neuroscience minor. She hopes to attend graduate school to earn a PhD in psychology and go on to work as a neuropsychologist in a children’s hospital. Her research interests include the interplay of genetic and environmental causes behind cognitive disorders, such as depression, as well as addiction and its bidirectional relationship with mental illness. Kasey is now working as a research assistant at the Minneapolis VA.
Claire Swain (she/her). Claire received her Bachelor of Arts in Developmental Psychology and a minor in Spanish from the University of Minnesota in Spring 2022. Her research interests include psychopathology and mental illness, as well as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and their effects on child development. After graduation, she hopes to attend graduate school and pursue a career in School Psychology.
Katie Taterka, BS (she/her). Katie graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Science majoring in psychology and minoring in statistics and developmental psychology. She plans to begin a graduate program after earning her bachelor’s to complete a master’s in counseling psychology. Her personal research interests include attachment disorders, specifically reactive attachment disorder. Katie is now attending graduate school at the University of St. Thomas.
Nikki Tsakonas, BS (she/her). Nikki graduated in May of 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, as well as minors in Neuroscience and Philosophy. During her time as an undergraduate, she had many meaningful research experiences including her UROP project titled “Effect of ADHD Courses and Onset on Brain Outcomes” and her senior project titled “Autobiographical Memory Specificity as a Predictor of Social Problem-Solving Ability Throughout Development” She is currently working in the Gunnar Lab at the University of Minnesota assisting with research on stress in children. She hopes to enroll in a PhD program in the near future to further her studies.
Hannah Vitelli (she/her). Hannah is a senior pursuing a BS in Developmental Psychology with a minor in Coaching. She works in hockey and softball coaching currently, and hopes to attend graduate school for clinical psychology after graduation. She hopes to continue coaching while acting as a child psychologist in the future.
Anabelle Vo (she/her). Anabelle is a junior at the University of Minnesota working towards her Developmental Psychology BA with a minor in Art. She will graduate in the spring of 2022. After graduation, she hopes to attend graduate school and pursue a career as a pediatric occupational therapist. Her research interests include sensory processing and the development of eating disorders.
Shuyuan (Naomi) Wei (she/her). Naomi is from China and a sophomore at the University of Minnesota pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in psychology. Her research interests include child psychopathology, children with autism, and child education. She is particularly interested in how children’s early adverse experiences affect their later development, and how children in adversity can achieve success.