CURRENT LAB MEMBERS
Shannon Litke is a fifth-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program at Drexel University. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from New York University in 2015. Prior to beginning her doctoral studies, Shannon worked as a research assistant for the Child Mind Institute's Healthy Brain Network, a large-scale community-based research initiative aimed to identify biological markers of mental illness in the developing brain. She has also worked for the Early Life Stress and Pediatric Anxiety Program at Stanford University School of Medicine, where she coordinated a study investigating neural correlates of treatment change in children receiving behavioral therapy for tic disorders. As a doctoral student, Shannon’s research involves understanding psychosocial protective factors for children and adolescents exposed to traumatic stressors. She is particularly interested in the impact of perceived social support for youth from underserved or minoritized groups, including LGBTQ+ youth.
Annie Resnikoff is a third-year doctoral student in Clinical Psychology program at Drexel University. She earned her bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Special Education and concentration in Psychology from the University of Vermont in 2019. Prior to her time at Drexel. Annie worked as a clinical research assistant for the RI Resilience Lab at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. As a doctoral student, Annie implements the Incredible Years curriculum and manages the team of undergraduate volunteers. Annie's research, with partnership from the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, involves understanding emotion regulation challenges and resiliency characteristics of autistic children.
CURRENT/RECENT GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE VOLUNTEERS
Nicole Marie, Sanjana Oak, Madison Mahler, Onisha Rahman, Nora Smith, Olivia Zwickle, Elisa Tan, & Nayab Iqbal
Nicole Marie, Sanjana Oak, Madison Mahler, Onisha Rahman, Nora Smith, Olivia Zwickle, Elisa Tan, & Nayab Iqbal
FORMER LAB MEMBERS
Michael Silverstein Michael Silverstein graduated with his PhD in Clinical Psychology at Drexel University. He earned his Bachelor's degree from Yeshiva University with a double major in psychology and biology, and completed his honors thesis examining the influence of future-oriented intentions on false memory. While at Drexel University, Michael's research interests included risk factors for child posttraumatic stress disorders (PTSD), particularly on the relationship between ADHD and PTSD in youth. He completed his doctoral internship at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and its affiliated Kennedy Krieger Institute in pediatric psychology and is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Media, PA.
Chandler Puhy graduated with her PhD in Clinical Psychology at Drexel University. She completed her undergraduate studies at Georgia State University where she majored in psychology and completed an honors thesis in neuroscience investigating sex-specific patterns of neural activity in the amygdala utilizing an animal model. Before beginning her doctoral work, Chandler worked with a large-scale study aimed at developing a screening tool for the early detection of autism. She also completed an internship with the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy where she worked with families dealing with allegations of child maltreatment. She is interested in developing and evaluating school-based early intervention programs for at-risk youth in low income, urban areas, specifically focusing on social and emotional skill building.
Jenna Kiely graduated from Drexel's MS Psychology program, working under the mentorship of Dr. Brian Daly. She graduated from Northeastern University in 2016 with her Bachelor of Science in Psychology. As an undergraduate, Jenna assisted in research examining rapport and emotional valence across the lifespan, and used the National Comorbidity Survey Adolescent Supplement to examine the relationship between timing of traumatic events and coping abilities. Prior to attending Drexel, she worked in a residential facility for individuals with eating disorders. Her research interests include emotional development during childhood, school-based interventions for at- risk youth susceptible to poor mental health outcomes, and the link between physiology and mental illness.
Mark McCurdy graduated from Drexel's Clinical Psychology doctoral program in 2019, working under the mentorship of Drs. Brian Daly and Nancy Raitano. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from The College of Idaho in 2011 where he completed his honors thesis examining the neuropsychological underpinnings of executive dysfunction following traumatic brain injury. Broadly, Mark's clinical and research interests include examining individual and environmental factors associated with functional outcomes in youth who experienced an acquired brain injury in childhood. Mark completed his predoctoral internship at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, MD, and is currently a Pediatric Neuropsychology Postdoctoral Fellow at Texas Children's Hospital/Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX.
Jennie David graduated from the Clinical Psychology program at Drexel University in 2019, working under the mentorship of Drs. Brian Daly & Doug Chute. Jennie earned her Psychology with Honors degree from Boston University in 2013, where she completed a thesis investigating medical decision-making characteristics of adolescent patients with chronic rheumatologic illnesses and their parents. She has worked in a variety of disease populations, including HIV, cardiac surgery, and juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Jennie is interested in medical decision-making, informed consent, and medical literacy in a pediatric trans-diagnostic chronic illness population, with a particular emphasis on adolescents transitioning to adult care. Jennie completed her predoctoral internship at Neumours/A.I. duPont Hospital for Children, and is currently completing clinical research postdoctoral fellowship at Nationwide Children's in gastroenterology.
Chelsea Day graduate from the Drexel's Psychology Master’s program in June 2017, working under the mentorship of Dr. Brian Daly. Prior to entering the program, she earned her Bachelor’s Degree with Honors in psychology from Duquesne University in 2016. Her past research experience includes helping to develop an eye-tracking diagnostic tool for Autism Spectrum Disorders and ADHD at the Cleveland Clinic Center for Autism. Chelsea’s research interests include behavioral interventions in school-aged children, as well as pediatric psychology, particularly in working with children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Chelsea is currently pursuing a PhD in Clinical Psychology at Case Western Reserve University.
Ke Ding graduated from the Psychology Master's program at Drexel University, where she worked under the mentorship of Dr. Brian Daly. Prior to Drexel, Ke earned her Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and Management Science from the University of California, San Diego in 2014. She later worked as a research associate at Rady Children's Hospital San Diego and SDSU Research Foundation. Ke's research interests include psychosocial functioning and treatment adherence in pediatric populations with chroic illnesses. She is also interested in school and community-based preventions and interventions in promoting children's prosocial behaviors and psychosocial health. Ke is currently pursuing a PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of Florida.
Aimee Hildenbrand, PhD is a former student in Clinical Psychology at Drexel University, working under the mentorship of Drs. Brian Daly and Doug Chute. Prior to entering the doctoral program, Aimee completed her Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from Drexel University. Her research interests include psychosocial consequences of pediatric injury and illness, with a particular emphasis on pain and traumatic stress. She is also interested in developing, implementing, and evaluating evidence-based interventions for at-risk, underserved children and their families. Aimee completed her pre-doctoral internship at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and is currently completing a postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Healthcare Delivery Science at Nemours/A.I. duPont Hospital for Children.
Elise Turner graduated from Drexel's Psychology MS program in June of 2015. During her time at Drexel, Elise completed a master’s thesis examining the relationship between neuropsychological functioning, cognitive engagement, and reading achievement in pediatric brain tumor survivors. Elise is currently pursuing a PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of Florida.
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Elizabeth Nicholls, PhD completed her doctoral studies in the PCAP lab. She then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Nemours/A. I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware, where she also completed her predoctoral internship at Nemours. Elizabeth completed her undergraduate degree at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia and received a Master’s in Teaching from Seattle University in Seattle, Washington. Elizabeth is interested in various areas of pediatric and clinical child psychology affecting underserved and minority populations including resiliency and mental health promotion among children with chronic illness. As a postdoctoral fellow, Elizabeth's research and clinical activities focus primarily on children and families experiencing cardiac conditions and chronic pain.
Kelly Jones, Ph.D. graduated from Drexel University's clinical psychology doctoral program in December of 2013. She completed a pre-doctoral internship in pediatric neuropsychology at UCLA-Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior and is currently working within the department of neuro-oncology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Kelly then completed a post-doctoral fellowship in pediatric neuropsychology at the Kennedy Krieger Institute/ Johns Hopkins University College of Medicine. Kelly’s research and clinical interests relate to neurocognitive functioning in pediatric populations, especially children with sickle cell disease or brain tumors. She is currently a pediatric neuropsychologist at Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin, Texas.
Richa Aggarwal, MS graduated from Drexel University in 2013 with a Master's Degree in Psychology. Prior to coming to Drexel, she earned her Bachelor's degree at the University of Virginia and later worked as a research assistant at Eastern Virginia Medical School. Her Master's thesis involved the implementation and evaluation of an evidence-based behavior management intervention for at-risk preschool children in North Philadelphia. Richa is currently pursuing her PhD in Clinical Psychology at Temple University. Her research interests in child clinical psychology include assessment and interventions of pediatric and at-risk populations, neurodevelopmental pathways, and reactions to stressful life events among youth. She is particularly interested in examining how family functioning is associated with the development and adjustment of these populations.
Elicia Wartman joined the PCAP lab in the summer of 2016 as a volunteer. She completed her undergraduate degree in psychology at Ithaca College, where she did her senior thesis on the history of autism. At Ithaca College she worked in a child cognition lab, with typically developing children and children with autism. After college, Elicia worked as a behavior interventionist for children with autism under a BCBA, in homes and schools in central New York. She then accepted a position at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, working first for the department of anesthesia and later for the division of psychosocial oncology. Her research interests include; pediatric health psychology, patient reported outcomes, transition back to school settings, school based interventions, developmental disabilities and diagnostic measure development.
Lila Elmished is a recent Drexel University graduate who majored in Psychology. After graduation, she hopes to pursue graduate study in School Psychology in California, where her family resides. Lila joined the Pediatric and Child and Adolescent Psychology Lab in the fall of 2015 and is interested in continuing to work with children.
Nicole Ruppe completed her Bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of Scranton in 2014. During her time at Drexel, Nicole worked as a research assistant for Dr. Brian Daly, focusing on school-based behavioral health interventions and pediatric chronic illness. Currently, Nicole works as a Clinical Research Assistant at Nemours/Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for Children in the Center for Health Care Delivery Science. Her research experience has been focused on pediatric sickle cell disease and psychosocial stressors. Nicole hopes to pursue her PhD in Clinical Psychology with a focus in Pediatric Psychology.
Rhae Gamber completed her undergraduate degree (BS) in Psychology at Drexel University in 2014. As an undergraduate, she worked as a research assistant in Dr. Daly's lab and completed a thesis examining executive functions of college students with and without childhood trauma histories. She also worked as a research coordinator in pediatric endocrinology at Thomas Jefferson/Nemours Children's Clinic, performing cognitive testing in genetically disordered populations and behavioral interventions in diabetic populations. She is currently enrolled in the Master of Public Health program at the University of Pennsylvania and working as a Clinical Research Coordinator in Maternal Fetal Medicine within the Penn health system.