Student Driven Publication: 2018

Indianapolis 2018

Essie Asan, Mclean Hospital Jaisal Merchant, McLean Hospital Erin Bondy, Washington University Allison Moreau, Washington University Cheyanne Busso, Stonybrook Juhyun Park, SUNY Buffalo Riley Capizzi, Kimberly Rowghani, Northwestern University Talia Cohen, McLean Hospital Cody Schulte, Veterans Affairs Hospital Alejandro Corona, Notre Dame Parnkika Telagi, University of Illinois Chicago Samantha Fradkin, Rutgers University Kate Valerio, Stonybrook Briana Galindo, Rush University Medical Center Shirley Wang, Harvard University Maria Leis, McGill University Madeline Wick, Florida State University Lilian Li, University of Illinois Chicago Alexander Williams, Northwestern University

Newsletter Coordinators: Randy P. Auerbach, Kristin Gainey, and Vijay Mittal

Raymond Knight Brandeis University Zubin Award Winner

Cheyenne Busso, Stony Brook University Briana Galindo, Rush University Lilian Li, University of California, Irvine Kimberly Rowghani, Northwestern University

r. Raymond and Knight, the 2018 the Association for D Zubin Award Treatment of Sexual winner, has dedicated Abusers. He has also most of his professional served for many years career to his pioneering on the executive research in the field of boards for the sexual aggression. He has also made major Association for the contributions to the Treatment of Sexual fields of Offenders and the and psychosis, psychopathy, and Society for the Scientific Study of bullying, with over 110 peer reviewed Psychopathy. In addition to his journal publications in these areas. Of professional achievements, Dr. Knight particular note, he developed the has been recognized with multiple Multidimensional Inventory of awards for his teaching and mentorship. Developmental, Aggression and Sex After receiving his bachelor's (MIDSA), a contingency-based, from Cathedral College of Immaculate computerized assessment tool that Conception, Dr. Knight pursued a Ph.D. measures domains relevant to the in clinical from the identification and treatment of sexual University of Minnesota. He started his aggression. The MIDSA has been widely career with a trainingship at the adopted in the field and is used as both Veterans Association in Minnesota, with a research and a clinical assessment William Schofield as his early mentor. tool. Dr. Knight has been a highly He also was influenced by Paul Meehl, dedicated member of the whom Dr. Knight describes as one of his psychopathology research community, “great heros” who “profoundly affected serving in the past as the president of my thinking.” Norman Garmezy opened the Society for Research in his perspective to the vast possibilities of research in psychopathology, pasts, including in many cases the supervised his doctoral dissertation, and actual documents of their childhood set the course of his early research in history and imprisonment. Contrary to schizophrenia. At the University of his previous worry, Dr. Knight received Minnesota, Dr. Knight was also able to tenure at Brandeis, and soon after he develop his clinical skills from day one, was awarded an NIH grant to study when he had his first clinical interview sexual aggression, armed with the data with a schizophrenia patient. His clinical he had accessed at the Massachusetts experience there “set [him] on the Treatment Center. trajectory of studying schizophrenia.” Dr. Knight continued to combine research on schizophrenia and sexual aggression until a second transitional event. In 1999 Dr. Knight was considered for the position of Clinical Director at University. There, his job would be to “turn a psychoanalytical program into an experimental psychopathology program,” which would also entail focusing his research solely on schizophrenia, rather than from going For seven years in his early further into sexual aggression research. career, schizophrenia remained his sole Ultimately, after taking a backpacking focus, until he hit a turning point in trip to afford him some clarity, he made 1976, when he stumbled across the the decision to turn down the offer from opportunity to conduct research on NYU. Reasoning that while there were sexual aggression. In his first few years dozens of great researchers pushing the as a faculty member at Brandeis field of schizophrenia forward, he was University, Dr. Knight conducted both “standing alone as the sole person who cognitive and longitudinal research on was interested” in studying the core schizophrenia, but he soon realized that psychological mechanisms leading to his department didn’t view this work as the development of sexual aggression. particularly important. Keeping his Consequently, after turning down the options open, he was offered the NYU offer, he turned his attention position of research coordinator at the exclusively to research on sexual Massachusetts Treatment Center, and aggression. Looking back, Dr. Knight upon visiting the center, he found regards this as “a wise decision,” noting “incredibly rich files” on patients that that what he has accomplished in contained detailed histories of their studying sexual aggression is “more than what [he] could have contributed in objectively, and this way, they are able the field of schizophrenia.” to make great strides in moving the Later in his career, Dr. Knight had field forward. Dr. Knight expressed the opportunity to serve on the much gratitude for his students over the Governor's Sex Offender Recidivism years, whose empathy has created a Commission of Massachusetts. He “lab that’s always been very worked to reform the way the criminal supportive.” justice system treats juvenile sex When asked for advice in offenders, advocating for offenders to pursuing a research career, Dr. Knight be treated as patients in need of maintained that you’ve got to find what treatment rather than simply as you’re most passionate about and stick criminals and for evidence-based with it, despite what others may want treatment and dispositional decision- you to do. To that end, he gives his making for those convicted of sexual students the space to really explore and aggression. This experience proved to develop questions on their own, so that be frustrating, as the Commission they might find the research that speaks ultimately did not decide to change the to them. He praises SRP as a system in ways that were supported by community that allows you to “branch research. Although disappointing, this out and see what’s going on in multiple experience was enlightening in different fields.” He advises students to revealing just how much work is left to be observant of which way the field is be done, even after the research has going (for example, towards an RDoC been completed. framework of understanding mental Dr. Knight is currently a professor disorders). He predicted that in the emeritus at Brandeis University, where near future, there will be some “major he continues to refine the MIDSA and to transdiagnostic findings that will not mentor many students. When asked only [help us] understand the about the difficult nature of his research, mechanisms [of psychological disorders] Dr. Knight notes that it is definitely not but also [their] treatment.” With this in for everyone, and that some students mind, he recommended that students, struggle with the often horrific content of sexual aggressions research. Though “Pick an RDoC area, but also be some degree of desensitization is open to everything that’s going needed, Dr. Knight said that the on,” and maintained that “SRP research still “affects you in all sorts of is really the organization to other ways.” Despite this, being able to talk about these difficult topics together have you do that...and to get in a team helps researchers and those kind of dialogues.” students to quantify the data and view it

As an emeritus professor, Dr. Knight continues to positively impact the psychopathology research community by running his lab, writing new grants, and bringing in new students at Brandeis. His desire to engage with students and his dedication to advocating for them and their ideas is something that distinguishes Dr. Knight from his peers. He ended our talk by saying, “I can’t conceive when I will stop doing that, because it’s like going to see my family...we’re working on something together, but really, we’re friends, and the people who are in my lab are friends for life.”

Anthony J. Rosellini, Ph.D. Boston University

Alejandro Corona, University of Notre Dame Allison Moreau, Washington University in St. Louis Cody Schulte, Minneapolis VA Medical Center Parnika Telagi, University of Illinois Chicago

r. Rosellini is an comforting to hear that up-and-coming Dr. Rosellini did not leader in the decide on his major Dfields of psychiatric until the last week of assessment, his sophomore year. classification, and After deciding to predictive modeling. We pursue psychology, he had the opportunity to began working as an talk with him about how undergraduate he has been able to be research assistant to successful early in his become more familiar career and his advice for with the research students starting out in the field. Dr. process, which solidified his focus on a Rosellini received his Ph.D. in clinical career as a psychopathology researcher. psychology from Boston University (BU), Upon graduating from college, Dr. after completing his pre-doctoral Rosellini worked for a year in the lab of internship training at the University of Dr. Tim Brown at BU and then joined Mississippi Medical Center. Following the lab as a doctoral student the graduate school, he completed a following year. While some students in postdoctoral fellowship in psychiatric programs choose to epidemiology in the Department of pursue careers in clinical work after Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical completing their Ph.D., Dr. Rosellini School. Dr. Rosellini joined the faculty at said he knew from day one of graduate BU as a Research Assistant Professor in school that he wanted to be a 2016, where he is currently the Director researcher, and so he focused his for the Optimizing Prediction of Anxiety attention when possible on research and Depression Laboratory. experiences. After earning his Ph.D., he For undergraduate students decided to pursue a post-doctoral reading this article, it might be fellowship at Harvard , where he wanted to develop an programs allow you to take additional independent program of research that electives or pursue diverse practicum bridging clinical psychology and opportunities, but if they do not reflect psychiatric epidemiology and using your ultimate goal, he suggested your sophisticated quantitative methods. time would be better spent working One major career stepping-stone towards your focus area. Research was for Dr. Rosellini was the receipt of a always Dr. Rosellini’s primary focus, and career development award (K01 award) so he sought out experiences to learn from NIMH. This grant allowed him to advanced data analysis techniques as a hone his specific research interests and graduate student rather than taking on combine prior quantitative experience additional courses or clinical in latent variable methods with newly experiences. He emphasized the developed skills in machine learning. He importance of not spreading yourself focused on machine learning because too thin, while also maintaining a good of the current computational mixture of current projects and skills. movement at the NIMH. With a When asked about the biggest background in self-report assessment challenge he has faced thus far, Dr. and clinical interviewing, he chose to Rosellini replied “maybe it’s my develop advanced quantitative skills like personality, but I feel very lucky for how machine learning as one path to things have turned out” (though it remaining a competitive, well-rounded seemed clear to us that his work ethic researcher in the field of psychology and commitment are what got him to moving forward. where he is today). Eventually, Dr. Dr. Rosellini’s main advice for Rosellini did identify a few factors that students stressed the value and have impacted his career and could be importance of networking. Working with considered challenges, although he still Dr. Kessler at Harvard Medical School did not seem to like to refer to them as gave him the chance to not only receive such. Perhaps the largest challenge is direct mentorship from a leader in the the stress and uncertainty associated field, but also to meet many other with having a grant funded position. prominent researchers. The Overall, he enjoys the freedoms collaborations formed during his post- associated with being grant funded, but doctoral fellowship have led to co- he mentioned that it is hard to deny authorships on papers and co- that there is extra pressure in the highly investigator roles on grants in the years competitive research funding climate. following. Some additional advice that He does worry, at times, about what Dr. Rosellini shared with us emphasized would happen if he does not get that the importance of focusing on what you next grant-- how would he continue to most want to do. Some graduate conduct research in line with his interests? Dr. Rosellini approaches this challenge by being as flexible as possible, willing to work in different roles in a research team (e.g., statistics consultant) or in a temporary clinical position while working to secure research funding. Another challenge Dr. Rosellini identified in his career is finding a balance between forming strong professional relationships with prominent figures in the field and developing his own “brand” or line of Ultimately, Dr. Rosellini’s goal is to research. One way he has approached obtain a tenure track position. But he is this challenge is to expand the number in no rush. For now, he is happy of researchers with whom he works. In working in a non-tenure track research addition, when making career decisions professor role, without teaching or (e.g., choosing a post-doc position), he administrative obligations, so he can has made sure to prioritize the devote all of his efforts to developing opportunity to develop his own line of his research program. He also pointed research over the comfort of working out this allows him more flexibility in his with familiar people. schedule for his family with three young children. He hopes to remain competitive for a tenure-track position in the future by growing a strong, federally-funded, independent research program. With his cutting edge work using machine learning to improve prediction of individuals at risk for anxiety and mood disorders, it seems quite likely that his end goal will soon be a reality.

Luke Hyde, Ph.D. University of Michigan Early Career Award Winner

Erin Bondy, Washington University in St. Louis Talia Cohen, McLean Hospital Shirley Wang, Harvard University Alexander Williams, Northwestern University

r. Luke Hyde dealing drugs to make is an money? That got me Associate interested in antisocial DProfessor at the behavior.” University of Following this Michigan and the experience, Dr. Hyde recipient of the 2018 completed his doctoral SRP Early Career degree from the University Award. His multi- of Pittsburgh’s joint Clinical method research and Developmental utilizes a psychology program, sophisticated approach towards where he worked under the mentorship understanding the development of of Dr. Daniel Shaw. “I felt really lucky to psychopathology. This work examines go there because it’s a program that environmental and genetic factors has a good balance between clinical associated with antisocial and callous- experiences and research. And I felt unemotional behaviors. Dr. Hyde’s fortunate because my mentor always primary interest emerged when he did encouraged me to branch out into new an internship in undergrad in a areas.” With this encouragement from residential treatment center for his advisor, Dr. Hyde began learning adjudicated youth. Through this neuroimaging techniques with Dr. experience, he became fascinated with Ahmad Hariri, which he would later understanding environmental factors integrate into his research on the that shape behavior, “You read their complex environmental and genetic files and you see this kid has a single bases of antisocial behavior. This rare parent who has been in and out of and valuable combination of skills has rehab, and they don’t have any money. afforded him the ability to study So, is it really surprising this kid started antisocial behavior in a cutting edge manner. For example, using genetically- parent management training. However, informed designs, he has challenged these interventions have limitations too, longstanding assumptions about the as they often fail to reach the families causes of callous-unemotional behavior, who need them the most and they can such as the idea that environmental be taken as implying that it is the factors (e.g., parenting style) are not “parent’s fault” or that the parent is the important in the development of main reason for their child’s antisocial callous-unemotional behavior. behavior. Moreover, not all of Dr. Hyde’s findings involve straightforward solutions. For example, his recent work has elucidated the importance of neighborhood quality (including neighborhood poverty) in conferring risk for antisocial behavior via disrupted brain function. Neighborhood quality bears a strong etiologic link with antisocial behavior, but simple, non- political solutions can be difficult. These findings give Dr. Hyde pause, making him wonder whether psychologists Dr. Hyde says that he thinks he is ought to be more politically active. Dr. sometimes is thought of as the “brain Hyde expressed enthusiasm about the and genetics guy”, but he really thinks potential of trained psychologists to get of himself as someone who is interested involved in policy work and bridge the in the environment such as the effects gap between research and of neighborhood and parenting implementation. contexts. He notes that his interests in studying contexts and the genetic “We [as psychologists] have a components of his research have grown desire to work with the in parallel; as he has become more individual, but that’s not always interested in the environment, his scalable for the people that research also has become more need help. I worry because genetically informed, because this can much of what we find points to help strength inferences about the role of the environment. Dr. Hyde noted that clear roles of wealth inequality he is always thinking about the clinical and poverty. And those are implications of his work. Some findings, things that we can modify – but like that of parental risk factors, point to not necessarily through one on clear and effective such as one psychological interventions.” When asked about advice for points to gratitude as a critical quality to current graduate students who hope to cultivate. He notes that it is easy to get pursue careers in academia, Dr. Hyde caught up in the long hours and low emphasized the importance of avoiding pay, but at the end of the day it is becoming a carbon copy of their important to recognize that pursuing mentor, “If someone wanted to hire knowledge and getting paid to do so is your mentor, then they’d hire them.” a privilege. Dr. Hyde’s personal Additionally, he advises students to gratitude practice consists of making a think carefully about how big of a role gratitude list each night with his family each interest area (e.g. neuroimaging, and highlighting the best parts of their molecular genetics, statistics) will play in days. Since he has begun this practice, their research. He urges students to find he told us that he has found himself their niche within their labs, pointing happier and more content with his life out that they need not be an expert at and career. He encouraged us to do everything, but rather that it is start a similar habit, emphasizing that important to be deep somewhere. He students and researchers who are also highlighted the merits of a postdoc excited about what they are doing, and position, citing this time as a great are grateful to be doing it, often tend to opportunity to publish and receive be more successful and enjoy the additional training. research process more. When it comes to surviving the tough graduate school years, Dr. Hyde

Katy Thakkar, PhD Michigan State University

Essie Asan, Mclean Hospital Riley Capizzi, University of Minnesota Samantha Fradkin, Rutgers University Jaisal Merchant, McLean Hospital

e had the assessment, and animal pleasure of neurophysiological sitting down techniques. Wwith Dr. Katy Thakkar Dr. Thakkar during the annual SRP became initially meeting to hear about interested in psychosis the development of her early on as she grappled career, current with how the brain research, and her generates subjective thoughts on the field as experiences that were a whole. As an not grounded in reality. Assistant Professor of After her undergraduate Psychology at Michigan State University degree, Dr. Thakkar worked at Mass (MSU) and the director of the MSU General Hospital with Dr. Dara Clinical Neuroscience Lab, Dr. Thakkar’s Manoach studying cognitive deficits in research has focused on uncovering the individuals with schizophrenia. Dr. cognitive and biological basis of Thakkar described how she quickly schizophrenia and other psychotic learned the devastation that came with disorders. Dr. Thakkar’s work embodies receiving a diagnosis of schizophrenia: the field of translational neuroscience as families often felt as if they were losing it strives to understand the mechanisms a loved one. The combination of her underlying complex behavioral curiosity for the mechanisms behind the dysfunction in psychosis by tying in illness and a strong sense of empathy findings from basic animal research. Dr. for those affected became a launching Thakkar’s lab studies these mechanisms point for her career. using a variety of techniques including Dr. Thakkar received her eye tracking, fMRI, diffusion tensor in psychology from imaging, magnetic resonance Vanderbilt University. In graduate spectroscopy, objective behavioral school, Dr. Thakkar worked with Dr.

Sohee Park on self-related phenomena would be beneficial for the individuals in psychosis and was co-mentored by involved as well as moving the field Dr. Jeffrey Schall, a monkey forward as a whole. neurophysiologist. Dr. Thakkar described how this collaborative “Read broadly, and collaborate experience allowed her to approach broadly,” she said, “and take difficult questions of psychopathology this advice with a grain of salt!” from new perspectives. Thus, her dissertation was a product of these This framework of collaborating influences as she adapted a saccadic across disciplines is truly evident in her task from the primate literature to current work today as she tackles better characterize cognitive untamed areas of the field while performance in individuals with bringing in new insights from the basic schizophrenia. She continues to animal literature. incorporate ideas across disciplines today and has begun to examine how corollary discharge may be related to the manifestation of self-related symptoms in psychosis. Dr. Thakkar explained how neural pathways related to this phenomenon have already been mapped out in the animal literature allowing development of “very concrete mechanistic hypotheses for behavioral impairments.” She hopes Dr. Thakkar was happy to discuss that this work will help identify more some of the future directions of the field targeted treatment avenues for some of and emphasized the need for objective the most debilitating symptoms. tests of behavior that work well in When asked about advice she research settings as well as in the clinic. had for future researchers, Dr. Thakkar There is a need to focus on translating explained she was hesitant to give our research findings to clinical practice. blanket advice, as there are a range of She went on to explain that we currently promising paths to take as a young have well replicated findings that can academic researcher. However, she did be used as diagnostic markers, but the encourage exploring collaborations with paradigms are often too intensive to be researchers in fields beyond one’s factored into routine standard care. specific interests. Dr. Thakkar was clear Researchers will need to think about this was an integral part of her graduate how to make these paradigms shorter experience. She explained that this

without sacrificing the psychometric properties. Although there are hurdles researchers may face, it was motivating to discuss these challenges with Dr. Thakkar, who sees paths towards increasing translational work. It is clear Dr. Thakkar’s excitement for the field as well as her motivation to explore diverse collaborations across disciplines has contributed to her success in the field thus far.

Jingwen Jin Smadar Levin Award Winner Stonybrook University Mentor: Aprajita Mohanty

Maria Leis, McGill University Juhyun Park, SUNY Buffalo Kate Valerio, Stonybrook Madeline Wick, Florida State University

r. Jingwen Jin is During her time at a recent Stony Brook, Dr. Jin D graduate of pursued two different Stony Brook University’s research tracts. Her Clinical Psychology dissertation examined program, and she is the threat anticipation and recipient of the 2018 expectation, and this Smadar Levin Award. approach applied Dr. Jin first became multivariate pattern interested in analyses, computational psychology while modeling, and attending high school in neuroimaging. Addition China. She applied to ally, Dr. Jin also has undergraduate obtained expertise in psychology programs in the United resting state functional connectivity to States, and after receiving her degree in predict depression, which she has psychology from the , pursued in collaboration with Dr. Roman she pursued her Ph.D. in Clinical Kotov and Dr. Daniel Klein of Stony Psychology at Stony Brook Brook University. University. Her experiences in Dr. Dr. Jin credits much of her Aprajita Mohanty’s lab reinforced her success to excellent mentorship from passion for psychological research. She Dr. Mohanty, and similarly, Dr. Mohanty expects to continue this research as a spoke glowingly about Dr. Jin’s passion faculty member at the University of for psychology as well as her relentless Hong Kong following her post-doctoral scientific curiosity. Dr. Mohanty position at Stony Brook University. mentioned that she often discusses what it takes to predict success in

science with her colleagues. They believe the most important factor is a deep passion, which seems to embody Dr. Jin. According to Dr. Mohanty, Dr. Jin is constantly reading and questioning the literature to find a deeper understanding of concepts. She also is proficient in examining scientific questions; for example, at SRP a couple years ago she became inspired to do resting state imaging and question if using a combination of theory and a data-driven approach could predict depression. She took on this challenging question by herself and intends to continue to pursue this line of work. When pondering important traits for young investigators to be successful, Dr. Mohanty stated that a passion for science and being open to new methods is the key. Even if methods seem challenging or scary, it is important to delve into them. Further, having research that is programmatic and building towards a larger goal is important to develop a successful career path. Dr. Jin added that you first must develop a question, and then develop the skills to address that question. She stated that although this may be intimidating, that’s the key to growth as a scientist.