Director
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Matthew D. Lerner, Ph.D
Dr. Lerner is an Associate Professor of Psychology, Psychiatry, & Pediatrics in the Department of Psychology at Stony Brook University. Feel free to read more about him and his work here.
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ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
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Kathryn Mary Hauschild, Ph.D
Dr. Hauschild, a postdoctoral fellow, received her doctoral degree in developmental psychology from the University of Pittsburgh in 2018. During her time at the University of Pittsburgh her research focused on the development of face perception and object knowledge in typically developing infants and infants at familial risk for autism spectrum disorders. Moving forward, she aims to utilize a developmental perspective to 1) explore the connection between early cognitive and social communication deficits associated with ASD, 2) examine how these deficits may have cascading effects on social functioning and interaction later in life, and 3) apply this knowledge to the development and implementation of early intervention programs.
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Project Director
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Dr. Palatucci is a clinical psychologist who joined the lab in April 2020 as the Program Director of the ASD Residential Training for Staff at USAH (ARTS-U) Project. In addition to working for SCTL, she is a psychologist in the Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic. Her previous Stony Brook University experience includes serving as a counselor for Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). Prior to coming to Stony Brook, Dr. Palatucci was the Chief Psychologist and Training Director for the Quad Preparatory School in Manhattan, a school for twice-exceptional (2e) students that fully integrates social and emotional learning with engaging academics. She received her doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology in San Diego.
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Post-Doctoral scholars
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Peter Felsman, Ph.D
Peter received his Ph.D. in social work and social psychology at the University of Michigan. His dissertation focuses on understanding improvisational theater as a psychological intervention.
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Cynthia Brown, Ph.D
Cynthia is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Psychology at Stony Brook University. In addition to her work with SCTL, she is a clinician at the Mind Body Clinical Research Center and on the Pediatric Psychiatry unit at Stony Brook University Hospital. She received her Ph.D. and M.A. degrees in Clinical Child Psychology from the University of Missouri and her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Kansas. Her research interests include the investigation of risk factors for aggressive and other disruptive behaviors in youths with autism spectrum disorder and the development and evaluation of family-based treatments for serious mental health problems, especially externalizing disorders, in children and adolescents.
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Lab CoordinatorS
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Debi received her master's degree in May 2016 in the Department of Theatre Arts here at Stony Brook University. She is very excited to be working with Dr. Lerner in fusing the arts and sciences in research regarding children with ASD. Debi's primary role in the SCTL is managing our new SENSE study! She also enjoyed her time as an interventionist for our study Social Groups for Youth with ASD.
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Caroline received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Bachelor of Science and Arts in Biology from The University of Texas at Austin in May 2019. She is interested in exploring gender differences in the presentation and diagnosis of ASD, and increasing understanding and awareness for ASD within the public community.
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Joe is an undergraduate Psychology major and is interested in understanding and further probing the heterogeneity of those diagnosed with ASD. Joe is excited to work with Dr. Lerner to further the research into ASD and the way it effects interactions and the way those with ASD perceive the world.
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Nate graduated Stony Brook University with a BA in Political Science in May 2020. Nate was a RA and member of both the initials and reports team at SCTL for 3 years. Nate is excited to begin recruiting families and hosting interventions with children and adolescents on the autism spectrum. In the future he hopes to pursue an MD and specialize in pediatrics.
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Malia is currently a nursing student with a B.A. in Psychology. She is interested in learning which types of interventions are most effective for building social skills in Autism Spectrum Disorders as well as what factors, such as gender, influence their effectiveness. Malia helps run community outreach for the lab.
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Darsiya Krishnathasan
Darsiya is an undergraduate majoring in Biology on the pre-med track. She is interested in working with SCTL and clinical research, hoping to learn more about how social interactions and communication can be improved among children with ASD.
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Jack McCarron
Jack is a first year biology major on the pre-med track. He hopes to go into pediatrics and to help improve his community. He is interested in research as a way to learn, understand, and then solve issues.
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Jenna Stadheim
Jenna received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor of Science in Family and Human Development from Arizona State University in May 2019. Following graduation, she worked as a Behavior Therapist at the Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center in the Teen and Adult Services where she provided in-home treatment to adolescents and adults with ASD. She is interested in how group interventions can be used to build social communication skills among individuals with ASD, as well as how parent-child relationships regarding service initiation and continuation impact the development of individuals with ASD.
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clinical ConsultantS
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Victoria Novoa Uriarte, MD
Dr. Novoa Uriarte is a board certified Pediatrician and Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician, fellow member of the American Academy of Pediatrics with a particular interest in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Dr. Novoa Uriarte has worked extensively with infants, toddlers and young children with developmental disabilities. Her work focuses on early intervention and identification of Autism Spectrum Disorder, treatment and outcomes particularly in children under the age of 3. Dr. Novoa Uriarte is the developmental-behavioral pediatrician for the Interdisciplinary Diagnostic Autism Clinic at Putnam Hall, Stony Brook Children’s Hospital.
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Rebecca Girard, LCSW
Rebecca is a licensed social worker who has worked with children, adolescents and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders for over a decade. She currently works at the Developmental Disabilities Institute’s Center of Excellence, a New York State grant to improve quality of care for individuals with ASD living in residential care. Her other clinical interests include groups-based social skills interventions for children and adolescents and successful college experiences (academically and socially) for students with ASD.
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Dr. Lea A Theodore
As a Licensed Psychologist in New York and Virginia, Dr. Lea A. Theodore currently serves as a clinical consultant in the Social Competence and Treatment Lab at Stony Brook University. Having worked in academic settings as a researcher, professor, and graduate program director, as well as in private practice conducting applied service work, she is especially passionate about empirically supported, efficacious, and equitable service provision for children and adolescents across multiple settings. Her career focus has been on promoting science, practice, and policy surrounding the development of effective and efficient intervention strategies to improve student academic and behavioral functioning.
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Caitlin Eamotte, LMSW
Cait is a Licensed Social Worker who recieved her master's degree from Stony Brook University's School of Social Welfare in 2018. Cait has been working directly with youth and adults with ID/DD and ASD, as well as their families, since 2012. Through her time working directly with the ASD community, Cait has experience in developing programs designed to support the unique needs of those with ASD, providing case management services and linkages to community supports, crisis intervention, family/caregiver education, and advocacy. In supporting children and adolescents coping with trauma. Cait is passionate about her involvement in supporting the ASD community and is very excited to be part of SBU's Autism Initiative and SCTL.
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Ph.D. Students
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Cara is in her fifth year of the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program. She is interested in studying social motivation in individuals with ASD and in the development of naturalistic neuroimaging and behavioral paradigms that capture this phenomenon.
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Alan is in his fourth year of the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program. He is interested in identifying predictors of variability in treatment outcomes by examining mechanisms of therapeutic change in individuals with ASD. Ultimately, his goal is to maximize patient benefit through individualizing interventions.
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Erin is in her third year of the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program. She is interested in exploring the heterogeneity of ASD behavioral phenotypes, including symptom presentation in girls and individuals without intellectual disability. She aims to optimize intervention strategies for individuals with ASD by identifying factors which mediate and moderate intervention outcomes, and exploring the use of electrophysiological methods to measure and predict variability in individuals’ response to treatment.
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Jiaqi is in her fifth year of the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program. She is interested in studying the romantic relationship functioning. She is also interested in developing targeted interventions for adolescences and adults with difficulties in romantic relationships. Her primary mentor is Dr. Joanne Davila.
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Tessa is in her fifth year of the Clinical Psychology PhD program at Temple University, and recipient of the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral Fellowship. She is interested in studying the underlying neural mechanisms of social learning, behavior, and cognition. She is also interested how these mechanisms relate to the development and maintenance of psychopathology. She is co-mentored by Dr. Johanna Jarcho, Phil Kendall, & Matt Lerner.
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Talena is a doctoral student in the Stony Brook University clinical psychology program. She studies the neural mechanisms of social rewards and emotions. She is interested in the interplay between social behaviors and autism spectrum disorder, depression, and anxiety.
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Morgan is a doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program at Stony Brook University. Her research interests center on social communication skills and problem solving in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. She is also interested in the neurophysiological underpinnings of social behaviors.
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Qiaomu Miao is a first-year Ph.D. student majoring in Computer Science at Stony Brook University. He is interested in human activity recognition for children with autism. He would like to use computer vision algorithms to investigate the differences in activities between those with and without autism to possibly predict their potential behaviors
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Jacquelyn is in her first year in the Clinical Psychology PhD program. She is interested in better understanding autism in late adolescence and adulthood. This includes exploring factors impacting quality of life such as employment outcomes, independent living, mental health, and interpersonal relationships and social skills. Additionally, she is interested in expanding the research-base for this population and creating more targeted and accessible interventions for adolescents and adults with ASD.
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Kristin is a doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at Stony Brook University. She is interested in the intersection of autism and deafness and exploring how language, audition, and cognition affect social functioning and the well-being of autistic and deaf people. She is working to develop reliable autism assessments for deaf people.
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Visiting scholars
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Bianca Marro, M.A.
Bianca graduated from Stony Brook in May 2016 with her Master's in Psychology. She just finished her second year in the school psychology EdM/BCBA program at Teacher's College-Columbia University. She currently works as a behavior and Autism consultant for Positive Behavior Supports & Consulting (PBS) and will be beginning her full time school psychology internship at West Babylon school district this fall. Bianca is part of the reports writing team, the assessment training team, and is also running Spotlight groups with adult participants in conjunction with PBS. Bianca is also completing research on co-exisiting psychiatric conditions of individuals with ASD in residential care with SCTL
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Sara Medina-Devilliers, M.A.
Sara received her BA in Neuroscience and Psychology from Dartmouth College and her MA in Clinical Psychology from the University of Virginia. She is a PhD candidate in Clinical Psychology at the University of Virginia and is currently completing her predoctoral internship at Stony Brook University. Her research uses neural, physiological, and behavioral measures investigate how the dyadic processes of social support and social interaction moderate emotional and physical health outcomes.
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Master's Students
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Sydney Boateng, B.S.
Sydney graduated from Boston University in 2015 with a B.S. in Science Education and a concentration in General Sciences. She is currently a student in the Physiology and Biophysics M.S. program. She has a passion for women and children’s health and hopes to learn more about ASD and its effects on children and their families. Sydney aspires to go to medical school and specialize in psychiatry.
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Ava Gurba B.S.
Ava received her B.S. in Biology with a specialization in Neuroscience in 2019. She is currently a student in the MS in Neuroscience program. She is interested in the neural underpinnings of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
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Lab Volunteers
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Jeremy graduated from Stony Brook University in May 2017 with a B.S. in Psychology and a minor in Chemistry. He strives to obtain a PsyD in Clinical Psychology. He is currently working at YAI as an Assistant Behavior Intervention Specialist (ABIS), supporting individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
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Nicole Mordekai, B.A.
Nicole graduated from Binghamton University in May 2019 with a B.A. in Economics in addition, to pursuing the Pre-Health track. She hopes to one day attend medical school and eventually pursue a career as a physician. She believes that studying the way in which individuals with ASD behave and interact in social settings is key in understanding their perspective in various environments. She hopes to gain more insight into how individuals with ASD perceive the world and their surroundings.
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Kevin Carroll, B.S.
Kevin Carroll is currently a volunteer at the SCTL, having worked at the lab for over 3 years as an undergrad research assistant. He is a double major in Psychology and Biology. Having a diagnosis on the spectrum himself, he is interested in all aspects of autism research, particularly relating to the implementation of research in community settings.
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Caroline Downs
Caroline is an undergraduate Finance major and Biology minor. She is interested in learning more about ASD and how children with this disorder’s early social interactions affect their overall development. Caroline is on our EEG proctoring team.
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Undergraduate Research Assistants
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Isha Malik
Isha is a pre-med student majoring in Biology. She is passionate about doing research geared towards children with ASD and understanding the disorder in hopes of finding a possible treatment to improve it.
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Nandini Sharma
Nandini is an undergraduate Biology major on the pre-med track. By working with the SCTL, she hopes to gain a better understanding about the effects ASD can have on the social development of children, and use this knowledge to find a way to improve it.
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Rabbi Rahman
Rabbi is an undergraduate Biology major on the pre-med track. She is interested in gaining a better understanding of how individuals with ASD interact and experience/respond to stimuli. She is also interested in learned how different approaches can improve social interactions and experiences for children and teens diagnosed with ASD.
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Tomotaka Mizuno
Tomotaka is an undergraduate Biology major on the pre-med track. He is interested in learning and improving current intervention methods to improve social competency for children with ASD. He hopes to apply this knowledge to continue to help kids with special needs in the future.
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Tess Andrade
Tess is an undergraduate majoring in Health Science. Tess is interested in how ASD can impact family relationships. By participating in SCTL, she hopes to gain experience and insight in working with people who have ASD. She aspires to work with children as an occupational therapist.
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Alexander Velaoras
Alexander is an undergraduate student studying Business Management on the pre-med track. Alex first became interested in learning about ASD after his cousin was diagnosed on the spectrum. He hopes to learn more about how children with ASD interact in different social settings and about the challenges they face.
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Nicholas Doss-hom
Nicholas is an undergraduate double major in Biology and Psychology on the Pre-Med track. He is interested in gaining new insights into how children with ASD develop and communicate. Nicholas hopes to enroll in medical school and one day pursue a career in psychiatry.
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Emily Wu
Emily is an undergraduate Biology B.S. major. She is interested in working with children and gaining more insight about individuals with ASD and how it effects their social interactions. Emily hopes to use the knowledge she gains from this research opportunity to further help children with ASD in the future.
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Maanasi Dudi
Maanasi is an undergraduate Biology major on the pre-medical school track. She is interested in gaining a better understanding of the social functioning of children with ASD, and hopes to use this knowledge in the future as she pursues a career in pediatrics.
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Emily Weinstein
Emily is an undergraduate Psychology major with a minor in Health and Wellness. Her experience with children with ASD in a classroom setting drew her to SCTL. Emily is interested in how social development relates to academic performance in children with ASD. She plans to attend graduate school to become a School Psychologist.
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Victoria Mondejar-Rodriguez
Victoria is an undergraduate Biology major on the Pre-Med track. Her goal is to learn about ASD and ADHD in children. She hopes to understand how ASD and ADHD influences children’s social interactions and overall development.
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Krupa Patel
Krupa is an undergraduate student majoring in Health Science. She has a passion for working with children and is looking forward to this new learning opportunity. She is grateful for the chance to work with professionals to further her interest about the social behavior of children. After graduation, she plans to attend graduate school to become a Physician’s Assistant.
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Elbek Fozilov
Elbek is an undergraduate biology major on the pre-med track. Inspired by his involvement with New-York Presbyterian Methodist’s inpatient-care hemodialysis unit, Elbek is thrilled to work in a clinical research setting with children to establish connections between ASD and social development. Also, Elbek has aspirations of being a physician.
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Vishnu Verma
Vishnu is an undergraduate student majoring in Biology on the Pre-Med track. He is interested in studying the neural processes behind the social functioning of children with ASD and ADHD. After graduation, he plans to attend medical school.
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Tanice Murray
Tanice is an undergraduate Psychology Major on the Pre-Med Track. She is interested in learning about the influence of age and social culture on the behavior and social interaction between developing children with ASD and their peers.
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Ade Ogunkoya
Ade is an undergraduate Biology major on the pre-med track. She is interested in learning how social interaction is impacted among children with and without ADHD. Ade hopes to learn more about ASD and ADHD by working with SCTL. She hopes to pursue a career in pediatrics
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Layla Elkoulily
Layla is an undergraduate Biology major with a minor in Psychology. She is on the pre-med track, but she would also like to go into the field of social work and social psychology. She hopes to dispel the negative assumptions and beliefs regarding mental illness in her the Muslim community. She is interested in developing her understanding of ASD, specifically looking at how children with ASD interact in social settings and the possible intervention strategies to help facilitate these interactions. She also hopes to gain a better understanding of communication styles and skills of various groups of individuals, in order to effectively communicate various ideas.
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Anjana Dubba
Anjana is an Undergraduate Psychology Major with a concentration in Chemistry and Biology. Her future plans include getting her Masters in Clinical Psychology and then getting her PhD in order to become a therapist. She is interested in working with SCTL, because she hopes to learn and explore the neurological findings behind children with ASD.
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Andria Padilla
Andria is an undergraduate Psychology major with a minor in Creative Writing. She has an interest in clinical research and working with adolescents struggling with mental health issues to help them seamlessly transition into the adult world. Andria plans to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology in the near future.
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Rohit Persaud
I am a biology major on the pre-med track. In medicine, one thing that is vital to patient care is the connectivity between physicians and their patients. I am grateful for the opportunity to develop my interpersonal skills and to use them to learn more about individuals w/ ASD and how we can aid them.
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Hemma Kilawan
Hemma is an undergraduate majoring in Biology and Sociology and is on the pre-med track. She hopes to pursue a career in medicine, specifically in pediatrics. She is interested in seeing how social interactions really impact someone's cognitive development, especially from the perspective of children with ASD.
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Nishat Islam
Nishat Islam is an undergraduate Health Science major on the pre-med track with a minor in Theatre Arts. She is interested in pursuing research on various clinical disorders that are common among children. She hopes to attend medical school and become a pediatric surgeon.
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Jingyan Xu
Jingyan is an undergraduate double major in Applied Mathematics and Statistics and Economics. He is interested in doing research with SCTL and hopes to help the community and the children by way of learning, understanding, and applying his knowledge. Jingyan hopes to become a data analyst in the future.
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Tejaswi Gorde
Tej is an undergraduate double major in Financial Information Systems and Applied Mathematics and Statistics. She hopes to learn more about how children with ASD interact in different situations depending on different factors. She is willing to achieve this by managing the data, performing data analysis, and predictive analysis with visualization using Python. She plans to earn a dual degree: MBA/ MS in CS and work as a business analyst to predict trends in business.
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Brandon Merhai
Brandon is a double major in Information Systems and English. He is interested in learning about all facets of Autism Spectrum Disorders and how to create individualized support options through a combination of technology and the humanities. Brandon plans to join the tech industry and create software solutions tailored to the individual.
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Alyssa Buttigieg
Alyssa is an undergraduate Psychology major with a concentration in biology and chemistry on the pre-med track. She is interested in learning more about social behaviors and tendencies of children and teens with ASD. Alyssa is passionate about taking part in research that has the potential to better the lives of those affected by such clinical disorders. She hopes to pursue a career that allows her to investigate the mental and physical health of individuals with intellectual and developmental disorders.
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Noshin Shakawat
Noshin is an undergraduate student majoring in Biochemistry and Psychology. In the future, she wants to pursue a career that combines medicine and public health specifically to address disparities in healthcare for those with disabilities. Her personal connection as a sibling to someone on the spectrum has motivated her to get involved in research to better understand those with ASD.
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Shay De La Cruz Coronado
Shay is an undergraduate Psychology major minoring in Digital Arts and Africana Studies. She is deeply interested in learning more about the disparities in gender and how Autism manifests differently in females as well as intergenerational trauma and abnormal child psychology. Her goal is to one day work in underserved communities providing mental health resources as well as obtaining a Ph.D. She is eager to work in a lab setting and being part of a team that is creating such a positive change for children and their families.
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Milka Espinal
Milka is an undergraduate Health Science major with a minor in Health and Wellness. After graduation, she plans on attending nursing school. She is interested in learning about how different professional fields come together to approach the best care for individuals with ASD. Moreover, Milka wants to spread awareness about autism in the Hispanic community.
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Joyce Chen
Joyce is an undergraduate Biology major with a minor in Studio Art. In the future, she hopes to either go into medicine or earn a Ph.D. in organic chemistry to become a professor. She is very passionate about supporting children with ASD in schools by raising awareness and promoting inclusivity. Her goal is to allow society to progress into one that is open-minded, knowledgeable, and welcoming of those with clinical disorders and disabilities. Joyce is very appreciative of having the opportunity to work alongside SCTL and looks forward to creating a loving space for all members of the community.
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Elena Vacanti
Elena is an undergraduate Psychology major with a concentration in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. She is interested in the neural, perceptual, cognitive, and behavioral factors that impact social functioning in children and teens with ASD. She hopes to use this knowledge to inform individualized interventions. She is looking forward to connecting with families and increasing support within the community. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology in the future.
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Victoria Dotto
Victoria is an undergraduate majoring in biology and psychology on the pre-med track. She hopes to learn more about the behavioral and neurological findings associated with those with ASD, as well as work to help improve the public's understanding of autism, especially within healthcare settings. Victoria would eventually like to attend medical school and pursue a career in pediatrics.
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