Eran Barzilai, Ph.D.
Eran's primary interest is better understanding the cognitive, emotional, physiological, and behavioral signatures of suicidal behavior, with an emphasis on suicide ideation. In his work, Eran studies the interaction of unmet interpersonal needs, distress tolerance, and suicide ideation with a combination of computerized behavioral tasks and self-report methods. Eran is also interested in psychotherapeutic interventions for suicide thoughts and behaviors, emotion regulation, and how communication and interpersonal skills can reduce mental pain and increase distress tolerance. Currently, Eran is a post-doctoral fellow in a private group practice in NYC. In Eran's free time, he enjoys playing and watching soccer, running, and learning computer programming languages.
Kellie Ann Lee, PhD
Kellie is an alumnus of the lab. She completed her clinical psychology pre-doctoral internship at New York Presbyterian / Columbia University Irving Medical Center in 2022. In her free time, she enjoys being with family and friends.
Ana Cristina Zalles, B.A.
Ana is a B.A. graduate in psychology at Eugene Lang College The New School for Liberal Arts. She will be continuing her graduate and doctoral studies in psychology at Pepperdine University. Ana is interested in studying resiliency and positive psychology. Ana additionally served crucial roles in projects involving data management and was heavily involved in assisting in research design and review on elder students' theses.
Claudius von Schroder, M.A.
Claude is an M.A. graduate in general psychology at The New School for Social Research. He will be continuing his doctoral studies at The Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim, Germany. Throughout his graduate career, Claude has investigated the effects of trauma exposure on memory, specifically regarding retrieval induced memory of trauma-related items.
Jacqueline Fidelman, M.A.
Jacqueline is an M.A. graduate in general psychology at The New School for Social Research. She will be continuing her doctoral studies in the Health Psychology department of Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology at Yeshiva University. Jacqueline is primarily interested in the way complex trauma manifests in somatic symptoms, and ways in which interoceptive awareness can mitigate the effect. In addition, she is also interested in how culture can affect trauma symptom presentation. Her past experience include working as a research assistant at the Brain Injury Research Center and the Spinal Cord Injury Center at Mount Sinai. During her time at The New School for Social Research, Jacqueline was awarded recipient of the prestigious 2017 David Caul Graduate Research Grant for her proposal investigating somatoform dissociation and its impact on emotional and somatosensory perception in individuals with a history of trauma exposure.
Lina Ledvin, M.A.
Lina is a graduate of the B.A./M.A. dual degree program for psychology with a concentration in substance abuse counselling. She has been a recipient of the Dean's List awards throughout her educational career at The New School. Lina was as an extern at Greenhope Services and treated patients with substance abuse disorders through a harm reduction oriented scope and trauma-sensitive lens. Lina will continue her graduate career at a Psy.D program in the near future.
Gabriella Robinson, M.A.
Gabriella is an M.A. graduate of the general psychology at The New School for Social Research with a concentration emphasis on substance abuse counselling. She is currently pursing her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Queens College of the City University of New York. She is hoping to pursue a career in neuropsychological testing. During her time at the Trauma and Affective Psychophysiology Lab, Gabriella looked into diversity in psychophysiological data at large, as well as within our lab's collection samples. Prior to this, Gabriella was an active member of the Grady Trauma Project at Emory University, studying general and trauma-related risk factors for PTSD in a highly traumatized, low-socioeconomic status, minority urban population. She was the recipient of the prestigious and inaugural Society for Psychophysiological Research diversity travel award.
Brandon Joachim, M.A.
Brandon is an M.A. graduate of the general psychology program at The New School for Social Research. During his time at the Trauma and Affective Psychophysiology Lab, he studied resiliency, "flow" states, and histories of trauma exposure. His thesis involved assessing "flow" experiences and dissociation in survivors of traumatic experiences. Currently, he resides in California and works in research and program evaluation for domestic and global non-profit mental health outreach programs. Brandon is an exceptional dancer and singer, and frequently "owned" the karaoke floor during his time at lab karaoke nights; he also enjoys NYC pizza.
Steven J. Freed, Ph.D
Wesley Ellen Gregory, M.A.
Wesley is an M.A. graduate of the general psychology program at The New School for Social Research with a concentration emphasis on substance abuse counselling. Currently she is pursuing her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the Derner School of Psychology at Adelphi University. In the future, she hopes to work with children and school-aged patients. During her time at the Trauma and Affective Psychophysiology Lab, Wesley investigated patients' and individuals' experiences of pain tolerance; additionally, she also used mindfulness-related practices in her research paradigms to assess pain tolerance following physically and emotionally aversive stimuli. Wesley speaks nearly-fluent French and enjoys Broadway shows and musicals; karaoke nights with Wesley always involved cooperative and collaborative singing.
Ashley Doukas, Ph.D
Ashley is a licensed clinical psychologist currently completing a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in trauma psychology at the NYU Langone World Trade Center Clinical Center of Excellence. She previously completed three years of clinical training at the Manhattan VA, providing group and individual therapy, psychological assessment, and crisis intervention to veterans in both outpatient and inpatient settings. She also has experience with college counseling and other inpatient settings.
Her primary research interests are the long-term physiological, emotional, and psychological impacts of complex trauma and childhood maltreatment. Her dissertation examined how people use bodily cues to regulate emotions and autonomic arousal, with clinical applications in increasing understanding of self-harming behavior.
She enjoys working with patients of diverse racial, ethnic, religious, socioeconomic, gender, and sexual identities, and examining how these aspects of identity intersect intrapsychically and in broader social contexts. She is dedicated to social justice in her work through providing culturally competent care to underserved populations.
Jonathan DePierro, Ph.D
Jonathan DePierro is a Clinical Psychology Post-doctoral Fellow in the NYU School of Medicine WTC Health Program Clinical Center of Excellence (NYUSOM CCE). Dr. DePierro received his B.S. in Psychology from Fordham University; and his M.A. in General Psychology and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, respectively, from The New School for Social Research. He completed an APA-accredited pre-doctoral internship at Bellevue Hospital/NYU Langone Medical Center. Jonathan has received training in long and short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation (STAIR), and Cognitive Therapy.
His research interests include the impact of trauma on emotional development, including how trauma exposure may lead to paradoxically negative emotional responses to positive events; the impact of dissociation on information processing; and the use of psychophysiological methods (including heart rate variability, fMRI, EMG, and skin conductance) to supplement clinical diagnosis and treatment.
Alyce Foster, Ph.D
Alyce Foster is a Senior Psychologist in the NYU School of Medicine WTC Health Program Clinical Center of Excellence (NYUSOM CCE). Dr. Foster received a B.A. in Psychology from Loyola University New Orleans before completing her M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from The New School for Social Research in New York City. Her involvement in the WTC Health Program began during her APA-accredited pre-doctoral internship training at Bellevue Hospital/NYU Langone Medical Center. She continued as the Clinical Psychology Post-doctoral Fellow for the program before assuming a full-time position as a psychologist. Dr. Foster has obtained specialized training in empirically supported treatments for posttraumatic stress including short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy, STAIR, and Prolonged Exposure. She also has extensive pre-doctoral training in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). Her research interests include understanding trauma-related psychopathology throughout the life-span and the relation between trauma exposure and mechanisms of emotion dysregulation. Her doctoral dissertation investigated the relation between complex trauma exposure and self-injurious behaviors among ethnic minority adolescents
Treva van Cleave, Ph.D
Treva's research focuses on trauma and the body, with an emphasis on perceptual changes as a result of interpersonal violence and complex trauma. She is inspired by psychodynamic, existential and feminist theories, examining these concepts as they relate to the lived experience of the person. Treva draws on psychophysiology and narrative to explore how trauma influences dissociation, identity, self-harm, and body experience. Additionally, Treva is involved with projects related to women's health through trauma informed pelvic exams; interoceptive awareness, childhood trauma and self-injury; dissociation as it relates to loss of time in trauma survivors; and reassessing power dynamics within traumatic family systems. Treva also teaches courses in Introductory, Abnormal and Existential Psychology, and has worked in community mental health centers, Mount Sinai Beth Israel Medical Center, and the Brooklyn VA New York Harbor Hospital.
Elisa Monti, Ph.D
Elisa is a doctoral student in experimental psychology. Her concentration is voice, specifically investigating the potential predictive power of different kinds of childhood trauma on different aspects of voice, looking into acoustics and physiology of the "normal" voic
Nicholas Fehertoi, Ph.D
Nick’s research focuses on the ways in which sense of agency is mediated by felt bodily experience (interoception), as well as undermined by complex trauma. He is interested in questions of agency, authenticity, and the body at the intersection of phenomenology, philosophy of mind, and psychoanalysis, and is influenced by enactive cognition, terror management theory, and the phenomenology of Merleau-Ponty, Heidegger, and Sartre. Nick has taught Abnormal Psychology and Existential Psychology, and assisted courses in Research Methods and Advanced Personality Testing. He has worked in a range of mental health settings including both inpatient and outpatient psychiatric facilities as well as university counseling centers, and has been the recipient of the David Caul graduate research grant from the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD), as well as a two-time runner-up for the New School for Social Research’s Dissertation Fellowship.
Nicole Kouri, M.A.
Nicole is a second year MA student at the NSSR. She is interested in the intersection between trauma, psychosis, and dissociation, and how systems, whether they be institutional or familial promote potentially maladaptive coping strategies. Prior to attending the New School, Nicole worked in foster care and was a research coordinator in the Psychiatry Department at New York University Medical Center, conducting behavioral and neuroimaging studies with veterans experiencing Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. In addition to her work in the lab, she is a mindfulness facilitator and photographer.
Sarah Herzog, Ph.D
Sarah is currently a postdoctoral research scientist at Columbia University Department of Psychiatry/NYSPI in the Molecular Imaging and Neuropathology Division (MIND), receiving training in the application of translational neuroscientific methods to the study of suicidal behavior and self-injury. Sarah’s particular interest in suicide in young adults extends from her graduate work at The New School in the Trauma and Affective Psychophysiology Lab, focusing on the impact of early adversity on core capacities of self-regulation. Her dissertation concerns the role of sustained childhood trauma exposure in altering basic cognitive and physiological processes involved in the mobilization of defensive responding. In addition to her graduate research, Sarah has received clinical training in both inpatient and outpatient settings across New York City, including Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine and Lenox Hill Hospital, and has taught psychology courses at The New School’s Eugene Lang College. She completed her predoctoral internship at the Connecticut VA Healthcare System – West Haven (VACHS) with a concentration in PTSD and trauma-related interventions. Sarah is the recipient of the New School for Social Research (NSSR) Prize Fellowship and the 2018-19 Dissertation Fellowship, the Frank W. Putnam Trauma Research Scholar Award from the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS), the David Caul Award from the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD), The 2019 New School Student Research Award, and the 2020 NSSR Alfred J. Marrow Dissertation Award in Psychology.
Erin Stafford, Ph.D
Erin’s research focuses on psychophysiology of dissociation and effective clinical intervention strategies for managing dissociative symptoms in individuals with complex trauma. She is particularly interested in exploring mindfulness-based interventions and their impact on dissociation, anxiety, and physiology in a clinical undergraduate sample. She is also interested in exploring both the underlying neurological mechanisms as well as the interpersonal deficits and benefits of dissociation as a coping strategy through measures of social cognition, visual perception, and self-esteem. She has experience working in an inpatient setting on a Trauma Disorder's Unit specializing in the treatment of dissociative disorders. She currently serves as the laboratory manager for the Trauma and Affective Psychophysiology Lab. She is the recipient of the Prize Fellowship for the New School for Social Research.
Nadia Nieves, Ph.D
Nadia is a third year doctoral student. Her main interests include clinical neuropsychology and social-cognitive neuroscience, focusing on anterior insula activity and its role in social behavior in both trauma-exposed and non-traumatized samples. She is mainly interested in researching interoceptive awareness and its impact on the maintenance of interpersonal relationships, especially in individuals who experience dissociative symptoms. She has extensive experience in Applied Behavior Analysis and DIR/Floortime working with children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention Deficit Disorder. She also has experience in conducting cognitive remediation therapy with patients suffering from traumatic brain injury. She is also a therapist at Rebecca School and Mt. Sinai Adolescent Health Center.
Vivian Khedari, Ph.D
Vivian Khedari obtained a licentiate in psychology in Caracas, Venezuela before coming to The New School. She is interested in researching how physiological markers can add to the understanding of complex trauma and PTSD in individuals living in or coming from conflict zones. Her interest in the field of trauma stems from her experience working with adults and young people directly affected by Caracas’ widespread violence. Her past experience includes social impact measurements of a youth empowerment program for teenagers living in Venezuelan barrios and qualitative research into school violence and bullying in Caracas. Currently, she spends her time working at Dr. D’Andrea’s Lab and assisting in the psychological evaluations of individuals involved in immigration procedures. Vivian is the recipient of the Dean's Fellowship for the New School for Social Research.
Tom Wilson, M.A.
Tom Wilson is a second-year MA student at the NSSR. Prior to matriculating, he worked as a programmer and a journalist. He is interested in exploring the applications of predictive coding and active inference models to psychotherapy, the effects of complex trauma on sensory integration and dyadic synchrony, and the computational neurology of esoteric religious practices. Tom has contributed to research on alexithymia in PTSD, the construction of shared reality in romantic couples, error-free learning paradigms in Harlem middle schools, and interferon RNA therapeutics for mitochondrial dysfunction in Friedreich's Ataxia.