Lilly Derby, M.S.
Lilly is a sixth-year graduate student in the Rutgers University Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program, under the mentorship of Dr. Farris. Broadly, Lilly is actively involved in initiatives built upon rigorous and reproducible behavioral science that bring together disparate ideas, often from different disciplines and with key stakeholders, to answer important questions about behavioral and clinical science. Lilly is interested in novel approaches that enhance engagement in cognitive-behavioral interventions (eg., exposure and behavioral activation) by targeting transdiagnostic mechanisms of action (eg., anxiety sensitivity, distress tolerance) to help increase positive healh behaviors (eg., physical activity) and chronic disease management in support of healthy aging.
Melissa Hatch, M.S.
Melissa Hatch is a sixth-year graduate student in the Rutgers University Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program, under the mentorship of Dr. Farris and Dr. DiBello. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Southern California and a master’s degree in psychology from the University of New Mexico. Her work thus far has primarily focused on examining mechanisms of behavior change in high-risk individuals with alcohol or substance use disorder and working with community organizations to improve the uptake of evidence-based practices.
Danielle Hoyt, M.A.
Danielle is a seventh-year student in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at Rutgers University under the mentorshi of Dr. Teresa Leyro in the ABUSA lab. Prior to joining the lab, she received her B.A. in Applied Psychology from Bryant University and M.A. in Psychology from Boston University. Her research interests center on the etiology, prevention, and treatment of mood, anxiety and substance use disorders from a translational science perspective, with a specialized focus on their shared transdiagnostic cogntitive-affective mechanisms (eg. anxiety sensitivity). She is additionally interested in advancing the dissemination and implementation of evidence based interventions for these disorders, with particular focus on addressing inequities in treatment access and use. In 2023, Danielle was awared a two-year Ruth L. Kirchstein NRSA Predoctoral Fellowship to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research (F31-Diversity) from NIMH. One phase of her project investigates the relations among anxiety sensitivity, mental health, and the workplace functioning of direwct-care nurses. The second phase gathers perspectives and feedback from nursing managers as well as direct-care nurses regarding factors that may affect the svaled dissemination of a brief health anxiety sensitivity reduction intervention (the CAST intervention) in direct-care nurses.
Kathleen Cummings, M.S.
Kathleen is a fifth-year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at Rutgers University under the mentorship of Dr. Teresa Leyro. She received her B.A. in Psychology from Rutgers University while working at the ABUSA lab. Kathleen is interested in understanding the etiology and treatment of addictive and anxiety disorders, particularly within the military/veteran population, inspired by her past service in the U.S. Army. Specifically, Kathleen hopes to further research nicotine and alcohol use and dependence in this population.
Brittany Keller, M.S.
Brittany is a third-year graduate student in the Rutgers University Clinical Psychology PhD program, under the mentorship of Dr. Farris. She earned her bachelor's degree in psychology with a minor in health science from Northeastern University. Her work thus far has primarily focused on understanding how transdiagnostic mechanisms of anxiety (e.g., interoceptive dysfunction) influence engagement in health behaviors (e.g., physical activity), especially among individuals with acute and chronic medical conditions.
Pati Castro, B.S.
Pati Castro is a first-year graduate student in the Rutgers University Clinical Psychology PhD program under the mentorship of Dr. Teresa Leyro. She earned her bachelor's degree in Neuroscience from the University of Virginia. Her research interests center on emotion regulation and the biological, physiological, and behavioral mechanisms underlying dysregulation. She is particularly interested in understanding how disruptions in stress and reward systems contribute to anxiety, substance use, and other forms of psychopathology, as well as identifying interventions that can improve psychological health.