Members
Krista Lisdahl, PhD
medinak@uwm.edu
Faculty Page - View CV - Publications
Dr. Lisdahl (formerly Medina) serves as the Director of the UWM Brain Imaging and Neuropsychology (BraIN) laboratory. She completed a Clinical Neuropsychology Internship at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, as well as a NIDA-funded two-year Postdoctoral Fellowship in Clinical Neuropsychology at the University of California, San Diego under the mentorship of Susan F. Tapert. Dr. Lisdahl's main specialization is in clinical neuropsychology, addiction, adolescent brain development, and neuroimaging. At UWM, she teaches courses in Neuropsychology, Brain Development, Assessment, Psychopathology, and Drugs & Behavior/ Psychopharmacology. She is also the Chair of Women in Neuropsychology (http://www.scn40.org/piac-win.html) Subcommittee within the APA Society for Clinical Neuropsychology.
Recent Honors:
2013: Received a UW-Milwaukee Graduate School/Foundation Research Award.
November 2012: Named a Kavli Fellow by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and invited to attend the Japanese-American Kavli Fronteirs of Science Symposium.
July 2012: Received a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) from President Obama and the National Institute of Health (NIH).
2011: Received the NIDA Division of Clinical Neuroscience and Behavioral Research, Behavioral and Brain Development 2011 Outstanding Early Career Investigator Award.
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Chase Shankula
shankula@uwm.edu
Chase is a 1st year doctoral student studying clinical psychology at UWM with an emphasis in neuropsychology. In 2020, he earned his B.S. in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of California, San Diego, completing a thesis under Dr. Karen Dobkins on the modeling of ruminative behavior. Upon graduating, he joined Dr. Pietro Sanna’s lab at the Scripps Research Institute to study the effects of HIV-1 viral proteins on substance use and metabolism in transgenic rodent models. He took an interest in brain development while also interning with Cortica Healthcare, where he assisted in monitoring the effects of sensorimotor therapy in children with autism spectrum disorders. Chase is primarily interested in exploring how biological and environmental factors interact to predispose youth to risk-taking and internalizing behaviors. He aims to contribute to the development of early detection methods for these maladaptive behaviors through neuroimaging and neuropsychological assessment, aided with the integration of machine learning and complex longitudinal modeling.
Gabriella is a 1st year doctoral student studying clinical psychology at UWM with an emphasis in neuropsychology. In 2016, she graduated from Stockton University with a B.S. in Psychology and a minor in Behavioral Neuroscience. Later, she received her M.S in Psychology at Drexel University under the mentorship of Dr. Maria Schultheis in the Applied Neurotechnologies lab. In the lab, she worked on a project funded by the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society, which examined multitasking performance in individuals with MS, using avocational performance task. Also at Drexel, she assisted on a project that evaluated the role of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) in improving visual attention in individuals with right parietal lesions following a stroke.
Upon graduation, she started work at the Coatesville VA Medical Center as a research assistant and psychometrist within the neuropsychology clinic. As a research assistant, she worked on a study that evaluated the relationship between lifetime traumatic brain injury (TBI) and the development of substance use disorder among veterans. As a psychometrist, she worked within patient and outpatient populations with varying degrees of cognitive impairment and/or psychopathology. Gabriella’s research interests are primarily concerned with the etiology and development of substance use disorder. Specifically, she is interested in using both neuroimaging and neuropsychological methods to better understand the factors that contribute to alcohol use within adolescents.
Julia Harris M.A.
Julia is primarily interested in researching the etiology, development, and progression of substance use disorder with a particular focus on minority health and health disparities. Julia’s current research interests include examining socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods and factors that may impact the developing brain such as neurotoxin exposure and substance use, utilizing both neuroimaging and biobehavioral/neuropsychological measurements.
Ashley Stinson
stinsone@uwm.edu
Ryan Sullivan, MS
rmsul@uwm.edu
Ryan is primarily interested in researching etiology, manifestation, and maintenance of substance use disorder and affect-related comorbidities that may follow and/or precede onset. To that end, he is interested in examining these processes with neuroimaging, neurocognitive, and behavioral measures—specifically investigating brain-behavior relationships from a neurodevelopmental perspective. He is additionally interested in statistical methodology and complex modeling in this field.
Right now, he is on external practicum at the Medical College of Wisconsin working in adult neuropsychology. Ryan will continue to pursue these research goals while working towards a career as a clinical neuroscience researcher, chiefly focusing on substance use and neuropsychology in adolescence.
Kaitlynne Leclaire, MS
leclai22@uwm.edu
Kaitlynne’s current research interests include examining cognitive development across the lifespan and how health factors may influence this process. She is interested in utilizing neuroimaging & neuropsychological methodologies to better understand these changes. Specifically, she is currently working on her dissertation which examines the association between aerobic fitness and network connectivity in the default mode network in healthy adolescents and young adults. Ultimately, upon completing her PhD, Kaitlynne aims to become a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist.
Alex Wallace, MS
walla228@uwm.edu
Alex’s research interests focus on the intersection between externalizing disorders, specifically in comorbid substance use and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. This interest extends to how early substance use initiation and escalation affect cognition and both structural and functional brain development. Additionally, Alex is interested in how health factors, such as exercise, affect brain development of adolescents and young adults and how these changes in brain development alter neurocognition.
Alex is currently on externship at the pediatric and adult neuropsychology placement at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Alex hopes to continue to expand his understanding of neurodevelopment across the lifespan in order to pursue a post-doc in clinical neuropsychology.
STAFF & RESEARCH ASSISTANTS
Erick Bernal
Phlebotomist, SURF AwardeeChristine Kaiver
Lab CoordinatorBA in Psychology from UWMHailey Wirtz
Lead Research AssistantSURF AwardeeBS Honor's College Degree in Psychology at UWMBridgette Knecht, BA
Research InternBA in Psychology from UWMJocelynn Jarvis
Research InternMcNair & SURF AwardeeUndergraduate Majoring in Psychology/Philosophy at UWMTory Clearwater
BA in Psychology at UWMBo Malames
Undergraduate Majoring in Psychology at UWMAllen Hanna
Caitlin Nelson
Undergraduate Majoring in Psychology at UWMZachary Paltzer
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANTS
Josh Levelius
Evelyn Doan
Suhailah Amer
Sophia Aliaga
Kisang Yoo
Clem Schumacher
Brittney Putterman
Meredith Anne Hetzer
Bergen Hermanson
Hailley Moore
Kaylin Heusdens
Vivien Blecking
Abby Wampfler
Jacqueline Rizzo
Amanda Brehmer
LAB ALUMNI
Megan Ritchay (Kangiser), PhD
Megan’s current research interests include examining the effects of marijuana, alcohol, and nicotine use on cognitive functioning and brain structure in young adults using neuropsychological and neuroimaging methods. She is also interested in understanding the relationship between substance use, brain structure and function, and gender, and the underlying mechanisms of these effects.
Megan completed year-long advanced externships in adult neuropsychology at the Medical College of Wisconsin and the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center. She is a postdoctoral fellow in adult neuropsychology at the Medical College of Wisconsin and completed her predoctoral internship in the Neuropsychology Track at the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center in Fall 2020. She aims to become a board certified clinical neuropsychologist.
Kyle Jennette, PhD
jennette3@uwm.edu
Kyle’s current research interests focus on the influence of aerobic fitness on functional connectivity in the brain and subsequent effects on cognition, especially executive function, learning, and memory. He is also interested in neuropsychological test development and novel applications of common assessments to better predict risk for, and course of, cognitive function and impairment across the lifespan.
Kristin Maple, PhD
Kristin is interested in the relationship between substance use and neurocognition and emotional processing.
Skyler Shollenbarger, PhD
Skyler's research experiences have broadly focused on addiction and substance use, and specifically how substance use impacts brain structure, functioning, and mental health outcomes. Skyler employs multifactorial approaches (e.g. neuroimaging, genetics, neurocognitive testing, self-report measures) to address particular research questions.
Tasha Wade (Wright), PhD
Tasha is interested in the neurological and biopsychosocial factors in the etiology and effects of substance abuse.
Jenessa Price, PhD
Faculty profile: https://fcd.mcw.edu/?module=faculty&func=view&name=Jenessa_Price_PhD&id=6653MCW Health Psychology Residency page: https://www.mcw.edu/Psychiatry-Behavioral-Medicine/Health-Psychology-Residency-Doctoral-Internship-Program/Core-Faculty.htmAlicia Thomas, PhD
Alicia's research focuses using the application of multimodal brain imaging to better characterize consequences of chronic drug use during adolescence. More specifically, her work examines the effect of marijuana and alcohol use on brain function and neural connectivity. Her research interests also include determining whether lifestyle factors like BMI or activity level moderate the effects of chronic drug use.
Claudia Padula, PhD
https://med.stanford.edu/bravelab.html PREVIOUS STAFF
Kelah Hatcher
BA in Psychology from UWMMaster's of Social Work student at UWMMarin Schmitt
BA in Journalism and minor in Political Science from UWM; MS in Psychology from Arizona State University Public Health PhD student at UWMMegan Herdt
BA in Psychology From ElonEducational Psychology PhD student at UWMLukas Dommer, BA
Lukas was a SURF awardee working on the ABCD Study as an undergraduate at UWM. He graduated with a bachelors in Psychology in May 2019 and is spending the summer at FIU working at a camp with adolescents. In 2020 he was accepted to the University of Minnesota School Psychology doctoral program.Angelina Lochner, BA
Angelina started in 2015 as an undergraduate volunteer in the BraIN lab and worked her way up to a Child RA for the ABCD Study. She graduated from UWM in 2018 and began the Master's of Social Work program at UW-Madison in the Fall of 2019.Sarah Lehman
BA in Psychology from UWMKristen Leer
Kristen Leer is a senior undergraduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, triple-majoring in Psychology, Classic Civilization, and Religious Studies. As a Senior Excellence in Research Awardee, McNair Scholar, and Honors College student, Leer has presented at multiple national conferences – as well, being awarded for her research. Her recent work has investigated the psychological processes in youth, and her Honors senior thesis investigates the evolution of schizophrenia through the five editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and its influence on cultural representations in cinema. Most recently, Leer is writing for the 20th-anniversary publication for the 2000 film Gladiator. Leer hopes to start graduate school in Psychology this Fall 2020.Danny Mulligan, BA
Danny began in the clinical psychology PhD program at Wayne University with Dr. Christopher Trentcosta in Fall 2018. Dr. Trentcosta does longitudinal research examining the development of self-regulation skills and emotional competence in children at risk due to low SES and other environmental factors. He’s also on a project looking at fetal fMRI data and self-regulation issues at age 4.Jenna Ausloos, BA
Jenna received her undergraduate from UW-Madison and began working in the BraIN lab in 2017 as a child RA. She started as a graduate student at the joint Clinical and Rehabilitation Psychology Ph.D track working in Dr. Eun-Jeong Lee's lab in the Fall of 2018. She will be studying transition age youth with ASD.Erika Gilbart, BA
Erika graduated from UWM with a B.A. in Psychology in 2013. She worked full-time in the Brain Lab as a research intern until 2017. Erika is interested in the development and treatment of addiction, substance use, effects of drugs on the brain (particularly during adolescence), neuropsychology, and neuroimaging techniques.Bridget Stemper, BA
BA in Psychology from UWMEllie Hase
Mia Rudolph-Schulta, BA
BA in Women's and Gender StudiesCertificate in LGBT StudiesCurrently: Master's of Public Health CandidateFocus: Community and Behavioral Health PromotionNatalia Sotelo
SURF AwardeeJose De La O Arechigo
SURF AwardeeCurrently: Master's of Nursing Candidate at Marquette UniversityKarina Montoto
McNair ScholarBS PsychologyMaryBeth Groth Mals
BA in Psychology from UWMMaster's of School Social Work student at UWMMichael Esson
BA in Psychology at Marquette1st Medical Student at the Medical College of WisconsinLyiba Malik
Natalie Wilcox
SURF AwardeeSofia Mattson
BA in Psychology at UWM