ALUMNI
Sarah Jo Mayson
Sarah Jo Mayson, Ph.D., is a graduate of the Headache and Adherence Lab, where she explored acceptance and mindfulness in health-related disability, and specifically in migraine-related disability for her masters and dissertation. She co-authored two book chapters on mindfulness at the intersection of psychological and physical health and several journal articles and posters. She also designed and launched a large clinical trial that continues to serve as a core lab project and source of data for students (currently active on clinicaltrials.gov). She completed her clinical internship and postdoctoral years at Pennsylvania Hospital, immersing herself in psychodynamic and analytic work. Dr. Mayson is now a clinical psychologist New York City who readily draws from this rich and eclectic background. She holds a private practice in Manhattan and is an inpatient staff psychologist at Columbia University - New York Presbyterian Hospital. See Sarah Jo's CV here.
Melody Willoughby
Melody Willoughby, Ph.D, is a graduate of the Headache and Adherence lab at Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology (June 2017). While here, she completed her dissertation project exploring the relationship between pain and medication adherence in adult smokers living with HIV. This project investigated the role of psychiatric symptoms (such as anxiety and depression) as mediating variables in this relationship between pain and adherence. After graduating, Melody completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Montclair State University’s counseling center. Between pre and postdoctoral training, she has had several years of experience in college mental health; her areas of clinical interest include issues related to interpersonal relationships, family struggles, and working with students from marginalized groups, such as LGBTQ+ populations with an emphasis on transgender concerns. She is currently employed as a staff psychologist and group coordinator at The College of New Jersey’s Counseling and Psychological Services. See Melody’s CV here.
Alex Singer
Annalisa Sciullo
Alex Singer, Ph.D. is currently the Clinical Health Psychology Post Doctoral Fellow at VA Connecticut West Haven. She is broadly interested in the interactions between physical and mental health, especially pertaining to the role of stress and mindfulness-based practices. She is also interested in preventive and behavioral medicine interventions that target diet, exercise, self-regulation, and substance use. Her predoctoral thesis focused on psychological factors and treatment utilization in the migraine population. Her dissertation, a secondary analysis from the Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for Migraine Randomized Controlled Trial, examined the impact of mindfulness training and mindfulness practice on perceived stress.
Annalisa Sciullo, Ph.D. is currently a postdoctoral fellow with Kaiser Permanente in Roseville, CA with the Chronic Pain Management Department.
Amy Grinberg
Amy S. Grinberg, Ph.D., is a graduate of the Headache and Adherence lab. Her dissertation examined the psychometric properties of the Headache Specific Locus of Control scale in people with migraine. From 2013-2016, she was Dr. Seng's teaching assistant for the Headache and Adherence lab. She has co-authored several peer-reviewed papers and presented her research at national conferences. Dr. Grinberg completed her pre-doctoral internship at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System where she specialized in clinical health psychology. She is currently a Clinical Health Psychology Postdoctoral Resident at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System and a Postdoctoral Fellow at Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Grinberg is broadly interested in the interactions between mental and physical health, particularly the effects of anxiety and stress. Dr. Grinberg regularly utilizes cognitive behavioral therapies and is passionate about improving the quality of life of people chronic pain and chronic medical conditions.
Jaclyn Klepper
Jaclyn Klepper, Ph.D., is a graduate of the Headache and Adherence lab. She was the IRB teaching assistance for the research lab. She is interested in the psychological constructs of acceptance and avoidance and their relationship to pain-related disruption in daily life. Her predoctoral thesis examined fear of headache pain upon cognitive exertion in adults with migraine.
Zarine Patel
Zarine Patel, Ph.D., is a recent graduate of the Headache and Adherence lab. She has worked for over two years as a Research Study Assistant in the Department of Medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Zarine is broadly interested in headaches and pain as they relate to stress, sleep and burden. See Zarine's CV.
Lauren Rosenberg
Lauren Rosenberg, Ph.D., received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, with a Health Emphasis, from Yeshiva University Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology in June 2021. She completed her predoctoral internship in Clinical Health Psychology at VA Connecticut, West Haven. She is currently a Health Psychology Postdoctoral Resident at VA Connecticut, West Haven and will complete her fellowship in August 2022. Her clinical and research interests are in oncology, palliative care, chronic pain, and headache. See Lauren's CV.
Amanda Parker
Amanda Parker, M.A., is currently on Postdoctoral Fellowship at Manhattan, NY VA. She is broadly interested in the interactions between mental health, physical health, and chronic disabilities. She is exploring the construct of perceived injustice as it impacts the patient experience of migraine and quality of life, migraine symptoms, and psychiatric symptoms for her doctoral dissertation. She is specifically interested in medical and rehabilitation psychology utilizing cognitive-behavioral therapies to improve psychological well-being and perspective.
Nicole Butler
Nicole Butler, Ph.D., received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, with a Health Emphasis, from Yeshiva University Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology. Nicole is currently completing her postdoctoral fellowship at New York Presbyterian / Weill Cornell in The Cognitive Therapy Clinic where she specializes in using cognitive behavioral therapy. Prior to her fellowship year, Nicole completed internship at North Central Bronx Hospital. Nicole's dissertation on mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and self-efficacy won the American Headache Society's Frontiers in Headache Research Award in 2020. See Nicole's CV.
Maya Marzouk
Maya Marzouk, M.A., is currently completed her T32 fellowship at University of Cincinnati. Maya is broadly interested in how children are impacted by pain. Her predoctoral thesis is focused on the children of parents who have migraines who may or may not have headaches themselves. See Maya's CV.
Ivy Gosnell
Ivy Gosnell, PhD, is currently a postdoctoral fellow at UCLA's EMPWR Program for LGBTQ Youth. Ivy is interested in how people make decisions regarding their health. She is also passionate about serving underserved communities and advocating for her patients. Ivy's predoctoral thesis was in exploring factors impacting how individuals living with migraine decide when and what medications to take. Her dissertation combined a quantitative evaluation of factors affecting use of a headache research app with qualitative interviews about patients' experiences using technology during migraine. See Ivy's CV.
Laura (Libby) Sebrow
Jessica Kruse
Laura (Libby) Sebrow, M.A., is a sixth year student in the Clinical Psychology (Health Emphasis) Ph.D. program. Libby's research interests are focused on clinical health populations with neuropsychological phenomena. Her predoctoral thesis was focused on evaluating relationships between neuropsychological performance, depression symptoms, and disability in patients with migraine. Libby is currently working on her dissertation project, evaluating cognitive functioning during ictal and interictal periods of the migraine attack in people with episodic migraine via Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA). See Libby's CV.
Jessica Kruse, M.A., is a fifth year in the Clinical Psychology with Health Emphasis Ph.D. program. Her research interests are broadly focused on understanding and improving psychological interventions for chronic pain. Her predoctoral thesis explored mechanisms of change in mindfulness based cognitive therapy for migraine. Her dissertation uses ecological momentary assessment measures to better understand how depression symptoms and daily mood affect pain in community dwelling older adults. See Jessica's CV.
Leah Sutton
Leah Sutton, M.A., is currently on internship. She has worked for over three years in the Department of Medicine at Albert Einstein as a neuropsychology research assistant for the Longevity Genes Project/LonGenity Study. Leah is interested in further elucidating the dimensions of migraine stigma. Her predoctoral thesis aims to explore the relationship between age of migraine disease onset, acceptance, and migraine-related disability. She is also involved in the Clinical Decision Support for Patient Migraine Management research study.