GRADUATE STUDENTS
Rachel Best
Rachel Best, B.A., is a fifth-year doctoral student in Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology's Clinical Psychology (Health Emphasis) Ph.D. program. Her research in the Headache and Adherence Lab is focused on improving quality of life, specifically through mindfulness interventions. In addition to her research in the Headache and Adherence Lab, Rachel has been pursuing a minor in Geropsychology. Clinically, she has held positions at Zucker Hillside Hospital, Jacobi Medical Center, Montefiore Medical Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering, and the Manhattan VA. See Rachel's CV.
Alexandra (Ali)
Schwartz
Alexandra (Ali) Schwartz, M.A., is a fifth-year doctoral student in Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology's Clinical Psychology (Health Emphasis) Ph.D. program. Her research is currently looking at migraine as a risk factor cerebrovascular events and cardiovascular disease. In addition to her research in the Headache and Adherence Lab, Ali has completed a minor in neuropsychology. Clinically, she has held positions at NYU Lagone's Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorder unit, New York Presbyterian Inpatient Behavior Center, and Montefiore Medical Center. Ali has a passion for working with Hispanic individuals, as she provides intervention and assessment services in both English and Spanish. See Ali's CV.
Annie Kate Reeder
Annie Kate Reeder, M.A., is currently on internship at NYU School of Medicine - Bellevue Hospital. She is interested in mindfulness and mechanisms of therapeutic action in psychotherapy. Annie Kate's pre-doctoral thesis examined factors of trait mindfulness in individuals with migraine. Her dissertation is exploring a dose response relationship and underlying mechanisms in a mindfulness-based treatment for people with comorbid migraine and depressive symptoms.
Toby Dresdner
Toby Dresdner, M.A., is a fourth-year doctoral student in the health psychology program. She is interested in trauma and mindfulness treatments. For her dissertation, Toby is studying measuring and reporting adverse events in mindfulness interventions for migraine patients. See Toby's CV.
Talia Korn
Talia Korn, B.A., is a fourth-year student in the Clinical Psychology (Health Emphasis) Ph.D. program. Her research interests are broadly focused on psychological factors in patients with chronic disease and pain conditions. Talia's predoctoral thesis is focused on the experience of fear and avoidance of pain in patients with headache disorders. See Talia's CV.
Alexandra (Ali)
Ozmeral
Ali Ozmeral, M.A.., is a fourth-year student in the Clinical Psychology (Health Emphasis) Ph.D. program. She comes from a health promotion disease prevention background. Ali is broadly interested in health behavior changes and nutrition. Her predoctoral thesis is focused on exploring the relationship between caffeine and alcohol intake behaviors and migraine outcomes. Ali's dissertation aims to explore the relationship between eating behaviors and beverage consumption with same and next day headache occurrence. See Ali's CV.
Katie Santamaria
Megan Lacritz
Katie Santamaria, M.A., is a fourth-year in the Clinical Psychology (Health Emphasis) Ph.D. program. Katie is interested in examining how working alliance impacts treatment outcomes. Her predoctoral thesis examine how the therapeutic working alliance impacts outcomes in migraine patients undergoing behavioral treatment. Her dissertation will iteratively develop a training program for headache care providers to develop motivational interviewing skills to facilitate behavior change in their patients. See Katie’s CV.
Megan Lacritz, M.A., is a third-year student in the Clinical Psychology (Health Emphasis) Ph.D. program. Megan is broadly interested in neuropsychology and how migraine can impact neuropsychological performance. Megan is also interested in the comorbidity of psychological illness and migraine. For her predoctoral thesis, she is examining the presence of premonitory symptoms and if individuals can utilize these symptoms to predict head pain. See Megan's CV.
Maria Palmeri
Maria Palmeri, M.A., is currently on internship at NYU Langone Rusk, focusing on neuropsychology and neurorehabilitation. She will continue on as a fellow at NYULH/Rusk for her post-doc. Her research interests are broadly focused in neuropsychology, cognition, and neurodegenerative diseases. Her dissertation is focused on factors influencing performance and symptom validity in Veterans with traumatic brain injury. See Maria's CV.
Nina Rose
Nina Rose, M.A., is currently on internship at the Brooklyn VA, where she focuses on trauma-informed care for veterans and health psychology within palliative care. Her research includes examining the efficacy and therapeutic alliance of mindfulness-based interventions for neurology patients, as well as exploring how health literacy affects health equity and medical outcomes across patients with different socio-economic backgrounds. See Nina's CV.
Mara Getz
Mara Getz, MPH is a third-year student in the Clinical Psychology (Health Emphasis) PhD Program. She is primarily interested in neuropsychological deficits, plasticity, and rehabilitation after traumatic or acquired brain injury. Mara plans to study post-traumatic headache and cognition for her dissertation and she hopes to integrate her passion for studying health disparities and health behavior into her future research. See Mara's CV.
Rebecca (Becca) Klapper
Becca Klapper, Ed.M., CMPC is a second-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology (Health Emphasis) Ph.D. program. Becca is primarily interested in understanding the psychosocial implications of stigma and social support, along with the rehabilitation after a traumatic brain injury. Her predoctoral thesis aims to characterize the burden of post-traumatic headache in Veterans. See Becca's CV.
Kensei Maeda
Helena Costantini
Kensei Maeda, B.S. is a second-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology (Health Emphasis) Ph.D. program. His research in the Headache and Adherence Lab is broadly focused on neuropsychology, pain, and predictors of dementia onset. Kensei's predoctoral thesis will investigate migraine as a risk factor for dementia onset. See Kensei's CV.
Helena Costantini, B.S. is a first-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology (Health Emphasis) Ph.D. program. Helena is primarily interested in interventions for people with migraine related pain and disability. See Helena's CV.
Jason Brause
Jason Brause, M.A. is a first-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology (Health Emphasis) Ph.D. program. Jason is interested in headache research relating to pediatric populations. See Jason's CV.
RESEARCH COORDINATOR
Barbara Ladenheim, Ph.D.
B.A. Education, Queens College, City University of NY
M.A. Experimental Psychology, St. John's University
Ph.D. Psychology; concentration in BioPsychology, City University Graduate School
Post-doctoral Research Fellowship, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Dr. Ladenheim is currently the Research Coordinator in Dr. Seng’s lab. Her focus over the years has been on different aspects of research including experimental design and the responsible implementation of research. Her own research has been focused on child development, specifically the development of vision. As Research Director at Blythedale Children’s Hospital she participated in many aspects of physical rehabilitation research as well as conducted the analysis of outcomes leading to the practice of evidence based medicine. She was also a member of Blythedale’s Institutional Review Board.
Lab Manager
Sarah McGlone
B.A. Psychology, Wittenberg University
M.S. Experimental Psychology, Ohio University
Sarah is currently the Lab Manager in Dr. Seng’s lab. She is an experimental health psychologist with a focus on factors influencing pain perception. She has also researched how to improve the blood donation experience. Sarah has taught undergraduate courses in Introductory Psychology, Research Methods, Sensation and Perception, Physiological Psychology, and Health Psychology. She is passionate about helping Dr. Seng's graduate students design and conduct studies to better the lives of individuals with migraine.
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
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
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.