Dr. Aarti Nair received her bachelor's degree in psychology and anthropology from St. Xavier’s College in Mumbai, India. She came to the United States to pursue her master's degree in clinical psychology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Upon graduating, she worked at the Center for Autism Research and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, sparking her long-standing interest in the neural substrates of autism spectrum disorder and neuropsychology. She continued this line of research as a graduate student in the San Diego State University/University of California, San Diego Joint Doctoral Program and obtained her PhD in neuropsychology in 2015. Dr. Nair completed her clinical internship and postdoctoral training at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. Dr. Nair’s current research interests are in the neural basis of social cognition deficits in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and early-onset psychosis. She is specifically interested in applying multimodal neuroimaging techniques (functional and structural MRI, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy) to examine changes in neural architecture affected by targeted interventions in these populations. Her research has been supported by grants awarded by Autism Speaks, Autism Science Foundation, and the National Institute of Mental Health.

Deanna Aghbashian is a sixth-year Ph.D. student. Deanna received her bachelor's degree in sociology and business administration from Azusa Pacific University. She then pursued her master’s degree in social work from the University of Southern California. Upon graduating, she worked at McKinley Children’s Center and Bethany Christian Services in foster care and adoption. She transitioned into working at the County of San Bernardino on the crisis team, which sparked her interest in early-onset psychosis. She has used her LCSW and has worked with patients in an outpatient private practice. Deanna’s current research interests are in the neural differences in adolescents experiencing psychosis and she has successfully defended her dissertation! Deanna is currently completing her doctoral internship at Phoenix Children's Hospital.

James is a sixth-year Ph.D student in the Clinical Psychology Program. He completed a master’s degree in clinical psychology from California State University, Northridge (CSUN). While at CSUN, he was a senior researcher and lab co-supervisor of the Adolescent and Adult Adjustment Lab (ALAB) under the supervision of Dr. Scott Plunkett where he completed research that assessed how contextual factors and individual qualities relate to adjustment, well-being, and academics in diverse populations. James was also a clinical intern at CSUN’s Mood and Anxiety Disorders Clinic and CSUN’s Psychological Assessment Clinic. Upon graduation he was chosen to receive the Scholar-Practitioner Award, which is given each year to a CSUN student who has demonstrated excellent scholastic achievement and has also shown outstanding competence in assessment, engagement, and application of theoretical strategies in serving clients’ needs in an ethical, culturally-sensitive manner. James' research interests include assessing the effectiveness of CBT- and DBT-based interventions, improving psychodiagnostic assessment, exploring new methods of disseminating evidence-based treatments (e.g., digital and telehealth interventions), addressing the needs of community health workers, and addressing LGBT+ issues. He has successfully defended his dissertation! James is currently completing his doctoral internship at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

Niharika Verma is a sixth-year Clinical Psychology Psy.D student. She previously received her Bachelors in Science from UCLA in Psychobiology where she volunteered at the Kellman Human Perception Laboratory with research on differentiating global and local contour completion using a dot localization paradigm. Niharika has also spent time working with children on the autism spectrum and providing behavioral therapies for them. Her research interests lie in the field of neuropsychology ranging from pediatrics all the way to adult spectrum, and she has successfully defended her doctoral project! Niharika is currently completing her doctoral internship at Niklaus Childen's Hospital.

Sanya is a fifth-year Clinical Psychology Psy.D student. Sanya received her B.S. in Psychology from the University of California, Irvine (UCI). During her time at UCI, she gained research experience in different labs including the Behavior, Emotions, and Affective Neuroscience Lab and the Health, Relationships, and Intervention Lab. Sanya also has clinical experience working with children who have Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and scheduled neuropsychological testing appointments for such clients. Her research interests lie in the field of Clinical Neuropsychology, specifically in working with populations that have ADHD. She has successfully defended her doctoral project! Sanya is currently completing her doctoral internship at Dell Children's Hospital.

Rhideeta Jalal is a fifth-year Ph.D. student in Clinical Psychology. Rhideeta received her bachelor’s and master’s degree in Psychology. Upon graduating, she started at the Semel Institute of Neuroscience at UCLA with a research focus on identifying early biomarkers of neurodevelopmental disorders, specifically in autism spectrum disorders. She has experience using neuroimaging techniques to examine the structure and functional architecture of the developing brain in children and adolescents. She has collaborated on several research projects in neuropsychiatric population groups including autism spectrum disorder, 22q11 deletion syndrome, and youth at clinical high risk for developing psychosis. Her research interests include investigating genetic-brain-behavior interactions as they pertain to cognitive processes in typically developing and clinical populations. She has successfully defended her dissertation!

Katie is a fifth-year Ph.D. student in Clinical Psychology. She received her B.A. in psychology from Claremont McKenna College. During her undergraduate career, she gained research and clinical experience at the Claremont Autism Center, focusing on behavioral interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). As a sibling of someone with co-occurring ASD, intellectual disability (ID), and OCD, Katie is dedicated to conducting research that addresses the complexities of having multiple disorders in ASD interventions. Her current research interests include restrictive, repetitive behaviors, sensory processing differences, sleep disturbances, anxiety, ID, culture, and family processes in relation to autism. She has successfully defended her dissertation!

Mithila Mahale is a fifth-year Ph.D. student in Clinical Psychology. She received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from UC Riverside. Prior to starting graduate school, she gained research and clinical experience through various opportunities at the UCR SEARCH Family Autism Research Center, Riverside Psychiatric Medical Group, Inland Empire Autism Assessment Center of Excellence, and the Pediatric Neuro-Assessment Program. Her research interests include the neural basis of social cognition and executive functioning in adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders as well as interventions for this population. She is passionate about pursuing a career as a pediatric neuropsychologist. She has successfully defended her dissertation!

Niki is a fifth-year Ph.D. student in Clinical Psychology. She received her B.S. in psychology at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Upon graduating, she gained research and clinical experience with individuals with autism in different labs at the UCLA Center for Autism Research and Treatment (CART). During her time at UCLA, she served as a coordinator for The PEERS® program and most recently was a Staff Research Associate under the direction of Dr. Catherine Lord. Her current research interests include understanding parents role in social-emotional development, family dynamics, and autism assessment. ​She has successfully defended her dissertation!

Veronica De La Rosa is a fourth-year Clinical Neuropsychology Psy.D student. She graduated from California State University Stanislaus with her Bachelor's in psychology and a minor in child development. Having had over three years of experience directly working with children in different settings, she enjoys being able to help motivate and guide them to reach new goals. Her current clinical experience involves assessing and working with children who have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), and learning delays via an integrative holistic approach (i.e., physical exercises and sensory integration). Her research interests include neuroimaging, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders, and holistic interventions. Clinically, she is enthusiastic to pursue a career in lifespan neuropsychology where she hopes to one day serve lower socio-economic and underserved communities. She has successfully defended her doctoral project!

Lauren Bacchus is a fourth- year PsyD student at Loma Linda University. She received her bachelor degrees in Psychology and Biology from California Lutheran University. Throughout undergrad, Lauren gained clinical and research experience with autistic youth and young adults as a behavioral interventionist and summer transition programs to prepare for college. She also received the "Hero Award" from CLU for working as a first responder in the Emergency Department, while maintaining a full-time academic course-load during the COVID-19 pandemic. Being autistic and living with invisible chronic illnesses, Lauren recognized the importance of accessibility, advocacy, and self-acceptance throughout her personal life and clinical work. Her research focuses on relationship among identity-first language, daily experiences, and perceptions of autism spectrum disorder in autistic adults in the United States. Her current research interests include neurodevelopmental conditions in females, perceived stigma of physical and mental health conditions, and early intervention strategies for hypermobility that co-occurs with neurodevelopmental conditions.

Laura Caldera Aguayo is a third-year Ph.D. student. Laura received her bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of California Riverside. Upon graduating, she gained research and clinical experience while working with Spanish and English- speaking families of young children with Autism Spectrum disorder (ASD) and developmental delays in the Neece Lab at Loma Linda University. Her research interests include interventions, neuroimaging, children with early onset psychosis, ASD, and developmental delays.

Jacob is a third-year PsyD student in clinical psychology. He graduated from New York University with a B.S. in Social Studies Education and a minor in Korean studies. Upon graduating, he worked as a middle school U.S. History teacher before enrolling into the University of Pennsylvania for his masters in counseling psychology. There, he completed a one-year internship as an intake and outpatient therapist at Child Guidance Resource Centers. He is currently an interventionist at Children Hospital of Philadelphia where his providing telehealth services for bereaved parents who have lost their child due to terminal cancer. Aside from his clinical interests in child neuropsychology and evidenced-based treatments for neurodivergent youth, Jacob hopes to contribute towards grassroots efforts to raise awareness about mental health within the Asian-American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.

Ava Swanstrom is a third-year Ph.D. student in Clinical Psychology. She received her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Alabama. Prior to graduate school, she worked as a research and intake coordinator at The Child and Family Institute and Weissman Children’s Foundation in New York, where she developed a program evaluation examining the efficacy of low-cost and pro bono evidence-based mental health services for youth and families. Her research interests center on supporting parents of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities through parent-mediated interventions and understanding how structural and family factors shape access to and outcomes of developmental and behavioral interventions. She hopes to pursue a career integrating research, clinical practice, and advocacy to promote equity across systems of care for neurodiverse children and their families.

Meg is currently a third year Clinical Psychology PhD student at Loma Linda University's School of Behavioral Health. Her research interests center on biobehavioral and integrative approaches to chronic pain management in pediatric populations and promotion of health behavior across the lifespan. Clinically, Meg is passionate about psychodiagnostic assessment, treating youth with comorbid medical conditions, and providiving therapeutic interventions to birthing people in the perinatal and postpartum periods. Meg has extensive experience developing, implementing, and evaluating educational and lifestyle behavior change programs for adolescents and young adults with physical and psychological conditions. By completing an undergraduate degree in neuroscience and psychology at Boston College, and a Master’s of Public Health at UC San Diego, Meg has cultivated a commitment devoted to reducing health disparities through community-based work. Meg enjoys spending time with her daughter, doing yoga, and taking her dog to the beach.

Erin is a second-year Psy.D. student in the Clinical Psychology program. She earned her B.A. in Psychology from Point Loma Nazarene University and her M.A. in Psychological Research from California State University, Fullerton. Erin has worked as a board-certified autism technician and gained research experience in several labs, including USC's Autism and Family Support Lab, CSUF's Family Lab, and UCSD's Pacific Treatment and Research Center. Her clinical and research interests focus on autism spectrum disorder, with a particular emphasis on family support and evidence-based interventions.

Poorvi Balaji is a second-year PhD student in Clinical Psychology. She received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a minor in Philosophy from Baylor University. At Baylor, she was involved in two labs including the Mind Body Medicine Research Lab (MBMRL) and the Behavioral Analysis Research Lab (BEAR). She has had clinical experience working with children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) through the BEAR lab and pursued a clinical psychology internship at an in-patient facility for adults and adolescents with serious mental illness in Houston, TX called Menninger Clinic. Her experience as a special education teacher aide in middle school and enriching volunteer efforts with children with IDD has inspired her to pursue research in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in ethnic minorities through neuroimaging techniques. As an immigrant who has lived in four countries, she hopes to research neurodevelopmental disorders in ethnic minorities and provide accessible resources to these communities using her diverse cultural background on her journey to pursue a career as a pediatric neuropsychologist.

Hector Gutierrez is a first-year Clinical Psychology Ph.D. student at Loma Linda University and lab coordinator in the CYNAPSE Lab. Hector received his bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from the University of California, Los Angeles. During his time at UCLA, he volunteered as a research assistant at the UCLA Child and Adult Neurodevelopmental (CAN) Clinic and as a behavioral and career coach with the PEERS® Program, where he helped provide evidence-based social skills interventions for adolescents and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and socio-emotional challenges. After graduation, he joined Dr. Aarti Nair’s lab, where he further developed his clinical skills, assessment, administration, and gained extensive experience in autism diagnostics and research. Hector’s research interests focus on neurodivergent populations, particularly autistic individuals. He is interested in how differences in social cognition and sensory processing are reflected in the brain, and how neuroimaging modalities such as resting-state fMRI and Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) can improve early identification and inform more targeted clinical interventions.

Steven Stanley is a first-year PsyD student at Loma Linda University. He received his bachelor's degree in Neuroscience from Brigham Young University. Recognizing the growing needs of his community in Southern California during the COVID-19 pandemic, Steven took a hiatus from his formal education to volunteer full-time alongside marginalized populations, offering compassionate support to individuals facing challenges such as addiction, mental illness, and homelessness. This formative experience motivated him to seek formal training to provide more effective, evidence-based care. Upon returning and graduating, Steven worked as a Laboratory Technician at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, where he conducted experiments on the effects of a novel drug combination on metastatic melanoma using in vitro and in vivo models. Motivated by a passion for direct care, he transitioned into a role as a Psychometrist, gaining proficiency in administering and scoring psychological and neuropsychological tests to inform diagnostic evaluations. His research and clinical interests are focused on pediatric neuropsychological assessment and providing evidence-based therapy. He is particularly interested in conducting comprehensive evaluations in a hospital setting and aspires to teach in higher education.