Moriah Thomason is the Barakett Associate Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Population Health in the New York University School of Medicine. She formerly served as Director of the Perinatal Neural Connectivity Unit within the intramural Perinatology Research Branch of NICHD/NIH, where she established a pregnancy cohort of more than 300 culturally and racially diverse women and their children and developed methodology for examining human brain functional circuitry before birth. Her current NIH projects examine developmental disease origins and environmental programming of early human brain development. In particular, her projects are focused on the effects of stress and trauma, socioeconomic risk, and chemical exposures on child neurobehavioral development and health.

Clare is a researcher whose work focuses on women's psychological health in pregnancy and the peripartum, how these are shaped by maternal stress and trauma, and the intergenerational transmission of adversity. She is also interested in the interaction between brain, biology, and the environment in shaping adaptation to parenthood. Dr. McCormack received her PhD in public health in 2016 from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Center at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, where she studied alcohol use during pregnancy and infant cognitive development. She then completed an interdisciplinary postdoctoral fellowship at Columbia University as a Robert A. Burt Presidential Scholar in Society and Neuroscience. Dr. McCormack joined the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine in 2022 as a research assistant professor.

Cassie is a postdoctoral fellow whose work examines how our earliest experiences, as well as the experiences of our parents, shape neurobiological development and stress responsivity. She is particularly interested in biobehavioral processes that are linked to long-term psychiatric risk and resilience.

Denise's research broadly examines how human brain and cognitive development is shaped by experience in the presence of risk and opportunity. In her postdoctoral work, Denise is particularly interested in how early environmental and sociocultural contexts, including variations in caregiving behaviors, stress/adversity, and maternal health, shape trajectories of neurodevelopment. She examines these questions using behavioral paradigms, eye tracking, secondary data sets, and neuroimaging methods, including fNIRS and EEG.

Alice is interested in how early life environments influence socio-cognitive and emotional development from infancy to early adulthood. In her postdoctoral work, she will focus on the effect of perinatal inflammation on brain development and behavioral outcomes in childhood, including executive function and its underlying brain circuits. Alice earned her PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience from Université Claude Bernard - Lyon 1 (France), where she studied the effects of early psychosocial deprivation on brain and behavioral trajectories across adolescence into early adulthood.

I am originally from Bogotá, Colombia, and I am the first in my family to pursue higher education in the United States. As an aspiring advocate and researcher, I aim to tackle national and global health disparities through dissemination and diplomacy efforts. Additionally, my research interests relate to how health policy shapes different social determinants of health and how these influence health behavior, predisposing populations to chronic diseases, particularly from stress and nutrition. Moreover, I engaged in multidisciplinary training activities, ranging from clinical to leadership roles, to advance my understanding of functional medicine and disease prevention, exploring evidence-based mechanisms to uplift individuals and promote healthier systems.

My name is Sofija Djordjevic and I am super excited to be joining the SCAN Lab as a Research Associate! I graduated from Tulane University in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Public Health and a Minor in Psychology. My past research interests have surrounded neonatal and pediatric health, as well as population health, emphasizing underserved communities. In my free time, I love exploring the city and attending food festivals, and I am working on becoming a runner! I also love dogs, coffee, the New York Times games, and anything with chocolate! I can’t wait to get to know everyone, and contribute to the SCAN Lab!

I am currently a sophomore attending Columbia University and studying psychology. My academic interests lie with developmental psychology, where I am particularly fascinated by the crossover between the developing brain and behavioral patterns from infancy to adolescence. Additionally in my free time, I enjoy exploring new restaurants with friends and traveling to new cities. I'm excited to join the COPE Team and get involved with its current projects.

Leslie Gaines is a graduate of the University of Richmond. During her studies, she worked in a psycholinguistics lab and was a summer volunteer with NYU's ISLAND Lab. Since graduating, she has been working in the field of education. She is very excited to be returning to the field of psychology and to be working with the SCAN Lab.

Liam is from the Bay Area, Northern California. He studied romance languages at NYU, with minors in child and adolescent mental health studies and psychology. His previous research experience includes work in clinical neuroscience/genetics and cognitive psychology at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, the Sorbonne, and NYU. He plans on attending medical school and specializing in emergency medicine.

Michelle graduated from NYU with a degree in applied psychology and global public health. She is currently pursuing a master’s in general psychology with a focus on clinical neuroscience. Her previous research interests have focused on language and neurocognitive development in infants and toddlers, as well as the influence of early life experiences on neurodevelopmental trajectories. Michelle is particularly interested in rehabilitative neuropsychology, aiming to support recovery and adaptation following neurological injuries or illnesses.

Sofia graduated from Smith College in 2021, majoring in Neuroscience. She worked in New York as an au pair for a year before joining the SCAN lab. Sofia wants to earn a master’s degree in computer science before pursuing a career in computational neuroscience.

I am an Irish native who moved to New York City. I completed a Bachelor of Biomedical Science degree at the University of Galway and following this, a Master of Neuroscience degree at Trinity College Dublin. My research interests range from neurodevelopment and autism spectrum disorders to inflammation, stress and neurodegenerative diseases. Through my work, I hope to achieve a significant impact in the field of neuroscience, increasing our understanding of human brain development and the pathogenesis of neurological disorders, ultimately contributing to the development of treatments for those who need it most.

I am 19 years old (about to turn 20 on June 30) and I am an undergraduate at NYU, majoring in Biology and planning to minor in CAMS. I was born in Cuba and moved to the U.S. when I was 9 years old. I love animals and I have a tabby cat named Juliette. I currently live in New York City with my family and we all love going sightseeing around the city. I have traveled to Spain and Italy, but I plan to travel the world as much as I can.

Jenna John is a student at Macaulay Honors College at CUNY studying psychology and is originally from Staten Island. She is interested in social work in medical or educational settings, specifically in pediatrics, maternal and palliative care, and has a strong interest in social justice and diversity.

Anushka Gupta is a sophomore at NYU majoring in Psychology and minoring in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies (CAMS). She is very passionate about mental health advocacy and is involved in many organizations both on an off campus that support student mental health. In her free time, Anushka enjoys cafe hopping and going for long walks while listening to her favorite music.

Hello! My name is Christine and I am a current junior at NYU majoring in Psychology and minoring in Data Science and Korean. I'm originally from the suburbs of Chicago, so being in NYC has been such a wonderful and crazy experience. I also work as an intern at GPEG at Columbia University and I am also hoping to find a job as a server to support myself in this beautiful but expensive city. I hope that I can bring as much positivity and help as I can to this lab :)

Emma is an undergraduate student at New York University majoring in Applied Psychology with a double minor in Child Adolescent Mental Health Studies and Teacher Education, specializing in Special Education. In the future, she plans to get her doctorate in Clinical Psychology and research Externalizing and Neurodevelopmental Disorders. She is an NYC native, and loves fitness, romance novels, and true crime TV shows!

I am a junior at New York University, majoring in psychology on the pre-med track. I am passionate about developmental psychology and its applications to neuroscience, particularly in how early environments can affect a child's development. I'm excited to gain more experience in psychology and neuroscience research while working in this lab! After I graduate, I plan to become a pediatric physician.

I am currently a sophomore attending Columbia University and studying psychology. My academic interests lie with developmental psychology, where I am particularly fascinated by the crossover between the developing brain and behavioral patterns from infancy to adolescence. Additionally in my free time, I enjoy exploring new restaurants with friends and traveling to new cities. I'm excited to join the COPE Team and get involved with its current projects.

Hello I am currently a rising junior at NYU double majoring in Global Public Health/Biology with a minor of Chemistry. Also an aspiring OBGYN hoping to make a change in the field to lower maternal mortality as well as epistemic injustice. My journey into medicine has been shaped by personal experiences and the inspiration from profesionales like Dr. Hilda Hutcherson. I am excited and eager to contribute to the research lab, leveraging my background and dedication to advance our understanding and improve patient outcomes.