Graduate and Post-Doctoral Students
Christopher Conway
Chris's research examines interplay between genetic and environmental vulnerabilities in determining risk for psychopathology, particularly depressive and anxiety disorders. He is also interested in quantitative models of comorbidity among psychological disorders and understanding the transmission of depressive symptoms through social networks, and is working on a dissertation proposal. In his free time, Chris enjoys sports, statistics, and watching TV.
Liz Dalton
Liz is in her second year of graduate school, and is interested in the interpersonal causes and consequences of depression and stress. In her spare time, Liz enjoys running marathons and spending time with friends and family.
Shaina Katz
Shaina is in her 3rd year of graduate school, and is interested in the interpersonal context of depression, namely the social and relational factors that predict, maintain, and result from depressive disorders. In her spare time, Shaina enjoys exploring Los Angeles, learning how to cook, and playing board games, especially Scrabble!
Elizabeth Raposa
Liz is a second year student, and is interested in the effects of depression on adolescents' peer and family relationships. One area of particular interest involves the role that biological processes, such as inflammation, play in depression and interpersonal stress. Liz's other interests include tennis and reading.
Molly Tartter
Molly is a 4th year student. She is interested in how genetic vulnerabilities affect our biology and susceptibility to stress, and how this interaction can lead to depression. She is also interested in the mechanisms of treatment and the placebo effect in depression. In her spare time, Molly enjoys reading novels, making sushi and doing yoga.
Sarah Thompson
Sarah is a second year student interested in the reciprocal relationship between stress and depression. She is particularly interested in examining mechanisms of stress sensitivity and stress inoculation and how these processes might impact the development and maintenance of depression. In her free time, Sarah loves to hike and read novels.
Lisa Starr
Lisa is an NIH postdoctoral scholar. She received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 2010 (a student of former Hammen Lab member, Joanne Davila), and completed her predoctoral internship at the University of Illinois at Chicago Medical Center. Her research focuses on depression and anxiety in adolescence and adulthood, with a particular emphasis on comorbidity issues and interpersonal causes and consequences of psychopathology.
George Slavich
George is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA following postdoctoral training in Psychoneuroimmunology. His research integrate tools and methods from clinical psychology, health psychology, and social neuroscience to examine why and how social experiences exert their effects on emotional and physical health.