January 2022



Faculty

Steve Brunwasser, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Rowan University and an Adjunct Research Assistant Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He received his doctoral degree in Psychology from the University of Michigan in 2012 and completed a T32 Postdoctoral Fellowship at Vanderbilt University.


Trainees

Clinical Psychology Trainees

Nicole Kelso, MPS, is a second-year student in the Rowan University Clinical Psychology PhD program. She received a B.S. in Psychology from Virginia Polytechnic and State University and a M.P.S in Clinical Psychological Sciences from the University of Maryland College Park. Prior to joining the PrecSci lab, Nicole worked clinically as a psychometrician in Sinai Hospital in Baltimore. She also worked as a research assistant at the University of Maryland on a study analyzing patterns of activity in the brain related to anxious emotion and social interactions in teenagers and at Joint Base Andrews assisting with a study on domestic partner violence. Her current research interests are in preventing depression in health conditions and focusing on research that provides a direct implementation in the community.


Anisha Satish is a first-year student in the Rowan University Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program. She received a B.S. in Psychology from St. Bonaventure University. Before joining the PrevSci Lab, she worked as a research assistant at The Mayo Clinic, contributing to research evaluating the impact of uterine fibroids and hysterectomy on mental health. She then attended a few years of medical school before recognizing that her true passions align more closely with Clinical Psychology. She has an overarching aim to highlight the behavioral health of racial and ethnic minorities through her work. Her current research goals are to develop effective prevention-focused intervention programs for perinatal mental health. She is also interested in exploring the role of perinatal stress on maternal and child health outcomes.


Medical Trainees

Rachel Odland is a second year Medical Student at Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine. She received a B.S. in Psychology from University of Massachusetts-Amherst in 2018. Throughout her undergraduate education, Rachel worked as a Research Assistant studying alexithymia, specifically analyzing the effects of aging on emotion regulation. Her current research interests include perinatal mental health and the psychoneuroimmunology of pregnancy and postpartum.


Michael Klug is a fourth-year medical student at RowanSOM pursuing his doctorate. Interested in psychiatry from a young age, he received a B.S in Neuroscience from Tulane University and was inducted into the national honors society for neuroscience. Prior to joining the PrecSci lab, Mike worked as a research assistant at Tulane, where he helped investigate the impact urban environments have on the neurobiology of songbirds. He also constructed a literature review investigating the impact of sleep deprivation on risk of traumatic brain injury for Trust, Brain, and Body Assessment Program at Tulane. He took part in RowanSOM’s Summer Medical Research Fellowship in 2019. His current research interests lie forming preventative interventions to help reduce psychopathology


Undergraduate Trainees

Violet Terwilliger is a fourth-year Psychological Science student. Before attending Rowan University, she graduated from Rowan College of South Jersey as an Honors Graduate with an A.A. in Psychology. While attending RCSJ, Violet was a member of Phi Theta Kappa and received the President’s Award for Excellence in Psychology. She currently works as a Tutor Tech for RCSJ’s Academic Support Center and as an intern for the One Stop Career Center in Thorofare, NJ. Violet hopes to gain valuable research experience relating to youth depression and other equally vital topics.


Arianna Abulevsko is a third-year undergraduate student working to receive her B.A. in Psychology. She is interested in pursuing her Master’s in Child Psychology.


Brook Matthews is a third-year undergraduate student working to receive her B.S. in Psychological Sciences. She is interested in pursuing her Master’s in Clinical Counseling. Brook hopes to gain experience relating to pediatric depression, anxiety, and various other topics.


Lab Alumni

Camila Mira graduated as a Psychology major from Rowan University. She is from Brazil and joined our team in 2020 as a research assistant. This is her first experience in the psychology field and she is very enthusiastic to learn and help people through the the PrevSci Lab’s research initiatives.