Principle Investigator

Antonia N. Kaczkurkin

Antonia N. Kaczkurkin
Antonia N. Kaczkurkin

Antonia Kaczkurkin is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Vanderbilt University. She received her Master of Arts and Ph.D. degrees in clinical psychology from the University of Minnesota. She completed her APA-accredited clinical internship at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She was then a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania before joining the faculty at Vanderbilt. Dr. Kaczkurkin's research focuses on understanding the neurobiological mechanisms that contribute to the etiology of internalizing disorders. She integrates multimodal measures such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and psychophysiology to develop a comprehensive understanding of the basic mechanisms underlying anxiety and depressive disorders. Her specific research interests include: 1) investigating abnormal brain anatomy and functioning in anxiety and depressive disorders, 2) understanding the neurobiological heterogeneity that exists within internalizing symptoms, and 3) applying knowledge about these neurobiological differences to improve treatment outcomes. Dr. Kaczkurkin is currently funded by a K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award from the NIMH.

CV.pdf

Graduate Students

Hee Jung Jeong

Hee Jung is a graduate student in the BRAINS lab. She graduated from Korea University with a B.A. in psychology and a M.S. in Cognitive Behavioral Neuroscience. At Korea University, Hee Jung was a member of the Human Performance lab led by Dr. Yang Seok Cho. Her projects investigated the effect of trait and state anxiety on cognitive control and emotion regulation. After moving to Nashville, Hee Jung worked in the Mood, Emotion, and Development lab led by Dr. Autumn Kujawa at Vanderbilt University. During her time at Dr. Kujawa's lab, she worked on fMRI and EEG projects aimed at delineating neural correlates of social and monetary reward responsiveness in youths. Hee Jung is currently a sixth-year graduate student in the Vanderbilt University Clinical Science Doctoral Program. Her primary research focus is to identify brain structures and functional networks that underlie a link between early life stress and psychopathology. She utilizes hierarchical modeling to explore dimensional structures of stressors and applies structural equation modeling, multilevel modeling, and longitudinal mediation analysis to investigate their relationship with structural and functional characteristics of the brain and dimensions of psychopathology. She is further interested in identifying the role of subjective interpretation of stressful events in shaping the brain development as well as the emergence of psychopathology. Hee Jung is currently completing her pre-doctoral internship year at the National Psychology Training Consortium – Central Region. Her clinical work involves providing evidence-based intervention, assessment, and consultation for youths admitted to a psychiatric unit at Royal Oaks Hospital. She is particularly interested in working with children and adolescents with trauma and providing trauma-informed and trauma-focused care.


CV.docx

Leighton Durham

Leighton is a graduate student in the BRAINS lab. She graduated Magna Cum Laude and received a BA in psychology with distinction from Duke University in 2017. While at Duke, Leighton worked as an undergraduate research assistant in Dr. Laura Richman's lab and assisted with projects surrounding the influence of perceived discrimination on mental and physical health outcomes. After graduating, Leighton worked as a full-time research assistant in Dr. Laura Holsen's lab at Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School where she contributed to neuroimaging protocols aimed at delineating the relationships between stress, hormones, reward-related neural circuitry, and appetite in major depressive disorder. Leighton is now a sixth-year graduate student in the Clinical Science Doctoral Program at Vanderbilt University. Her primary research interests include characterizing the natural, dimensional structure underlying youth psychopathology, as well as identifying associated neurobiological targets for early detection, prevention, and treatment. Her dissertation project utilizes advanced hierarchical modeling techniques to define a dimensional model of youth internalizing symptoms and investigates associated patterns of neurostructural differences. Leighton is currently completing her pre-doctoral internship year at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Leighton's clinical work involves providing evidence-based intervention, assessment, and consultation services for youth and families in the community. She has particular clinical interests in youth internalizing psychopathology, trauma-informed and trauma-focused care, caregiver training and support, and adolescent mental health.    

CV.pdf

Gabrielle Reimann

Gabrielle is a graduate student in Vanderbilt's Clinical Science doctoral program. She graduated from James Madison University in 2017 with a B.S. in psychology and a minor in statistics. Following college, Gabrielle spent three years as a post-baccalaureate research fellow at the National Institutes of Health. She began her fellowship with Dr. Martha Bernad Perman and Leora Comis of the NIH Rehabilitation Medicine Department where she modeled risk factors for later life depression in Turner syndrome. She was awarded an additional two year fellowship in the Lab of Brain and Cognition with Dr. Alex Martin. There, she examined the neural correlates of memory and attention in autism spectrum disorders and prosopagnosia. As a graduate student, Gabrielle aims to examine structural and functional connectivity underlying internalizing symptoms in youths. She is particularly interested in the role of executive functioning in regulating psychopathology. Outside of academia, she loves hiking and Thai food, and she played in a steel drum band throughout college!

Camille J. Archer 

Camille is a graduate student in the BRAINS lab. She graduated Magna Cum Laude and received a B.A. in psychology and English from Vanderbilt University in 2020. While at Vanderbilt, Camille worked as an undergraduate research assistant in Dr. Bruce Compas's lab and assisted with projects investigating the impact of parental internalizing symptoms on youth mental outcomes. After graduating, Camille spent two years as a post-baccalaureate research fellow at the National Institutes of Health. She completed her fellowship with Dr. Ellen Leibenluft of the Section on Mood Dysregulation and Neuroscience in the NIMH, where she contributed to behavioral and neuroimaging projects characterizing pediatric irritability, and the impact of adverse life events on irritability and other internalizing disorders. Camille is currently a first-year graduate student in the Vanderbilt University Clinical Science Doctoral Program. Her primary research interests include using multimodal methods to investigate potential risk factors for psychopathology in youth. She is especially interested in examining the effects of early adversity, including familial and environmental factors that influence the developmental course of internalizing symptoms in youth. Outside of academia, she loves reading modernist fiction and exploring local coffee shops!


Lab Coordinator

Kaitlynn E. Ellis

Kaitlynn is a research assistant at Vanderbilt's Clinical Science BRAINS Lab. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2022 with a B.S. in Neurobiology and Psychology. While at the University of Wisconsin, Kaitlynn worked as an undergraduate research assistant in Dr. Brittany Travers and assisted with projects investigating motor and brain development in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. After graduating, she spent two years as a lab manager in Dr. Haley Vlach's lab, where she contributed to several projects focused on understanding the cognitive development of young children, with a specific focus on memory and language skills. At the BRAINS Lab, Kaitlynn is responsible for the day to day operations of the lab's research projects which includes recruiting and screening participants, preparing participants for EEGs and MRIs, running the E-prime tasks during the EEG and fMRI sessions, administering cognitive tests, and managing participant payment and course credits. Currently, she is working on a project that examines whether depressive symptoms moderate the relationship between emotion regulation strategies and resilience.

Data Analyst

Shuti Wang

Shuti is a full-time research assistant in the BRAINS Lab. She received her master's degree in Quantitative Methods from Vanderbilt University in 2023. While at Vanderbilt, Shuti worked as a quantitative research assistant in Dr. James Booth's lab, focused on studying reading ability and working memory for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Also, Shuti has been a data analyst intern in the Department of Health Policy at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. During her internship, she completed her master's thesis focusing on the relationship between school attendance and neurodevelopmental conditions. In the BRAINS Lab, Shuti oversees data collection and is responsible for basic data cleaning and data analysis for the lab's different projects.

Honors Students

Former

  • Devisi Ashar
  • Jojo Dong
  • Rebecca Keith
  • Emily Micciche
  • Amy Milewski
  • Julia Pines
  • Krisha Shah

Directed Study Students

Former

  • Farrah Stone

Volunteers

Current

  • Bergen Allee
  • Gabby Baugh
  • Victoria He
  • Cindy Jaramillo Panchi
  • Ruhi Patel
  • Nikita Rohila
  • Teffina Zhu Zheng

MARC Scholars 

Former

  • Isabella Jackson

START Students

Current

  • Sochanita Deu
  • Megha Duvvuri
  • Karen Herrera

Former

  • Ralph Francois
  • Cindy Jaramillo Panchi

Building Diversity in Psychology and Neuroscience Fellowship

Current

  • Shayaan Essani

Former

  • Amar Camara

Neuroscience Students

Current

  • Amar Camara

Former

  • Fanuel Berhe