Meet the Team

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Amy Przeworski, Ph.D.

I am interested in factors that contribute to the development and maintenance of anxiety disorders in children, adolescents and adults. These factors include interpersonal correlates of anxiety, cognitive factors, and behavioral factors. I also develop novel treatments for anxiety disorders. I mostly work with individuals with OCD, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, and separation anxiety disorder. The studies that we do in the lab are designed to help improve the understanding and treatment of anxiety disorders. Please see our list of current studies if you may be interested in participating in some of our research studies.

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Nicole Pucci, M.A.

I am a third year graduate student in the child clinical track. I am most interested in the etiology and treatment of anxiety disorders in children and adolescents, with a particular interest in Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Social Phobia. I completed my Masters thesis in Fall 2011 on intolerance of uncertainty and its relationship to worry and anxiety in anxious college students. I am currently in the process of developing my dissertation which will be focusing on social anxiety in female adolescents. I also have secondary interests in ADHD, externalizing disorders, cognitive testing and diagnostic assessment.

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Jessica Nasser, B.A.

My clinical and research interests include anxiety and eating disorders, as well as the effects of diverse personal, social, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds on treatment conceptualization, implementation, and outcome. I am also interested in the differential effects of cognitive-behavioral and mindfulness-based therapeutic techniques. As such, I am currently investigating two competing techniques that encourage worriers to focus on the present moment, since worry is inherently future-focused and prevents individuals from effectively living in the current moment. This study examines the short-term impact of meditation and cognitive restructuring on anxiety, mood, the experience of joy, and relaxation.

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Kimberly Dunbeck, B.S.

I am interested in child anxiety disorders and how interpersonal dynamics impact child anxiety. More specifically, I am interested in peer relationships of children at risk for anxiety disorders. I am also interested in learning more about the etiology and maintenance of selective mutism. My hope is to increase understanding about this rare disorder in order to inform treatment techniques that will help these children and their families.

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Jennifer Birnkrant, B.A.

I am interested in the etiology and treatment of anxiety and depression in children, adolescents, and young adults. I am especially interested in studying how interpersonal risk factors contribute to the development and maintenance of anxiety. Ultimately, I am interested in studying how such risk factors function in the development and maintenance of internalizing disorders in LGBT youth and developing psychotherapies tailored to this population.



Undergraduate Research Assistants

Henry Barr
Andrea Fidler
Kirit Gill
Christine Hale
Anna Handorf
Shirley Kim
Sarah Mattila
Sara McCormick
Kara Richardson
Mai Segawa
Tosin Shenbanjo
Catie Simmons
Rena Steiger