Aaron J. Blashill, Ph.D.
DirectorPronouns: He/Him/His
Dr. Blashill is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at San Diego State University, and core faculty member of the SDSU/UCSD Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology.
Associated Faculty
Arjan van der Star, Ph.D.
PROJECT DIRECTOR FOR THE SUICIDE PREVENTION PROJECTPronouns: He/Him/His
Dr. Arjan van der Star is a Research Assistant Professor with the Department of Psychology at San Diego State University and a Research Scientist at the San Diego State Research Foundation. Arjan completed his PhD (Public Health) at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, studying stigma-related factors driving sexual orientation-based and gender identity-based disparities in mental health. Arjan’s research focuses on the mechanisms underlying these mental health disparities, informing both preventive measures and clinical interventions.
Post-Doctoral Researchers
Research Coordinators
Jenna Mootchnik
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Jenna is a third-year undergraduate student at San Diego State University with a major in Psychology and minor in Sociology. Her research interests include interventions and treatments for anxiety disorders and substance use disorders, as well as suicide prevention within sexual minority groups. After graduation, she intends to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology.
Nitya Jha, MPH
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Nitya is one of the research coordinators for the Suicide Prevention Project at the BISH Lab. She holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from Boston University. Prior to joining the BISH Lab, Nitya worked as a Social Epidemiology Intern on the Bullying Prevention Project at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, focusing on sexual and gender minority youth. Her research interests include addressing health disparities among marginalized communities and developing tailored interventions to meet their unique needs.
PhD Students
Autumn Askew, M.S.
5th Year Ph.D. StudentPronouns: She/Her/Hers
Autumn is a graduate student in the SDSU/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology. Her research interests broadly include sociocultural factors that influence disordered eating and body image disturbance, as well as translating mechanistic research into novel treatments for eating disorders. She is especially interested in examining these topics within LGBTQ+ groups.
Aly Randall, B.A.
3rd YEAR PH.D. STUDENTPronouns: They/them/theirs
Aly Randall is a graduate student in the SDSU/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology. Their research interests broadly include identifying risk and resilience factors for self-injurious thoughts and behaviors among gender minority youth and young adults, as well as suicide prevention for this population.
Em Chakkour, M.A.
2nd YEAR PHD STUDENTPronouns: she/her/hers
Em is a second year doctoral student in the SDSU/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program (JDP) in Clinical Psychology. She moved to San Diego from Lebanon, and she earned her master’s degree in Psychology at San Diego State University before joining the JDP. Her research interests broadly include disordered eating, suicide, and health disparities in gender and sexual minorities.
Master’s Students
Nicole Nazareth, B.A.
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Nicole is a second-year master’s student. She is originally from Singapore and received her Bachelor’s in Psychology and Performing Arts from Yale-NUS College. Her research interests broadly include body image, social media, and eating pathology in minority group youth.
Emerson Coman, B.A.
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Emerson is a first year master’s student and San Diego native. She received her Bachelor’s in Psychology with dual minors in Gender & Queer Studies and Neuroscience from the University of Puget Sound. Broadly, her research interests are in the psychopathology of men and masculinities and how this impacts mens’ wellbeing, as well as how it pertains to violence towards women and the LGBTQ+ community. She is particularly interested in subsects of masculine identities such as Incels and other members of the “Manosphere”.
Onyx Garetti
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Onyx is a fourth-year undergraduate majoring in psychology and minoring in anthropology. Her research interests include eating and body image disorders, thanatology, and the effect of social institutions like religion on mental health. She intends to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical or social psychology.
Alicia Mulder
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Alicia Mulder is a second year undergraduate at San Diego State University. She is majoring in psychology and minoring in religion. She is passionate about advocating for mental health concerns and enjoys getting involved in her community. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology after finishing undergrad.
Isabella Souza
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Isabella is a fourth-year undergraduate student at San Diego State University majoring in Psychology and minoring in Child & Family Development. Her research interests include anxiety and mood disorders, the effects of childhood trauma on adulthood, suicide prevention, and substance abuse disorders. After graduation, Isabella plans to pursue a M.S. in Marriage and Family Therapy.
Emily Lucas-Zimmer
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Emily Lucas-Zimmer is a second year undergraduate at San Diego State University. She is majoring in psychology and minoring in counseling and social change. Emily is passionate about addressing and treating those who struggle with mental health disorders regarding depression and anxiety, body image, sexual trauma. She plans on pursuing her Ph.D. in clinical psychology and hopes to open her own outpatient setting.
Tiffany Nguyen
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Tiffany is a third year undergraduate majoring in psychology and minoring in counseling and social change. My current research interests include health behavior change, ocd, and depression regarding race and gender. I intend to either pursue a PhD in clinical psychology or a master’s to practice as a therapist or counselor.
Victoria Medina
Pronouns: She/her/ella
Victoria is a second-year undergraduate student majoring in Psychology with a minor in Child Development. She is interested in developmental psychopathology and developing treatments for ASD and anxiety disorders, and by the interaction between developmental psychology and brain development, and how this relates to personality development and social functioning. After graduating, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical or developmental psychology.
Elisa Ruiz
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Elisa is an undergraduate student at San Diego State University majoring in Psychology and minoring in Digital and Social Media Studies. After graduating in December 2025, Elisa plans on pursuing an M.S. in Marriage and Family Therapy. Elisa is passionate about reducing the stigma surrounding mental health and advocating for Latinx communities.
Spencer Deines
Pronouns: he/him/his
Spencer is a fourth-year Psychology student with minors in Interdisciplinary Studies and LGBTQ+ Studies. His research interests include LGBTQ+ care, the psychological impact of social media, and anxiety. He plans to pursue graduate studies to continue this work and contribute to the well-being of the community.
Amanda Thibodeau
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Amanda is a fourth-year undergraduate student at San Diego State University majoring in psychology. Her research interests include the development of therapeutic treatments for individuals from marginalized and underserved populations. She is especially interested in treatments that address body dissatisfaction and disordered eating for sexual and gender minority populations. After completing her Bachelor’s degree, Amanda plans on pursuing a Ph.D. in clinical psychology.
Post-Doctoral Researchers
Valerie Douglas, Ph.D.
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers, They/Them/Theirs
Dr. Valerie Douglas was a Postdoctoral Research Scholar and clinical assessor for the Pride Body Project from 2020-2022. They are now a content policy analyst for eating disorders at TikTok to create policies to protect users from disordered eating and other potentially harmful content.
Jamie-Lee Pennesi, Ph.D.
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Dr. Jamie-Lee Pennesi was the project director for the Pride Body Project from 2018-2021. She is now a post-doctoral research scholar at the University of Louisville under the mentorship of Dr. Cheri Levinson.
Jaclyn Siegel, Ph.D.
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Dr. Jaclyn Siegel was a postdoctoral research scholar and the project director for the Pride Body Project from 2021-2023. She is now a Research Scientist in the Department of Public Health at NORC at the University of Chicago, and an adjunct professor in the Department of Psychology at San Diego State University.
Ph.D. Students
Patrycja Klimek-Johnson, Ph.D.
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Patrycja was a graduate student in the SDSU/UCSD Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology from 2016-2022. She is now a post-doctoral fellow in women’s health at the San Francisco VA Medical Center/University of California San Francisco.
Jack Brady, Ph.D.
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Jack was a graduate student in the SDSU/UCSD joint doctoral program in clinical psychology from 2017-2023. He is currently the clinical psychology post-doc fellow in LGBTQ+ health at the Edward Hines Jr., VA Hospital in the Chicago area. He completed his internship in LGBTQ+ health disparities at the Augusta University/Charlie Norwood VA. His research interests include sexual minority mental and physical health disparities, psychosocial associations of HIV prevention and treatment among sexual minority men, the PrEP continuum of care, and associations between gender expression and health outcomes among sexual minority men.
Alexandra Convertino, Ph.D.
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Dr. Alexandra Convertino is currently an Assistant Professor at California State University, Dominguez Hills. Dr. Convertino was a graduate student in the SDSU/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology. Her research largely focuses on the role of stress – defined broadly to include both traumatic stressors and everyday stress – in eating disorders and other body image-related disorders (e.g., body dysmorphic disorder, muscle dysmorphia).
Part of her research focuses on the exploration of eating disorders in sexual minority (e.g., gay, lesbian, bisexual) individuals. According to minority stress theory, sexual minority individuals experience specific stressors (e.g., discrimination, internalized homophobia) due to interacting with the hegemonic structures that enforce heterosexuality. By investigating the associations of sexual minority stressors with eating disorders, body image, and related behaviors, she hopes to identify possible avenues for specific, unique prevention and intervention efforts among this population, eventually alleviating the elevated health burden placed upon sexual minority individuals. Another line of her research is focused on how traumatic stressors and posttraumatic stress disorder are associated with eating disorders. Specifically, how certain types of traumatic events and post-traumatic reactions are associated with specific symptom profiles, later or earlier in life onset, and methods of mitigating the relationship between trauma and eating pathology.
Christopher Albright, Ph.D.
AlumniPronouns: He/Him/His
Chris was a graduate student in the SDSU/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in clinical psychology from 2019-2025. He is currently a clinical postdoctoral fellow at McLean Hospital’s 3East Adolescent Residential DBT program, and he completed his predoctoral internship at Yale School of Medicine’s Doctoral Internship in Clinical and Community Psychology within the Adult DBT service. His current research focuses on understanding how discrimination and other forms of identity-based invalidation are associated with the development and maintenance of borderline personality disorder among LGBTQ+ individuals. Clinically, Chris is interested in improving cultural competence in the delivery of DBT among marginalized populations. In his future career, Chris hopes to build mental health infrastructure in underserved and under-resourced settings and implement evidence-based, culturally competent care in the community.
Master’s Students
William Grunewald, M.A.
Pronouns: He/Him/His
William was a master’s student from 2018-2020 in the BISH Lab. He is now a graduate student at Auburn University in their Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program under the mentorship of Dr. April Smith.
Kalina Lamb, M.A.
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Kalina was a master’s student from 2016-2018 in the BISH Lab. She is now a graduate student at Oregon State University in their Health Psychology Ph.D. program under the mentorship of Dr. Sarah Dermody.
Kelsey Nogg, M.A.
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Kelsey was a master’s student from 2016-2018 and a research coordinator on the PrEP and ACS studies from 2018-2019 in the BISH Lab. She is now a graduate student at the University of Colorado, Denver in their Clinical Health Psychology Ph.D. program under the mentorship of Dr. Krista Ranby.
Benjamin Rooney, M.A.
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Ben was a master’s student from 2015-2017 in the BISH Lab. He is now working at San Diego Veteran’s Affairs as a Research Health Science Specialist.
Katie Rozzell, M.A.
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Katie was a master’s student from 2017-2019 in the BISH Lab. She is now a graduate student at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in their Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program under the mentorship of Dr. Janet Latner.
Connor Elbe, M.A.
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Connor was a graduate student in the M.A. in Psychology program at SDSU. He is originally from Ontario, Canada, where he earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Western Ontario in Psychology, with a minor in Medical Cell Biology. His research interests include weight stigma, body (dis)satisfaction, disordered eating behaviours, sexual dysfunction, and sexual & gender minority health.
Research Coordinators
Devon Kimball, B.A.
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Devon was a research coordinator on the Pride Body Project from 2017-2020 in the BISH Lab. She is now a graduate student at the Michigan State University in their Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program under the mentorship of Dr. Jae Puckett.
Justino Flores, B.A.
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Justino was a research coordinator on the Pride Body Project from 2020-2022 in the BISH Lab. He is now a graduate student at the George Washington University in their Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program under the mentorship of Dr. Sarah Calabrese.
Jessica Alexander, B.A.
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Jess was a Research Coordinator working on the Pride Body Project and the Queer Care Suicide Prevention Project. She is now working as an Operations Coordinator at Art of Problem Solving in San Diego.
Undergraduate Students
Manuel Gonzales, B.A.
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Manuel was an undergraduate student from 2016-2019 in the BISH Lab. He is now a graduate student at the SDSU/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology under the mentorship of Kristen Wells, Ph.D.
Isaiah Jones, B.A.
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Isaiah was an undergraduate student from 2018-2021 in the BISH Lab. He is now a graduate student at the University of California Santa Barbara’s clinical, counseling, and school psychology Ph.D. program under the mentorship of Dr. Alison Cerezo.
Adoril Oshana, B.A.
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Adoril was an undergraduate student from 2016-2019 in the BISH Lab. He is now a graduate student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in their Organizational Science Ph.D. program.
Boyu Wei, B.A.
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Boyu was an undergraduate student from 2017-2020 in the BISH Lab. She is now a graduate student at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in their Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program under the mentorship of Dr. Janet Latner.
Arianna Alvarado, B.A.
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Arianna was an undergraduate student from 2020-2021 in the BISH Lab. She graduated from SDSU with a degree in Psychology and minors in Statistics and Public Health and is now working at JBL International as a research data analyst. Her research interests include health disparities and chronic illness, particularly among Latinx populations. Arianna plans to apply to PhD programs in Clinical/Health Psychology in the future.
David Rivera, B.A.
Pronouns: He/Him/His
David was an undergraduate student from 2018-2020 in the BISH Lab. He is now a graduate student at the University of California Santa Barbara’s clinical, counseling, and school psychology Ph.D. program under the mentorship of Dr. Alison Cerezo.
Stephanie Dutra, B.A.
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Stephanie was an undergraduate student from 2019-2021 in the BISH Lab. She graduated from SDSU with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a minor in Counseling and Social Change. Her research interests broadly include traumatic stress and sexual trauma as well as racial minority health issues. She is now pursuing a career in mental health in the greater Boston area.
Makena Gordon, B.A.
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Makena was an undergraduate research assistant in the BISH lab from 2021-2022. Her research interests include body image, eating disorders, anxiety disorders, and personality disorders in adolescents. She is currently working full-time as a recruiter assistant for Aya Healthcare.
Sabrina Le, B.A.
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Sabrina is a first-generation college student. She finished her degree in psychology at San Diego State University. She has a strong interest in neuroscience as well as how culture and ethnicity, particularly within minority populations, influences cognition and behavior. She hopes to pursue a career in the medical field.
Liana Manriquez, B.A.
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Liana was a research assistant in the BISH lab from 2020-2022. Her research interests include anxiety disorders and body image concerns, as well as health disparities within the latino and disabled communities. After gaining more research experience, Liana plans to attend graduate school and pursue clinical psychology.
Nicole Garcia Martinez, B.A.
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Nicole was a research assistant at the BISH Lab from 2019-2020. She graduated from SDSU with a Bachelor of Arts in Industrial & Organizational Psychology and a minor in Cultural Proficiency. She is currently providing ABA therapy to children ages 0-7.
Bethany Mendenhall, B.A.
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Bethany was an undergraduate student from 2017-2019 in the BISH Lab. She is now working in the San Diego area as a group fitness instructor.
Sofija Markovic
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Sofija was an undergraduate research assistant in the BISH lab from 2021-2023. Her research interests include work-life balance, social dynamics in organizations, and underrepresented minority stigmatization in the workplace. She intends to pursue a graduate degree in I/O Psychology.
Presley Horton
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Presley was an undergraduate research assistant in the BISH lab from 2021-2023. Her research interests include psychedelic therapy, specifically for treatment of depression, anxiety, and PTSD. After graduation, she plans on attending graduate school to engage in research, as well as obtain her MFT.
Brianna Victoria
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Brianna was an undergraduate research assistant in the BISH lab from 2022-2023. Her research interests include understanding underrepresented individuals on an ergonomic and clinical level, as well as distress affecting depression, eating disorders, and substance abuse.
Katie Risher
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Katie was an undergraduate research assistant in the BISH lab from 2022-2023. She hopes to obtain her PsyD in Clinical Psychology in the future. Her research interests include investigating the nature, causes, and treatments of different mental disorders and how one’s growth, upbringing, and development may predict different disorders.
Urooma Ali
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Urooma was an undergraduate research assistant in the BISH lab from 2021-2022. Her research interests include eating pathology, PTSD among adolescents and their transition into adulthood, as well as neuropsychology, and the ways in which it shapes our development. After graduation, she plans on pursuing an M.D. or a Ph.D.
Lynae Troy
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Lynae was an undergraduate research assistant in the BISH Lab from 2021 to 2023. Her interests include developmental disorders, anxiety and mood disorders within adolescence. After graduation, Lynae plans to attend Regis University pursuing her M.A. in clinical mental health counseling. She’s also going to be working at Pathlight anxiety & mood center.
Ingrid Anna Yu
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Ingrid is a second-year undergraduate at San Diego State University majoring in Psychology, with an Emphasis in Neuroscience and a minor in Spanish. Her research interests include investigating the relationship between cognitive psychology and behavior, social connections and cognitive health, language neuropsychology, and general neuropsychology. After graduation, she intends to pursue a Ph.D. in Behavioral Neuroscience.
Rebecca Mendoza
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Rebecca is a third-year undergraduate at SDSU majoring in psychology and minoring in Dance Studies, Honors Interdisciplinary Studies, and Statistics. She is a Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) scholar. Her research interests broadly include sociocultural factors that influence eating disorder development and maintenance of disordered eating and body image concerns, especially in child and adolescent populations. After graduation, she intends to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology.
Eduardo Hernandez
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Eduardo was an SDSU undergraduate student from 2021-2023 in the BISH lab. He is now a graduate student at the SDSU/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, where he is mentored by Dr. Jessica McCurley, PhD, MPH.
Justice Herrera
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Justice is a second-year undergraduate at SDSU majoring in psychology and has minors in sociology as well as counseling and social change. Her research interest includes exploring underrepresented communities’ various mental and physical health disparities; more specifically trauma, depression, and anxiety. She plans on pursuing a Ph.D. in either clinical or social psychology.
Isabella Giaquinto
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Isabella is a second-year undergraduate student at San Diego State University majoring in Psychology and minoring in Honors Interdisciplinary Studies. Her research interests include suicide prevention, eating disorders, anxiety disorders, and understanding how the body absorbs trauma, especially in underrepresented communities. After graduation, she plans on attending graduate school and continuing to engage in research.
Margo Fenton
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Margo is a fourth-year undergraduate at SDSU majoring in Psychology and minoring in Art and Spanish. Her research interests include eating disorders, gender, and sexuality. She intends on pursuing a Ph.D. in clinical or social psychology.
Rilo Blashill
Rilo is Aaron’s pride and joy. He enjoys lying in the sun on the deck, wearing rainbow gear, getting belly rubs, and being the subject of Aaron’s many, many pictures. In the future, he hopes to be babysat by members of the lab and continue to be spoiled, as he deserves.
Baby Convertino
Baby is Lexie’s direct supervisor. She enjoys sitting in laps while purring loudly during meetings, walking across keyboards while analyses are running, and batting at the door while Lexie’s seeing patients. In the future, Baby hopes to pursue long naps and catnip toys.