Fitzgerald Lab
Location and Contact Information
Principal Investigator
Anxiety disorders are the most common psychiatric problem in children and adolescents. These disorders affect up to one-third of youth and lead to impairment across academic, social, and family domains. Our goal is to better understand anxiety disorders and develop effective treatments for children and families.
Our current research uses fMRI, EEG, and behavioral assessments to look for biomarkers of pediatric anxiety disorders to serve as neural targets for novel, mechanism-based treatments. We are interested in how evidence-based treatments may improve brain function in anxious youth. Read more about our current work on the studies page!
Lab Members
Staff
Nicholas Bustos, B.S.
- Data Analyst
Nicholas has a background in bioinformatics and training in clinical neuroimaging, with previous experience working as an MRI Analyst at MUSC. His focus is on applying advanced signal processing methods towards mapping information transfer in neural systems, specifically to create neuropsychiatric connectivity phenotypes that can inform and advance clinical treatments. Previous work has probed neural mechanisms of attention and evaluative processes in shaping behavior within the context of anxiety and substance use disorders. His current research utilizes human neuroscience methods (fMRI, psychophysics) to form models of brain function and illuminate principles of network organization in health and disease. Nicholas will be working with Dr. Fitzgerald’s research group as a data analyst.
Sherry Chen, B.A.
- Research Assistant
Sherry works as a Research Assistant for the Kidpower study. Sherry graduated from the University of Michigan in December 2022 with a degree in Psychology and Communications. As an undergraduate student, she worked with Dr. Kate Fitzgerald in her OCS study and Dr. Soo-Eun Chang in the Speech Neurophysiology lab. She completed a thesis about beta power oscillations while listening to isochronous tones in stuttering. She is particularly interested in pediatric anxiety and OCD, and she plans on pursing these interests in her post-bacc career. In her free time, Sherry enjoys pottery, cooking, and café hopping.
Elizabeth Deckler, MD
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellow
Dr. Elizabeth Deckler is a child and adolescent psychiatry fellow in the New York-Presbyterian Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Residency Training Program. As a Shaffer Scholar/R25 research fellow, she works with Dr. Kate Fitzgerald studying pediatric anxiety and OCD.
Dana Diaz, PhD
- Postdoctoral Research Scientist
Dr. Diaz is a T32 postdoctoral research fellow working under the co-mentorship of Drs. Kate Fitzgerald, Rachel Marsh, and David Pagliaccio. Her research employs fMRI and autonomic measures to study the brain mechanisms that contribute to biases in threat processing and cognitive control in anxious youth. Dana received her B.A. in Psychology and Anthropology from Washington University in St. Louis and completed her Ph.D. in Psychology at the University of California, Riverside.
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Ann Iturra, Ph.D.
- Postdoctoral Research Scientist
After receiving her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Valparaiso, Chile, Dr. Iturra worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School / McLean Hospital with Drs. Carol Paronis and Jack Bergman in the Behavioral Pharmacology Lab, as well as with Dr. Diego Pizzagalli in the Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research. She is currently working under the co-mentorship of Drs. Kate Fitzgerald and Melanie Wall, generating data-driven approaches for the diagnostics of anxiety and depression in children using high dimensional multimodal psychiatric research data.
Natalie Javadi, Ph.D.
- Clinical Assessor and Research Associate
Natalie is a licensed psychologist who serves as a clinical assessor and research associate on the Kidpower study. Natalie received her B.S. in applied psychology from New York University and her Ph.D. in psychology (clinical science) from Florida International University. She has extensive experience assessing and treating youth with anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, disruptive behaviors, developmental delay, and autism spectrum disorder and specializes in cognitive-behavioral, exposure-based, and behavioral parenting interventions. Natalie’s program of research focuses on optimizing youth mental health care through innovative treatment redesign. She is particularly interested in developing an evidence-base for informed clinical decision-making for individuals who exhibit slower or fewer improvements throughout the course of treatment, as well as examining the utility of delivering care in naturalistic settings, in intensive doses, and/or with the support of technology.
Caroline Risdon, B.S.
- Research Assistant
Caroline works as a research assistant for the Kidpower study. Caroline graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2019 with a B.S. in Neurobiology. As an undergraduate student, Caroline worked in a research lab studying youth with post-traumatic stress disorder where she developed an interest in pediatric mental health. After college, Caroline spent two and a half years delivering services based in applied behavior analysis (ABA) to children with autism spectrum disorders. Caroline plans to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, specializing in the research and treatment of child and adolescent anxiety disorders.
