Research Team
Principal Investigator
Bonnie Nagel, Ph.D.
Dr. Nagel is Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at Oregon Health & Science University, where she also serves as the Senior Associate Vice President for Research and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Nagel's Developmental Brain Imaging Laboratory focuses on studying adolescent brain and cognitive development in healthy and at-risk populations. Her work has primarily focused on understanding the development of executive, emotional, and reward-based networks in the brain using neuroimaging and how perturbations to these systems may result in a heightened vulnerability for mental illness during the adolescent years. More specifically, her lab has been conducting longitudinal neuroimaging studies of Portland-area youth for nearly two decades, with aims toward identifying neurobiological markers of risk and resilience for psychopathology, including addiction, depression, and suicidality, with hopes of ultimately informing more targeted intervention and prevention efforts. She is a Principal Investigator on several federally-funded National multi-site projects toward that end, including the National Consortium on Alcohol & Neurodevelopment in Adolescence (NCANDA) and the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (ABCD).
Affiliated Scientists
Scott Jones, PhD
Scott received his Bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Biology from Kansas State University and his Ph.D. in Behavioral Neuroscience from OHSU. His work has largely focuses on modeling the trajectory of cognition and brain development in healthy and at-risk children, adolescents, and young adults. Scott’s primary interest is in developing and implementing advanced longitudinal techniques for explore neurobiological, behavioral and environmental predictors of onset and escalation of many facets of psychopathology, including substance use, mental illness and chronic pain.
Angie Morales, PhD
Angie is Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Oregon Health & Science University. She obtained at B.A. in Human Biology from Stanford University and Ph.D. in Neuroscience from UCLA. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship at UCLA, Angie joined the Developmental Brain Imaging Lab in 2016. Her research career has focused on using multimodal neuroimaging techniques to identify structural, functional, and chemical biomarkers that are risk factors for future substance use or that reflect neurobiological consequences of chronic drug exposure. There is considerably variability in how individuals respond to different drugs, currently her laboratory is examining how different neurobiological responses to acute drug exposure are linked to substance use trajectories over the course of time.
Amanda Del Giacco
Amanda received her Psychology degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. She is a Ph.D. student in the inaugural Clinical Psychology program at OHSU. Amanda is interested in gaining a comprehensive understanding of the neural mechanisms and behavioral implications for identifying early risk factors of psychopathology in children and adolescents.
Dakota Kliamovich
Dakota graduated from Whitworth University (Spokane, WA) in 2017 with degrees in Biology and Psychology. She is currently enrolled in the Department of Behavioral Neuroscience Ph.D. program at OHSU, and is interested in understanding the neural correlates of emerging psychopathology during adolescence.
Gareth Harman
Gareth received his degree in Biochemistry with a minor in Psychology from Winona State University in Winona, MN. Gareth has worked as a research assistant in ophthalmic genetics at the Casey Eye Institute and as a developer within the Developmental Brain Imaging Lab, both at OHSU. Gareth is a current National Library of Medicine Pre-doctoral Fellow studying Bioinformatics and Computational Biomedicine at OHSU. Gareth is interested in using machine learning to identify and predict risk factors of early alcohol and substance use from large-scale high-dimensional neuroimaging and behavioral data.
Mizan Gaillard
Mizan received an Sc.B. in Neuroscience with honors from Brown University. She is a student in the MD/PhD Program at OHSU currently focused on earning her PhD in Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience. She is interested in elucidating how stress and trauma alter the adolescent brain and influence risk for psychopathology.
Abby Espinoza
Abby is a research assistant on the ABCD study.
Ana Howard
Ana graduated from the University of Puget Sound with a B.S. in Biochemistry and Neuroscience. Currently a research assistant working on the ABCD study. Research interests include developmental psychopathology, neurogenetics, and the role empathy plays in the diagnosis, progression, and treatment of mental disorders.
Anthony Hill
Anthony graduated from Reed College with a B.A. in in psychology in May of 2022. He is currently a research assistant working on ABCD Study and the RECOVER Study. His current research interest is the intersection of psychosocial and demographic factors with psychological and physiological health, and novel clinical interventions for people from marginalized identities. In the future, he hopes to pursue a graduate degree in the field of clinical psychology. Outside of the lab, Anthony likes to play videogames, watch movies, and try new coffee and Boba shops.
Arturo Lopez Flores
Arturo graduated from the University of Oregon with a B.A in Psychology and a minor in East Asian Studies and is currently a research assistant on the ABCD study. Research interest include neuropsychology, pharmacology and clinical research on the therapeutic potential of psilocybin.
Bianca Watt
Bianca graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a B.A. in Psychology and completed her master’s degree in Clinical Neuropsychiatry (MSc) from King’s College London. She is currently a Clinical Research Assistant working on the NCANDA-A study. Her research interests include clinical psychology, psychopharmacology, psychedelic assisted therapies and neuroscientific techniques to investigate treating a variety of mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression, substance use and addiction, and exploring altered states of consciousness. She is also interested in pursuing translational science to help bridge the gap between conducting research, establishing evidenced based practices, and implementing clinical treatments to increase access and equity for underserved communities.
Iris Arnold
Iris graduated from Lewis & Clark College with a degree in Mathematics. She is also currently completing a data analytics certification program through the University of Oregon. Iris recently joined the ABCD research assistant team and is eager to learn more about research and data collection processes within the study!
Kalene Dominguez Savage
Kalene is a Project Coordinator with the NCANDA-A study in the Developmental Brain Imaging Lab. She also works intimately with the Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CDI) as a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Ambassador as well as a Hiring Search Advocate and Trainer for OHSU. She is passionate about user experience research and human-computer interaction. She is primarily interested in the use of behavioral data to improve technology and artificial intelligence to make learning & development tools more accessible to underserved communities. Kalene utilizes her background in neuroscience, bilingualism, equity, and teaching to better address the needs of the people she serves.
Kristina Hernandez
Kristina is the current lab manager for the Developmental Brain Imaging Lab. She received her M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Ball State University with a focus on neuropsychology and EEG research. Her research interests include cognitive neuroscience, time perception, and neuropsychological correlates of psychopathology. Outside of the lab, you can find her spending time with her partners and dogs, cooking, or traveling to visit family and friends.
Melissa DeMoura
Melissa will be receiving her B.A. in Psychology from Portland State University in August 2022. Her personal research interests include Clinical Neuropsychology with a special emphasis on applications to Forensic Psychology. In the future, she hopes to continue her studies in a graduate program for Clinical Neuropsychology which has opportunities for practice in forensic settings, in particular with incarcerated juveniles. When Melissa isn't working or studying, she is spending time with her fiancé, petting her cat, practicing yoga or playing videogames/tabletop games.
Rachel Flaherty
Rachel graduated from the University of Oregon with a B.S. in Psychology and from Portland State University with a Masters of Social Work. She is currently the Project Coordinator for the ABCD study. Her research interests include the prevention of youth antisocial behavior, social welfare policy, and addiction prevention and interventions.
Sammie Barnes
Sammie graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science (BS) in Psychology from Portland State University (PSU) and is currently completing her Masters of Social Work (MSW) from PSU. She works on various studies in the lab as a Research Assistant. She is extremely passionate about community mental health and equitable healthcare. She is in the advanced clinical track in her graduate program and is looking forward to working in integrated healthcare, and collaborating with other healthcare professionals to deliver the most high quality and accessible care to her patients. If Sammie isn’t working or going to school, you can usually find her walking her dog or trying new food spots in the Portland area!
Zenette McCoy
Zenette graduated from Washington State University Vancouver with a B.S. in neuroscience and minors in psychology and biology in May of 2019. She is currently a research assistant working on ABCD Study. Her research interest is in preventative psychology and psychopathology of psychosis/psychotic disorders and bipolar disorder. In the future she hopes to continue her education in a graduate program for clinical psychology. In her free time she likes to draw, go on hikes with her dog and partner, watch anime or play video games.
Sarah Adams
I am a senior at George Fox University pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. Currently, I am preparing to apply to graduate school for clinical psychology. I am interested in assessment and child and adolescent psychology. I am hoping to deepen my understanding of neurodevelopment during my time volunteering with the ABCD Study.
Kiley Brevik
Hello! I graduated with a B.A in Psychology from Florida Atlantic University (FAU) and I am currently completing my master’s degree in Applied Psychological Sciences from Pacific University. I am interested in neuropsychology and enjoy studying and talking about the brain. My study interests circle around depression/anxiety and natural ways to reduce symptoms by targeting specific brain regions. I also have interests that include substance use, personality, and stress disorders as well as emerging therapies which utilize psychoactive chemicals. If I am not working (I work with kids) or going to school, you can find me playing outside and exploring all the nature that the PNW has to offer, with my dogs of course. I am looking forward to developing my knowledge of research and ways to overcome challenges.