Research Staff

Alisha Bruton, ND, MS, MS she/her
Alisha earned a doctorate in natural medicine and a masters in integrative medicine research from the National University of Natural Medicine, as well as a graduate certificate in clinical research and a masters in biostatistics from the OHSU/PSU School of Public Health. After graduation, she completed an NIH-funded T32 post-doctoral research fellowship at OHSU. Her interests include interoception, systematic reviews & meta-analyses, structural equation modeling, and increasing transparency in research. She is the manager of the SNACK Lab.

Hayleigh Ast, ND, she/her
Hayleigh Ast is a NIH T32 post-doctoral fellow and a naturopathic doctor. Combining her knoweldge from a bachelor's degree in neuroscience from Allegheny College and her naturopathic doctoral degree from the National University of Natural Medicine her clinical research focuses on the gut-brain axis in children with ADHD. She joined Dr. Johnstone’s lab during medical school as a volunteer and has continued working with the lab throughout her residency, which she completed at the University of California Irvine - Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute into her post-doc. While completing the T32 post-doc, Hayleigh will hold a clinical practice at Neurotherapeutic Pediatric Therapies Inc. in Oregon City.

Taryn Machingo, ND, MS (she/they)
Taryn is a T32 post-doctoral fellow with a focus on suicidality and inflammatory factors in the ADHD youth population. Taryn completed her doctorate in natural medicine and master’s in global health at the University of Natural Medicine in Portland, OR. Her research interests include psychoneuroimmunology, mitochondrial dysfunction, public health policy and health equity.

Ayanna Bell, BS she/her
Ayanna Bell earned her B.S. in Neuroscience with a minor in Artificial Intelligence at Agnes Scott College. There she was an undergraduate research assistant in numerous labs exploring novel methods to treat neurological diseases and psychiatric disorders. As a Clinical Psychology PhD student, her research interests include providing culturally competent care to those seeking psychiatric treatment, sociobehavioral impacts on human health, innovative initiatives for health, and exploring psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. She currently serves as a member of the SNACK lab as a graduate research assistant.

Priya Srikanth, MPH, she/her
Priya Srikanth has a faculty appointment in the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health as an Instructor in the Biostatistics programs. In her faculty role, she also mentors students. Srikanth is also a senior biostatistician with the Biostatistics & Design Program (BDP). She has training and expertise in teaching, conducting statistical analyses, and assisting investigators on study design and data analysis. Priya Srikanth’s background in biostatistics has been strengthened with ongoing advanced biostatistical training. As an instructor of basic introductory biostatistics, she strives to convey features of data through graphical displays and numerical measures.

Lydia Norby-Adams, BA, they/them
Lydia is a current Naturopathic medical and research student at the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, OR. Prior to this, they earned their B.A. in Latin American Studies at Tulane University in New Orleans, LA. With a background in agriculture, their research interests include nutrition and plant medicines, as well as public health, and integrative transgender healthcare. They are currently serving in the SNACK lab as a volunteer.

Alanna Welsh, MS, ND, she/her
Alanna received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Seattle University. She then continued her education at the National University of Natural Medicine where she earned her doctorate in naturopathic medicine and a masters in integrative medical research. Since graduating from NUNM she has spent her time working in cancer research and health policy. Her research interests include public health, botanical medicine, and oncology. She is currently serving as a volunteer in the SNACK lab.