Our Team

Faculty & Staff

	Adam Gonzalez, PhD Dr. Gonzalez (he/him/his) CV is a licensed clinical psychologist and the Founding Director of the Mind-Body Clinical Research Center. He received his PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Vermont, and he completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. He is an expert in cognitive behavioral treatment for mood and anxiety disorders, dialectical behavior therapy, relaxation/mindfulness-based treatments and behavioral medicine. His program of research focuses on understanding the interplay of cognitive, emotional and behavioral health factors that may affect physical and mental health, as well as disease management among chronically ill populations. In addition to his responsibilities with the Mind-Body Clinical Research Center, Dr. Gonzalez is also an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University. Dr. Gonzalez' research is funded currently by grants from NASA and NIOSH. He is also a recipient of an award from the NIH Loan Repayment Program (2014-2019).
	Brittain Mahaffey, PhD Dr. Mahaffey (she/her/hers) CV is a licensed clinical psychologist and assistant professor at the Mind-Body Clinical Research Center. She received her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and completed a clinical internship at the Northport VA Medical Center. She serves as the Center’s Operations Manager and directs several of the clinical research studies. She has extensive training in cognitive behavioral therapy for mood and anxiety disorders, dialectical behavioral therapy, mindfulness and behavioral medicine. Dr. Mahaffey’s research interests are focused on understanding and treating obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and co-morbid physical health problems. She also specializes in women’s health and the treatment of mood and anxiety problems during and after pregnancy. She was recently awarded a K23 Mentored Patient-Oriented Career Development Award (2018-2023) from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development. She is also a recipient of an award from the NIH Loan Repayment Program (2017-2019).
	Genna Hymowitz, PhD Dr. Hymowitz (she/her/hers) is a licensed clinical psychologist and assistant professor at the Mind-Body Clinical Research Center. She has extensive training and experience in behavioral medicine, cognitive behavioral therapy for mood and anxiety disorders, acceptance and commitment therapy, and relaxation/mindfulness-based treatments. Her research focuses on investigating biopsychosocial factors related to chronic medical conditions including obesity and gastrointestinal (GI) motility disorders.  In addition to her work at the Mind-Body Clinical Research Center, she is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Surgery at Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, and in the Department of Psychology of Stony Brook University. Dr. Hymowitz completed her doctoral training and a post-doctoral fellowship at Stony Brook University and completed a clinical internship at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago, IL.
	Cynthia Cervoni, PhD Dr. Cervoni (she/her/hers) is a Psychologist at the Stony Brook University KPC-MBCRC Consortium Program. She graduated from the Clinical Psychology, Health Emphasis program at the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology at Yeshiva University. Her clinical training focuses on cognitive behavioral therapy for mood and anxiety disorders and behavioral medicine. She also completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the MBCRC in consultation liason psychology. Her research interests include health behavior decision making, the impact of overweight and obesity on quality of life, and biopsychosocial factors related to obesity and other chronic illnesses.
	William Calabrese, PhD Dr. Calabrese (he/him/his) CV received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University at Buffalo, SUNY and completed his pre-doctoral clinical internship at Pacific University. He completed post-doctoral training at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai in the Mood and Personality Disorder Research Program and practiced as a Licensed Psychologist for Therapists of NY. His research interests primarily focus on improving models and measures of personality disorder and psychosocial functioning. Specifically, he aims to integrate novel methods, including ambulatory and psychophysiological assessments, to clarify the connection between personality traits, psychopathology, and interpersonal functioning. Clinically, Dr. Calabrese works with adults and couples with a variety of internalizing and externalizing problems, including maladaptive personality patterns, anger, anxiety, and depression. He integrates across various evidence-based practices, including cognitive-behavioral and mindfulness-based therapies like CBT, DBT, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Schema Therapy, and Behavioral Activation. He also has training in spiritual healing practices like meditation and grounding.
	Benjamin Warach, PhD Dr. Warach (he/him/his) is a licensed clinical psychologist at the Mind-Body Clinical Research Center and a clinical assistant professor in the Stony Brook Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health.  He has extensive training and clinical experience in cognitive behavioral therapy for mood and anxiety disorders, acceptance and commitment therapy, and mindfulness-based treatments.  His research focuses on romantic relationship functioning. Dr. Warach majored in psychology at Cornell University and earned his doctorate at Adelphi University.  He completed his pre-doctoral internship at Columbia University Medical Center and his post-doctoral fellowship at Stony Brook University.

Postdoctoral Fellows

Left to right: (back row) Daphne Yunjing Liu, Dana Borkum
(front row) Sariah Daouk, Ian Penzel, Amanda Oliva

Daphne Yunjing Liu, PhD, Washington University in St. Louis.
Dr. Liu (she/her/hers) primarily works with adults and treats a broad range of presenting problems, with a special interest in couple and family therapy. Her research centers around emotion regulation, depression, and interpersonal relationships.

 

Sariah Daouk, PhD, Palo Alto University.
Dr. Daouk (she/her/hers) primarily works with adults in hospital settings. She is interested in the assessment and treatment of mood disorders, personality disorders, and suicidality. 

 

Amanda Oliva, PsyD, Long Island University - Post.
Dr. Oliva (she/her/hers) works with adults and geriatric populations focused on mood and anxiety concerns, coupled with personality pathologies. She has expertise in the treatment of BPD and OCD, with extensive training in DBT and exposure and response prevention. Her research focuses on meaning making, loss and the grief process of both patients and providers.

 

Ian Penzel, PhD, University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Dr. Penzel (he/him/his) works with adult populations and is passionate about behavioral medicine and working on interdisciplinary medical teams. He is also interested in treating complex mental health diagnoses that are comorbid with chronic medical conditions and procedures. 

Psychology Interns

Left to right: (back row) Nicole Doyle, Monika Lind,
Fernando Krause, (front row) Danielle Citera, Jill Stadterman, Nathan Hager

 

Danielle Citera, M.A., St. John's University.
Danielle (she/her/hers) works with children, adolescents, and emerging adults. She is interested in trauma-focused treatment, exposure-based treatments, and acute care settings.

 

Nicole Doyle, M.A., M.Ed., University of Virginia.
Nicole (she/her/hers) works with children and adolescents. She is interested in the assessment and treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders, with a particular interest in autism spectrum disorder. Her research focuses on children's social-emotional learning and school-based interventions.

 

Nathan Hager, M.S., Old Dominion University and the Virginia Consortium Program. 
Nathan (he/him/his) is a clinical psychology intern whose clinical interests include depression, anxiety disorders, severe mental illness, and neurocognitive dysfunction within adults and underserved populations. He has research interests in the cognitive biases and neural reward deficits associated with depression and social anxiety. 

 

Fernando Krause, M.A., Adelphi University.
Fernando (he/him/his) works with adults and young adults and is interested in the treatment of anxiety and mood disorders. 

 

Monika Lind, M.S.
Monika (she/her/hers) is a clinical psychology intern whose research focuses on digital mental health in adolescence, with special interest in teens’ online help-seeking behavior. Her clinical interests are built on a DBT foundation, and she hopes to expand her competence applying varied EBTs with children and teens.

 

Jill Stadterman 
(she/her/hers)

Psychology Externs

Left to right: Jessica Cannone, Suba Ashok, Aline Szenczy, 
Ashley Rottkamp, Mengxing Wang

Not pictured:Talena Day, Christopher Facompre,
Ellora Vilkin

 

Subasri "Suba" Ashok, MSc, Long Island University, CW Post.
Suba (she/her/hers) works with adolescents and adults and is interested in the treatment of complex trauma, mood disorders, and personality disorders.

 

Jessica Cannone, M.S., Hofstra University.
Jessica (she/her/hers) works with adults and is interested in the relationship between physical activity and psychological functioning, and the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders.

 

Talena Day
(she/her/hers)

 

Christopher Facompre, M.A., Stony Brook University Clinical Psychology Program.
Pronouns: (He/Him/His)
Christopher is interested in working with individuals with issues relating to depression, anxiety, relationship conflict, and externalizing/oppositional behavior. 

 

Ashley Rottkamp
(she/her/hers)

 

Aline Szenczy, M.A., Stony Brook Clinical Psychology Program.
Aline (she/her/hers) is interested in working with children, adolescents, and families who are struggling with depression, anxiety, and interpersonal difficulties. Her clinical research interests include examining how neural and early environmental risk factors interact to influence the development of internalizing psychopathology during childhood and adolescence.

 

Ellora Vilkin, M.A.,Stony Brook University Clinical Psychology Program.
Ellora (she/her/hers) is a 5th year PhD Candidate. She works with adolescents and adults, and is interested in culturally-responsive assessment and treatment of LGBTQ+ people and mindfulness- and acceptance-based interventions. Ellora's research interests center on understanding wellbeing and relationships among people with marginalized sexual identities and practices.

Mengxing Wang, M.A., Stony Brook Clinical Psychology Program.
Mengxing (she/her/hers) works with adults and is interested in the treatment of BPD, depression, and anxiety disorders. 

 

Research Support Staff

Anastasia Philippopoulos, B.A., Stony Brook University.
Anastasia (she/they) is the Research Lab Coordinator for the Mind-Body Clinical Research Center. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Stony Brook University this past May as the valedictorian of her class, and is passionate about research concerning women's reproductive health, perinatal health, childhood education, and intervention development.

 

Undergraduate and Graduate Students

We currently have four volunteer undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students (Aaradhana 'Ada' Natarajan, Farah Hasan, Donna Wilcox, Daniella Taboada, and Sarah Mitchell) working with our team. Research assistants get exposure to all aspects of the research process including clerical and hands-on research tasks. They also have the opportunity to observe clinical interviews and treatment sessions. All students attend a weekly lab meeting and review scholarly papers for discussion.

 

Alumni