Curriculum Vitae

Publications are listed on the Publications page. ORCID: 0000-0001-8549-1694

Education & Training

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Leonard Davis School of Gerontology 2025 – Present
University of Southern California — Advisors: Lauren Brown, PhD; Jennifer Ailshire, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Dept. of Population and Public Health Sciences 2023 – Present
University of Southern California — Advisor: Megan Herting, PhD
PhD in Neuroscience 2023
Graduate Program for Neuroscience, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine — Advisor: Karin Schon, PhD
Dissertation: Positive and Negative Modulators of the Medial Temporal Hippocampal Memory System
BS in Psychology, magna cum laude 2017
University of the Virgin Islands, St. Croix Campus

Multidisciplinary Research Training in Gerontology, NIA T32 2025
NIEHS Research in Emerging Areas Critical to Human Health, Loan Repayment Program 2025
USC Southern California Center for Children's Environmental Health, Research Translation Pilot Grant ($30,000) 2025
USC Southern California Environmental Health Sciences Center Pilot Grant ($10,000) 2025
NIH Blueprint DSPAN F99/K00 — postdoctoral phase activated 2024
NIDA Scientific Training in Addiction Research Techniques (START) Fellow 2023
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Research Scholars Dissertation Grant 2022
NIH Blueprint Diversity Specialized Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Advancement in Neuroscience (DSPAN) Award, F99/K00 2021
Society for Neuroscience, Neuroscience Scholars Program Fellow 2020
Marine Biological Laboratory SPINES / Society for Neuroscience Travel Award 2019
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Research Scholars Grant ($120,000, 4 years) 2018
Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship (honorable mention) 2018
NIGMS Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE) Scholar 2015 – 2017

EdDem Network “Integrating Social & Biomedical Science in Dementia Research” Workshop Travel Award 2026
Genomics for Social Scientists Travel Award 2026
Diversity & Inclusion Catalyst Award 2020
Marine Biological Laboratory SPINES Fellow 2019
Boston University Graduate Medical School Fellowship Award 2018
University of the Virgin Islands Research Day Best Poster Presentation Award 2017
Association of Virgin Islands Psychologists Julianna Zinn Award 2017
ABRCMS Outstanding Poster Presentation Award, Neuroscience 2016
Boston University School of Medicine STaRS Research Program 2016
National Health Disparities Conference Travel Award 2016

Positive and Negative Modulators of Medial Temporal Hippocampal System Structure and Function Dec 2022
Emory University, Fani Lab — Trauma Neuroscience Research
Does Racism-Related Chronic Stress Modulate Hippocampal Memory Function in Older Black Adults? Oct 2019
University of the Virgin Islands, RISE/MARC Program, St. Croix, USVI

Prefrontal Working Memory Activity Links Enriched Environments and Episodic Memory Nov 2024
Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study Annual Meeting, La Jolla, CA
Social, Societal, and Physical Health Factors in Cognitive Aging Nov 2021
Caribbean Regional Conference in Psychology, Caribbean Alliance of National Psychological Associations

Distinct Air Pollution Components and Sources Linked to Hippocampal Architecture in Pre-Adolescents: Findings from the ABCD Study Jun 2025
Organization for Human Brain Mapping, Brisbane, Australia
Higher levels of physical activity may insulate children from the negative effects of air pollution exposure on memory Sep 2024
Flux Society Congress, Baltimore, MD
Perceived Control Attenuates the Relationship between Experiences of Discrimination and Left Amygdala Volume in Older Adults Jul 2020
Alzheimer's Association International Conference
Cortisol and Experiences of Discrimination Modulate Medial Temporal Lobe Structures in Older Adults May 2020
Cognitive Neuroscience Society Conference
Cardiorespiratory Fitness is Associated with Cortical Thickness, but not Surface Area, of the Entorhinal Cortex Feb 2019
New England Science Symposium, Boston, MA

Research mentees supervised on projects presented at national conferences.

Arjun Batra — Physical activity as a moderator of inflammatory biomarkers, cognitive function, and hippocampal volume (Framingham Heart Study subsample), ABRCMS 2022
Danesha Derima — Stress, sleep, and subjective memory, ABRCMS 2022
Janae Bruce — Social discrimination-related stress, metabolic conditions, and episodic memory in older Caribbean adults, ABRCMS 2022
Zachary Croll-Nesbeth — Aerobic fitness negatively predicts recollection in young adults, ABRCMS 2017
Reagan Katulege — Associations between depressive symptoms and cortical thickness as modulated by aerobic fitness, ABRCMS 2017

Peer Reviewer ongoing
European Journal of Neuroscience; Biological Psychiatry: Global Open Science; Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology
Program Ambassador, NINDS F99/K00 DSPAN Program 2023 – 2024
Liaison between fellows and program staff; co-developed a video series on the F99/K00 application process
Founding Member, GPN Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice Committee 2020 – 2022
Boston University; co-founded committee and authored its mission statement
Panel Organizer & Host, Health Policy Research Scholars 2021
“Transforming Systems: Vision for an Anti-Racist, Non-Carceral Society”
Vice-President & Co-Chair, Underrepresented Graduate Student Organization 2018 – 2020
STEAM Scholars Academic Symposium, Boston University
Planning Committee Volunteer, New England Science Symposium 2019 – 2020
Co-Chair, “Grad School Sucks for Persons of Color,” UGSO 2019
Boston University campus-wide event on barriers to education and community
Program Representative & Panelist 2017 – 2018
ABRCMS recruitment (GPN, STaRS); BU BEST and Boston AHEC career panels

Prepared to develop and teach undergraduate and graduate courses in:

Neurobiology of Learning and Memory — systems and cognitive neuroscience of the hippocampal memory network
Lifespan Cognitive Development — brain and cognitive change from childhood through older adulthood
Environmental Neuroscience — how physical and social environments shape brain structure, function, and cognition