With Otto the Orange!

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iCAN Lab in Hello Kitty Cafe in Vancouver, Canada for ISRCAP Conference!

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Rachelle's Going Away Party!

Our team at the iCAN lab is made up by our Principal Investigator, Graduate Students, Research Technicians, and Research Assistants. From various walks of life, we've all come together in an attempt to understand the basic processes contributing to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder to improve assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of ADHD. Meet our lab staff and take a peek at how we looked like around the ages we would have participated in our main study, the NEMO Study!

Research Staff

McKenzie Figuracion, M.S.

PhD Student

McKenzie graduated from Portland State University with a B.S. in Psychology. They are currently pursuing their Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology under the mentorship of Dr. Sarah Karalunas at Purdue University. McKenzie's research interests include how EEG biomarkers can be used to understand heterogeneity within ADHD and how these may be used to enhance access to clinical diagnosis.

McKenzie's email: mtfigura@syr.edu

Sarah Karalunas, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator

Cobb-Jones Endowed Professor of Psychology & Department Chair

Licensed Psychologist (Indiana, #20043695A; Oregon, #2414)

Sarah was born and raised in upstate NY. She completed her B.A. in Neuroscience at Hamilton College and received her Ph.D. in Child Clinical Psychology from Pennsylvania State University with a Specialization in Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. She is passionate about ensuring that all children and families have access to high-quality, evidence-based mental health care that addresses their unique needs and hopes her research can contribute to that goal.

Sarah's email: sbarth02@syr.edu

Sarah Pieper, M.S.

Graduate Student

Sarah graduated from Smith College with a B.A. in Psychology and spent several years working in pediatric neuroimaging labs at the New York State Psychiatric Institute/Columbia University Irving Medical Center before joining the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at Purdue under Dr. Sarah Karalunas. Her research interests include the neural and cognitive mechanisms underlying ADHD and how that knowledge can be leveraged to further parse the heterogeneity present within the disorder.

Sarah's email: smpieper@syr.edu

Madelyn Heise, M.S.

Graduate Student

Madelyn graduated from the University of Missouri with a B.A. in Psychology and Political Science. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Clinical Psychology under the mentorship of Dr. Sarah Karalunas. Madelyn is interested in the underlying neurophysiology associated with cognitive impairments and emotion dysregulation in children with ADHD.

Madelyn's email: madelynheise@purdue.edu

Casey Winters, B.S.

Graduate Student

Casey graduated from the University of Evansville with a B.S. In Psychology and worked as a Psychometrist before joining the lab. He is pursuing a Ph.D. In Clinical Psychology, with a special interest in irritability, anger expression, and emotion regulation across development.

Casey's email: cwinte01@syr.edu

Rose Franzen, B.S.

Rose graduated from Hollins University with a B.S. in Psychology and spent several years working in neuroimaging research as well as in teaching data science to biomedical researchers, both at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, prior to joining the lab. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Clinical Psychology under the mentorship of Dr. Sarah Karalunas. Rose’s research interests include the nosology of neurodevelopmental conditions such as ADHD, as well as using participatory methods to understand individuals’ own conceptions of their condition(s), and using that information to inform further quantitative research.

Graduate Student

Rose's email: refranze@syr.edu

Josh Becerra, B.S.

Research Technician

Josh graduated from Oregon State University with a B.S. in Psychology, minoring in Sociology. His studies focused on Criminology and Drug Use & Abuse. Josh has experience working with children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder as a licensed Applied Behavior Analyst, and he is currently building his resume for graduate school with his clinical interviewing experience from the iCAN Lab.

Josh's email: jibecerr@syr.edu

Fred the Head, B.S.

Fred the Head graduated from SFSU (Styro Foam State University) with a Bachelors of Science in Brain and Behavioral Studies. His roles in our lab involve helping us store our EEG caps, and helping make our participants feel comfort and at ease!

Student Research Assistants

Molly Heo

Research Assistant

Molly Heo is an undergraduate student at Syracuse University pursuing a B.S. in Psychology and a B.S. Neuroscience. Molly is interested in understanding the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying attention and behavior, with a particular interest in ADHD in children and adolescents, as well as individual differences in attention and executive functioning.

Emmy Baer

Emmy is a junior at Syracuse University pursuing a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Public Communication Studies. Her research experience has focused on both the Social and Clinical branches of psychology. She has experience working with children varying in age from 4 to 13, and is interested in research related to helping children and families receive adequate mental health care.

Research Assistant

Devon Frank

Research Assistant

Hey, my name is Devon. I grew up on both the west coast and east coast which has made me to be very adventurous. I love to draw, read, and listen to all sorts of music.

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Emma Anderson

Research Assistant

Emma was born and raised in Washington, D.C.. She is an undergraduate student pursuing a B.S. in Biology and Neuroscience. She also works as an EMT for SUA. Her interests include cognitive neuroscience and toxicology.

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Mylin Gonzalez Fuentes

Research Assistant

I'm an undergraduate student at SU pursuing a B.S. in Psychology and Neuroscience. I am interested in child psychology because it is the fundamentals of understanding adults. I have accumulated experience throughout my academic career working with children ages 6 months to 5-year-olds. My personal interests include reading, writing, shopping, and going to the gym.

McKenna Anderson

Research Assistant

Hello! My name is McKenna Anderson, a junior at Syracuse University majoring in Biology and Neuroscience (B.S.). I have a strong interest in neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders, pursuing a career in the medical field in a clinical care setting, with a focus on underrepresented groups. My interests include going to the beach, dancing, and watching movies!

Stella Wilson

Research Assistant

Stella is a Syracuse University sophomore pursuing a B.S. in Psychology. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, she is passionate about working with children and is interested in clinical and cognitive psychology.