With the Boiler Maker Special!

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Lab Undergrads Presenting at the 2024 Psych Undergrad Research 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: mfigurac@purdue.edu

Sarah Karalunas, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator

Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology

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: skaralunas@purdue.edu

Sarah Pieper, B.A.

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: pieper4@purdue.edu

Madelyn Heise, B.A.

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

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@purdue.edu

Annie Menart, B.S.

Research Technician

Annie graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Engineering. She previously focused on neural networks and machine learning, and she is excited to apply her data processing and analysis skills to psychology research!

Annie's email: amenart@purdue.edu

Lillian Millspaugh, B.S.

Lilly is a Research Technician working in both the iCAN Lab and PACER Lab! She graduated with her degree in Psychological Sciences from Purdue University with minors in Philosophy and Human Development & Family Science. Lilly hopes to eventually pursue a Ph.D. In Clinical Psychology. Her research interests involve early development and internalizing disorders like anxiety and OCD.

Lillian's email: lmillspa@purdue.edu

Casey Winters, B.S.

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

Casey's email: winter88@purdue.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

Izabella Santos

Izabella is pursuing a B.S. in Psychological Sciences and Human Development Family Studies. She eventually plans on attending graduate school for clinical psychology and working as a Child Therapist. She saw the iCAN Lab as an opportunity to enhance her skills working in a clinical and child-based environment and is excited to gain more experience within her future career ﬁeld.

Trina Tagamolila

Trina is studying Brain and Behavioral Sciences with a focus on pre-med and a minor in Statistics. Her goal is to gain experience in research working with children and eventually pursue a career in child psychiatry.

Grace Gilbert

Grace is a Brain and Behavioral Sciences major and she has plans to earn a Bachelor's degree in Neuroscience. She joined the iCAN lab because she has an interest in researching better ways to diagnose ADHD and provide resources and treatments to the individuals that won't change core aspects of their personality. ADHD is very personal to her as three of her four siblings have been diagnosed with ADHD.

Amanda Davis

Amanda is studying Brain and Behavioral Sciences with a minor in Spanish for the Professions. She is excited to work in the iCAN lab and gain experience while also working with kids, as she aspires to be a child psychiatrist.

Ayush Bansal

Ayush is studying Biomedical Health Science, with a pre-med concentration. Outside of the lab, he is an EMT and loves working with kids. He hopes to one day be a pediatric emergency medicine doctor.

Sarah Ghormley

Sarah is majoring in Brain and Behavioral Sciences with a minor in Spanish. Sarah joined the iCAN lab to gain valuable experiences contributing towards her goal of earning her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.

Tabitha Zachariah

Tabitha is pursuing a major in Psychological Sciences with a minor in Computer Science. She became a member of the iCAN lab to acquire valuable experiences that align with her goal of becoming a child psychologist and to gain hands-on laboratory experience.