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Graduate Students
Graduate Students
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Clara DeFontes, M.S.

Clara is a sixth-year graduate student in the clinical psychology doctoral program. She graduated from
the University of Rochester with a B.A. in Brain and Cognitive Sciences, and Psychology. Prior to
graduate school, Clara completed a post-baccalaureate at Yale University and the West Haven VA,
studying fear learning, emotion regulation, and the efficacy of clinical drug and psychotherapy trials in
populations with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Her interests broadly include the intersection of
emotion dysregulation, impulsivity, and psychophysiological changes within populations who have experienced various forms of trauma.

Master's Thesis: Borderline Personality Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Unique Patterns of Emotion Reactivity and Regulation.

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Dominic Denning, B.A.

Dom is a third-year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology program. He graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a BA in psychology-research and anthropology. Dom completed a post-baccalaureate research coordinator position at University of California San Diego, Eating Disorder Center for Treatment and Research under the mentorship of Dr. Tiffany Brown. His program of research aims to understand the course, phenomenology, treatment, and prevention of BPD, transdiagnostic emotional dysfunction, and self-damaging behaviors (e.g., suicide, NSSI, and disordered eating) in traditionally underrepresented groups (e.g., men and SGM populations).

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Elijah Lawrence, B.S.

​Elijah is a third-year graduate student in Dr. Dixon-Gordon’s lab. He received his Bachelor of Science in psychology from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. Before joining this lab, he volunteered as a research assistant for several years in the Health & Human Performance Lab at Carnegie Mellon University. Elijah is interested in researching emotion regulation and coping strategies. He also wants to investigate the various components that make dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) efficient and effective, in order to help close the gap between science and service. 

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Sarah Huffman, B.A.

Sarah is a first-year graduate student in Dr. Dixon-Gordon's Lab. Sarah graduated from Seattle University with a BA in Psychology and a minor in English. Post graduation, she worked for a Seattle-based mental health clinic and coordinated their DBT program. Sarah joined Dr. Dixon-Gordon's lab as the study coordinator from 2021 to 2024. Currently, Sarah has transitioned into the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. at UMass Amherst for the Fall of 2024. She is particularly interested in developing more accessible and equitable interventions for emotion dysregulation and high-risk behaviors, such as suicide and self-injury.

Staff and Research Assistants
Research Assistants
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Genesis Vergara, Ph.D., M.Ed.

Postdoctoral Research Associate

Dr. Genesis Vergara earned her PhD at the Catholic University of America, and completed her predoctoral internship at McLean Hospital in the Child/Adolescent Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) track. Prior to her doctoral studies, Genesis graduated from Harvard University with a BA and MEd in Psychology. Her research interests aim to 1) assist individuals grappling with self-injurious thoughts and behaviors and 2) assess related interpersonal processes in an effort to strengthen supportive relationships. Clinically, Genesis has previously trained in and conducted bilingual (Spanish) CBT and DBT-A.

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Connie Maerker, M.A.

Study Coordinator

Connie is from Germany, and grew up in China. She earned her MA in Clinical Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University, and holds a BS in Psychology from Tsinghua University. During her time at Columbia, Connie gained experience working in an inpatient unit at the Mount Sinai Behavioral Health Center in New York City and several research labs at Columbia University. After graduating, Connie moved to Amherst to join Dr. Dixon-Gordon's lab as a study coordinator. Her primary research interest lies in developing culturally adaptive assessment and treatment methods for adolescents with suicidal ideation.

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Emily Gaddy

Undergraduate RA and Honors Student

Emily is a Junior Psychology major pursuing a minor in Biochemistry in the Commonwealth Honors College. She is due to graduate in 2025 and joined the lab Fall 2022. She plans to obtain a PhD in Clinical Psychology after undergrad with the hopes of entering a career in research.

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Bernice Jafeda Moses-Gadzama

Undergraduate RA

Bernice is an international student from Nigeria pursuing a major in Psychology on the Neuroscience track. She is currently a Senior set to graduate in the spring of 2025. She hopes to continue research and gain a Phd in clinical psychology or neuroscience. 

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Heeya Ajwani

Undergraduate RA and Honors Student

Heeya is a Junior Psychology major at the Commonwealth Honors College. She joined the lab in Spring 2022 through the Research Assistant Mentoring Program (RAMP) and is now a full-time RA. After graduation, she plans to obtain a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.

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Dani Wagner

Undergraduate RA and Honors Student

Dani is an Honors College psychology major (BS) also pursuing a minor in Biology. They plan to graduate in 2026. They joined the lab in Fall 2023, and after graduation they hope to pursue a clinical psychology PhD. They are very interested in the impacts of childhood trauma on adult psychopathology.

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Charlotte Silver

Undergraduate RA 

Charlotte is a Senior Psychology major at UMass. She joined the lab in Spring 2023 through the Research Assistant Mentoring Program (RAMP) and is now working in the lab as a full-time RA. After graduating, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a focus on the treatment of personality disorders. 

Alumni
Lab Alumni

Doctoral Alumni

Undergraduate Alumni

Caroline Ball

Greg Barysky

Ilhan Braxton

Xiara Calderon Santan 

Tyler Carey

Brianna Cast-Clifton

Aline Castro

Claire Chang

Grace Cho

Jenna Comer 

Carolyn Cole

Lindsey Conkey

Elizabeth Eberlin

Ruby Ferro

Nathan Fitzgerald 

Kristina Fushi

Olivia Gebsky

Anika Graf

Lauren Harnedy

Danielle Hart

Serena In

Samantha Jaffe

Patricia Keeley

Adam Klem

Mary Koontz

Brenna Manning

Patrick McGonigal

Esther Muhlmann

Rhea Mukherjee

Meghana Nair

Anne Neary

Connor O'Brien

Nadia Palafox

Nikita Parulkar​

Harsh Patel

Selime Salim

Rubee Sandhu

Athena Sarafoglou

Wil Schwartz

Thaine Smith

Cole Stanley

Liam Sweeney

Mackenzie Swenson

Hildy Wen

Lindsey Wyner

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