2021 Dissertations

Emily Carlson

Emily Carlson earned her BA in psychology from Goucher College in 2015 and joined the AU Clinical Psychology PhD program in 2016. Her master’s thesis examined differences between daily and non-daily cigarette smokers. Her dissertation focused on neuropsychological mediators of treatment for trichotillomania. Other recent research projects include examining neurocognitive outcomes among individuals with sickle cell disease who have received a stem cell transplant. Currently Emily is completing her doctoral internship at the University of Chicago Medicine. She plans to pursue postdoctoral training in pediatric neuropsychology after graduating in the Spring of 2022. 

Amanda (Lily) Kaufmann

Lily Kaufmann earned her BA in Psychology from Bard College in 2012. Lily joined the AU Clinical Psychology PhD program in 2015. She is broadly interested in motivation and processes of behavior change. Her master’s thesis examined motivation to quit, smoking behavior, and beliefs about smoking vs. abstinence among adult daily smokers. Her dissertation tested the effects of modifying outcome expectancies and behavioral reinforcers on smoking-related outcomes among young adults. Lily completed her doctoral internship at University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) Counseling Center and is a postdoctoral fellow in private practice.

2018 Dissertations

Leslie Rubin

Leslie Rubin earned her BS and MS in Cognitive Psychology from the University of Michigan (2012/2013). Her master's thesis examined the differences in health perceptions and personality traits between smokers and non-smokers. Leslie joined the AU Clinical Psychology PhD program in the fall of 2013 and graduated in 2018. She is broadly interested in the impact of mood and anxiety disorders on health behavior change. She completed her dissertation with researchers at Truth Initiative, a not-for-profit tobacco control organization dedicated to preventing teen smoking and encouraging smokers to quit. Leslie completed an internship at the American University Counseling Center and her postdoctoral fellowship at Northwestern University Counseling Center.

Leah Rothschild

Leah Rothschild earned her BA in psychology from American University in 2010. After graduation, she received an Intramural Research Training Award to complete two years of clinical research in the Pediatrics and Developmental Neuroscience Branch of the National Institute of Mental Health. At the NIMH, Leah was the study coordinator for a clinical trial for children with Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcal Infection (PANDAS), and she also assisted with multiple studies of children with autism spectrum disorders. Leah is currently in her fifth year of training in the clinical psychology doctoral program at AU. She is broadly interested in clinical issues facing children and adolescents, including specific interests in autism spectrum disorder. Leah completed her dissertation with the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders at Children's National Health System and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at University of Rochester.

2016 Dissertations

Martha Falkenstein

Martha Falkenstein received her BS from the University of Maryland in 2009. She then worked as a research coordinator at the OCD and Related Disorders Program of Massachusetts General Hospital. She entered the Clinical Psychology PhD program in 2011. Martha's master's thesis explored predictors of relapse following treatment of trichotillomania, and her dissertation investigated expanding the scope of treatment of trichotillomania through two studies. She completed internship at the Southwest Consortium, where she worked for the New Mexico VA Health Care System and Indian Health Service. She completed her postdoctoral fellow at the OCD Institute at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School.

2015 Dissertations

Kate Rogers

Kate received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Salisbury University in 2007. She entered the Ph.D. program in 2010, after completing the Masters program in our department. She has served as Project Director of our study on stepped care in the treatment of trichotillomania, and her dissertation focused specifically on the efficacy of Internet-based self-help for trichotillomania. Kate completed her internship at the University of Utah Counseling Center. She was a postdoctoral fellow at the Utah Center for Evidence Based Treatment and now, Kate is a licensed psychologist at The OCD and Anxiety Treatment Center in Utah.

2014 Dissertations

Jennifer O'Brien

Jennifer is a predoctoral intern (2013-2014) at the Durham VA Medical Center. Her dissertation, Empathic Accuracy in Therapists, completed in 2013, explores empathy and compassion fatigue in a sample of trainee clinicians. Her clinical interests are mood and anxiety disorders within veteran populations.

2013 Dissertations

David Neale-Lorello

Dr. Neale-Lorello is a staff therapist as Chase Brexton Health Services, Inc. His doctoral dissertation investigated mindfulness as a moderator of distress in response to life events.

David McDonald

Dr. McDonald is currently a staff psychologist at an outpatient community mental health center in McPherson, KS, affiliated with Prairie View Hospital. His doctoral dissertation was on concerned the relevance of anxiety vulnerability models to cigarette smoking behavior.

2011 Dissertations

Melissa Tanner

Dr. Tanner is now working as a clinician at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She completed her internship (2011) at Lehigh University, with a special interest in sport psychology. Her dissertation was about the effectiveness of differing clinical supervision formats.

2010 Dissertations

Meaghan Leddy

Dr. Leddy is currently an assistant professor of psychiatry at Yale University. Her research interests include, serious mental illness, psychosocial recovery and rehabilitation, Veteran mental health, and Women's mental health. She completed her dissertation, Obstetrician-Gynecologists' Practices, Knowledge and Decision-Making Regarding the Diagnosis of Postpartum Depression and Psychosis, conducted as part of her position as a research associate at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and went to the Rockland Psychiatric Center for her pre-doctoral internship (2010-2011).

2008 Dissertations

Deborah Glasofer

Dr. Glasofer is an Instructor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University and a Clinical Researcher with the Eating Disorders Research Unit at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. She has been involved in a variety of research studies for eating disorders in adults, including eating behavior and treatment of patients with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Within Columbia's Department of Psychiatry, she provides instruction and supervision in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for adults with anxiety, mood, and eating disorders.

Emily Bauman

Dr. Bauman is a Licensed Psychologist in two private group practices in the DC metropolitan area. At Christine A. Courtois, PhD & Associates,PLC (www.drchriscourtois.com )in Friendship Heights, she specializes in treating adults with complex posttraumatic and dissociative conditions and conduct individual and group psychotherapy. At Full Circle Neuropsychiatric Wellness Center in Reston, VA (www.cblanchfieldmd.com), she conducts individual psychotherapy with adults diagnosed with serious mental illness.

2006 Dissertations

Amy Pettit

Dr. Pettit completed pre- and postdoctoral training at the Yale School of Medicine and Joslin Diabetes Center/Harvard Medical School. She is a licensed psychologist and freelance research and writing consultant, with a focus on health psychology and health services research. She has served as a content expert for academic, nonprofit, and business clients and specializes in making health and wellness information more accessible to broad audiences.

2004 Dissertations

Dara Friedman-Wheeler

Dr. Friedman-Wheeler is an associate professor of psychology at Goucher College. Her interests include, emotion regulation, addiction and substance use, mood disorders, and health outcomes. Before Goucher College, she completed postdoctoral fellowships at UCSF Clinical Psychology Training Program, San Francisco General Hospital and the Aaron T. Beck Psychopathology Research Unit at the University of Pennsylvania.

Frances P. Thorndike

After receiving her PhD, Dr. Thorndike completed a three-year fellowship at the University of Virginia Health System. She is now an Assistant Professor in the Behavioral Health & Technology program area at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville, Virginia. Her research interests include the development and evaluation of Internet interventions for various medical and behavioral health problems, including insomnia, post-traumatic stress, encopresis, and diabetes. She has been a co-investigator on multiple National Institutes of Health-funded studies utilizing technology to increase access to treatment. Dr. Thorndike has also published several papers in these areas, and given talks to both national and international audiences.

2001 Dissertations

Ann Cartledge Hoff

Dr. Hoff is living in Roanoke with her husband and 5 beautiful children.

Rachel Wernicke

Dr. Wernicke runs a private practice focusing on treatment of mood and anxiety disorders. She specializes in working with anxiety disorders and depression, grief and loss, relationship and identity development concerns, and adjustment to identity and role transitions (e.g., adjustment to college, career changes, transitioning to parenthood). In the past, she worked at teaching hospital and the American University Counseling Center.

Michelle Yarmus Pearlman

Dr. Pearlman is a clinical psychologist in independent practice in New York and an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the New York University (NYU) School of Medicine. Her work is focused on helping individuals of all ages through times of grief and loss, trauma, stress, and transition. She recently published a book entitled Grief in Childhood, which presents a new model for helping bereaved children and their families.

Joan Roth

Dr. Roth is currently licensed to practice psychology in the state of New York I currently consult to the department of psychology at the Hebrew Home for the Aged in Riverdale. After receiving her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology in Washington DC at American University, Dr. Roth joined the staff of the department of psychiatry at SUNY Downstate Medical School as a full-time faculty member. After several years at Downstate, she accepted a faculty position in the department of psychiatry at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. In both of these positions, her focus was on anxiety disorders, particularly posttraumatic stress disorder with survivors and emergency response providers of 9/11.

Cindy Brody

Dr. Brody is now a clinical psychologist at the Center for Motivation and Change in New York.

2000 Dissertations

Dana Rabois Holohan

Dr. Holohan is currently the Director of Training for Psychology at Salem VA Medical Center.

Robert Colnes

Dr. Colnes is living in New Jersey and conducting research on program evaluation.

Lindsey Kirk Sachs

Dr. Sachs is working at a psychologist at Kennedy Krieger Institute

Heather Hartman-Hall

Dr. Hartman-Hall is the Director of Intern Training at the Springfield Hospital Center in Sykesville, Maryland. Her clinical work includes assessment, consultation, and individual/group therapy with people who have serious mental illnesses, forensic issues, and/or a history of significant psychological trauma. She also does individual therapy and assessment with older adults in nursing home and hospital facilities with a group private practice.

1999 Dissertations

Diana Roscow Terrill

Dr. Terrill has a private practice Towson, Maryland, where she conducts individual therapy with those dealing with relationship issues, depression and mood disorders, women's issues, grief and loss, self-esteems, issues of identity, and anxiety. She works with clients through all stages of adulthood, from college-age teens through seniors

Elisha Tarlow Friedman

Dr. Friedman maintains a private practice in Bethesda, Maryland providing psychotherapy and assessment services to children and adolescents. She works largely within a cognitive behavioral framework to treat anxiety and mood disorders, as well as a range of behavioral problems. Other services provided include parenting support and school consultation.

John Chamberlain

Dr. Chamberlain specializes in in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), social anxiety, and other anxiety problems using cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). I also help people suffering from depression, trichotillomania (hair-pulling), and relationship concerns (including working with couples). Dr. Chamberlain was voted a Top Therapist in Washingtonian Magazine's most recent (2009) survey of DC practitioners.

Sarah Hubbard

Dr. Hubbard is a clinical psychologist working at Center for Change, a specialized eating disorder treatment center. Before joining the staff at Center for Change she worked at the center for eating disorders at Sheppard Pratt, in Baltimore, MD. She is particularly interested in Integral Psychotherapy, and thus utilizes cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness-based strategies, and psychodynamic approaches in treatment.

1998 Dissertations

Mark Nelson

Dr. Mark L. Nelson is Associate Professor of Psychology at Harrisburg (PA) Area Community College, in the Division of Social Sciences. His doctoral dissertation addressed personality traits and genetic factors in smoking behavior

Giao Tran

Dr. Tran is an associate professor at the University of Cincinnati and a clinical psychologist who focuses on research and treatment of anxiety and alcohol disorders. Dr. Tran has taught several graduate and undergraduate courses related to clinical psychology, health psychology, and research methods.

1997 Dissertations

Ari Solomon

Dr. Solomon is a research associate in the Department of Psychology at Williams College. His areas of expertise included, adult mood disorders of anxiety and personality, cognitive and behavioral theories and therapies, and diagnostic systems.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded him a research grant for his proposal to research ways of defining clinical depression in 2004.

1995 Dissertations

Jennifer Fine McDermut

Dr. Jennifer McDermut is working as a psychologist in Tenafly, New Jersey. She specializes in treating those who have experienced trauma (recent or past) and those who struggle with eating/body image issues and disorders.

1994 Dissertations

Wilson McDermut

Dr. McDermut is Associate Professor of Psychology at St. John's University in New York. He has conducted research on addictions and cognitive factors in anxiety and depression.