People

Dr. Carmen Andreescu, Director of ARGO

Dr. Andreescu is a Professor of Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and a licensed psychiatrist, with additional expertise in Geriatric and Interventional Psychiatry. She is the Director of ARGO Neuroscience of Aging Research Program.
Dr. Andreescu’s research uses multimodal neuroimaging methods, behavioral measures and ecological momentary assessments to interrogate the neural basis of late-life mood and anxiety disorders and their association with accelerated aging. She is also interested in applying targeted interventional methods such as TMS for late-life mood and anxiety disorders.

Dr. Helmet Karim, Assistant Professor and TETRA Director

Dr. Helmet Karim is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh. His career development award from NIMH focuses on the neural mechanisms of TMS treatment response in major depression using machine learning. He is also the director of Tetra – a group of analysts focusing on neuroimaging and machine learning in Psychiatry. He enjoys hiking on one of Pittsburgh’s many trails. 

Professional Links: NCBI, Google Scholar, Research Gate, LinkedIn, ORCID

Dr. Andrew Gerlach, Assistant Professor in Psychiatry

Dr. Andrew Gerlach is a nuclear engineer by training, now applying his computational expertise to multimodal neuroimaging integration. His focus is on exploring the underlying neurobiology and treatment response of late-life depression and anxiety. In his free time, he enjoys just about anything that will take him and his family into wild spaces, especially rock climbing.

Professional Links: NCBI, Google Scholar, Research Gate, LinkedIn, ORCID

Dr. Joseph Kazan, Postdoctoral Scholar in Geriatric Psychiatry

Dr. Joseph Kazan earned his M.D. from the American University of Beirut and joined the University of Pittsburgh as a postdoctoral research scholar in geriatric psychiatry. He is also a fellow of the Burroughs Wellcome Fund – Physician Scientist Incubator Program at Pitt. His research focuses on exploring the neuroanatomical correlates of anxiety in late-life and its relationship with cognition and aging. In his free time, Joseph plays the piano and likes recording music.

Professional Links: Google Scholar, Research Gate, NCBI, ORCID

Dr. Thomas Kraynak, Postdoctoral Scholar in Epidemiology

Dr. Thomas Kraynak is a Postdoctoral Scholar supported by the Population Neuroscience of Alzheimer’s Disease and Age-related Dementia Training Grant in the Department of Epidemiology. He earned a PhD in Biological and Health Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh. His research focuses on brain-body pathways that link psychological stress and stress-related peripheral physiology with physical health and brain health. In his free time, Thomas enjoys listening to classical music.

Professional Links: NCBI, Google Scholar, Research Gate, ORCID

Dr. Leigh Pearcy, Postdoctoral Scholar in Mathematical Biology

Dr. Leigh Pearcy earned a PhD in mathematical biology and an MS in statistics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2023. Her graduate research focused on creating and analyzing models of substance use disorder using ordinary differential equations and cellular automata, with an emphasis on how use disorders develop in a population. Leigh is a certified scuba diver and enjoys learning new recipes, knitting, and spending time outside.

Professional Links: Github, LinkedIn, ORCID, Research Gate

Antonija Kolobaric, Graduate Student in Neuroscience

Antonija holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychological Sciences from Brown University with training in cognitive and social development under Professor David Sobel. She completed postbaccalaureate training in computational neuropsychiatry with Professor Alan Anticevic at Yale University School of Medicine. Currently a graduate student at the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Neuroscience, Antonija’s research focuses on elucidating the role of the gut-brain axis in cognitive decline and late-life depression under the mentorship of Dr. Carmen Andreescu and Dr. Howard Aizenstein. Outside of the lab, Antonija is a big martial art enthusiast and holds over 100 medals in shotokan karate, including 4 medals from US Nationals.

Professional Links: Twitter, LinkedIn

Dana Williams, Research Program Administrator and ARGO Lab Manager

Dana earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology from Duquesne University and a MS in Applied Developmental Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh. She has been working in research since 2004.

Sally Lagattuta, Administrative Liasion

Sally is a graduate of the Robert Morris College with a B.S. in Marketing and has worked in research for the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh since 1991. At ARGO, she works behind the scenes as an administrative liaison processing grant applications and managing grant budgets as well as assisting Dr. Andreescu. When not at work Sally is busy with her husband, 3 daughters and two dogs.

Jim Moorehead, Database Manager

Jim is a graduate of Penn State Behrend with a B.S. in Management Information Systems. He has over 15 years of experience with database management working for several different research labs in that time. He currently works on database development, data management, and IT help for the ARGO lab. In his down time he enjoys spending time with his family, golf, and video games.

Professional Links: Linkedin

Sunita Chickering, Project Manager

Sunita graduated from the University of Iowa with a Masters in Rehabilitation Counseling and maintains a license as a  Professional Counselor.  She started her career working in a dual disorder clinic with adolescents, but found her true passion was working with older adults in a research setting. She has worked in clinical research for 16 years, coordinating various studies and delivering therapies to older adults with treatment resistant depression, chronic pain, recently bereaved, and dementia caregivers. In her spare time, she loves being outside, exercising and watching her two children (15 and 11)  play sports.

Deb Goodnow, Program Manager

Deb obtained a Bachelor of Science in psychology from Radford University during which time she participated in several research projects. After working inpatient at Western Psychiatric Hospital for over 2 years, she joined the ARGO lab in 2019. At ARGO she coordinates studies and enjoys meeting with participants. When not at work, Deb spends her time riding horses, participating in outdoor activities, and traveling domestically and internationally.

Current Studies: Rembrandt, Ferguson Project, TINA, NEMO + DORY

Professional Links: LinkedIn

Mary Young, Research Project Coordinator

Mary obtained a Bachelor of Science in psychology from the University of Pittsburgh during which time she aided in research projects and served on a Cancer Awareness/Support Club. After working inpatient at Western Psychiatric Hospital for over 4 years, she joined the ARGO lab in 2019. At ARGO she coordinates studies and enjoys meeting with participants. When not at work, Mary spends her time with her family (and their dog) going on small hikes together, painting, writing, and being in the garden.

Current Studies: FINA, FLOYD, PALS, NEMO

Natasha Brinkley, Research Coordinator

Natasha obtained a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Kent State University, during which time she assisted in research studies. She worked inpatient psychiatry at St. Thomas Hospital in Akron, Ohio for 2 years, before moving back to Pittsburgh, where she worked at Western Psychiatric Hospital for the Center for Interventional Psychiatry. While at the Center for Interventional Psychiatry, she specialized in Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) treatment. She also has experience working at an outpatient mental health clinic and as a Crisis Clinician at Resolve Crisis Center.  She joined the ARGO lab in 2023. At ARGO, she coordinates studies and enjoys meeting with participants. When not at work, Natasha spends time with family, enjoying the time with her two children.
Current Studies: PREDICT TMS

Professional Links: LinkedIn

Leo Davis, Research Specialist

Leo is a graduate of Penn State University with a B.S. in Psychology. Before working for ARGO, he worked at the Penn State Language and Aging Lab as an undergraduate Research Assistant. Currently, Leo works as a Research Specialist for the ARGO lab, recruiting participants, completing clinical assessments, and accompanying participants during MRI scans. Outside of work, you can find Leo playing video games with his family, as well as reading, drawing, and listening to music.

Kathryn Johnston-Moschak, Research Coordinator

Kate earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh and her M.S.Ed. in School Counseling from Duquesne University. She spent several years working with individuals in wraparound services and then outpatient services before joining the ARGO lab in 2023. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, swimming, and spending time with her family.

Sydney Tan, TETRA Database Administrator/Team Lead

Sydney is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh with a B.S. in Psychology and has worked in a number of research labs since 2014. At ARGO, she works behind the scenes as a programmer on the TETRA team, creating websites (including this one!) and building the MRI processing pipelines to analyze scans. When not at her computer, she enjoys playing and building video games, making New York-style bagels from scratch, and running the occasional 5K.

Current Studies: Rembrandt, FLOYD, FINA

Professional Links: LinkedIn

Mallory Kushner, TETRA Systems Programmer/Analyst I

Mallory initially studied art for a year right after graduation, but as time went by, she found that she wanted to make a different impact professionally. She changed her major and earned her Bachelors of Science in Biomedical Science, then three years later, after working in direct patient care at UPMC, she began to work towards her Associates in Software Development at CCAC. While getting her degree, she spent two years in the UPMC OR as a Clinical Engineer, working towards being a person who could contribute to making new technology in the medical community. In her free time, she is learning pixel art to release her first small game staring a polymorphic, alien cat.

Current Studies: TeenScreen, FitBOLD, BRAINY

Elijah Hudlow, TETRA Systems Programmer/Analyst I

Elijah attended Tech Elevator’s 14-week bootcamp in full-stack development in 2022, and he left with a newfound passion for creating functional and aesthetically pleasing websites and applications. After graduation he was hired by Tech Elevator as an Academic Fellow to help ensure student success by imparting his knowledge onto them. In his spare time he enjoys traveling/hiking, and he always enjoys exploring a new areas.

Current Studies: ADEPT, TREND, RESIST

Professional Links: LinkedIn, Github

Lucy Shen, Tetra Data Systems Assistant

Originally majoring in video game concept design, Lucy wanted a different career path from that of a cosmetologist to one that could further her education and broaden her horizons while staying within her passion for creativity and helpfulness. Dipping her toes into the medical field, she worked as an Office Assistant with the Benedum Geriatric Center for approximately a year and a half while she studied for an Associate in Software development at CCAC. Having graduated in 2023, she grew to respect and enjoy the various programming languages that allowed her to create fun, pleasing, and functional applications. In her downtime, Lucy enjoys playing Dungeon and Dragons, drawing, cooking, and playing video games. She is currently learning how to sew to add to her repertoire of hobbies. 

Current Studies: SLAB, TABI

Amy Hoenstine Russell, Systems Programmer/Analyst II

Amy is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University with a B.S. in psychology and has worked with several clinical research programs since 2014. Amy started learning to code in 2022 as a way to unwind at the end of the day (Thanks PY4E and Odin Project!). In 2024, Amy joined ARGO as a programmer/analyst on the TETRA team. In her free time, Amy enjoys running in Frick Park, gardening, and hiking with her husband and their two dogs, Raffi & Nandor.

Current Studies: R2D3, Normals Infusion, Trospium Infusion