Christina Veziris joined the Center for Behavioral Teratology in 2022 as a predoctoral student in the SDSU/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology. Before joining the lab, she attended the University of San Francisco and worked as a research coordinator at UCSF, studying emotions in neurodevelopmental disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. She is interested in studying the socioemotional and neuropsychological effects of prenatal alcohol exposure and how these effects may be influenced by childhood adversity.

Jackie is a student in the SDSU/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in clinical psychology under the supervision of Dr. Jennifer Thomas. She graduated from Duke University in 2020 where she studied neuroscience and psychology. After graduating, Jackie worked at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Boston Children’s Hospital conducting clinical drug trials for the pediatric neuro-oncology population. She is interested in understanding mechanisms of atypical neurodevelopment in order to improve neurobehavioral outcomes, especially for clinical populations affected by substance use. She is excited to be working at the Center for Behavioral Teratology with Dr. Jennifer Thomas and Dr. Sarah Mattson to examine how prenatal alcohol exposure impacts child brain and behavior development, with a specific emphasis on sleep. Outside of graduate school, she enjoys going on walks and runs along the beach, watching the San Diego sunsets, and yoga. 

Gemma is a student in the MSW program at SDSU and has previously completed her M.A. in Psychology. She is originally from Northern California and is interested in learning about the impact of FASD on an individual’s daily life and how to better identify individuals with prenatal alcohol exposure in a clinical setting. She is also interested in the adaptation of research into clinical practice.

Chloe is in her fourth year pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology with minors in child development and honors interdisciplinary studies. Chloe is also an IMSD scholar at SDSU. In the CBT lab, she studies the behavior of youth with prenatal alcohol exposure. Chloe also examines the validity of neuropsychological assessments and questionnaires assessing behavior problems in this population. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and continue investigating the biopsychosocial mechanisms underlying internalizing behavior and adverse mental health outcomes in marginalized youth and emerging adults.

Chloe is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University and is a NSF GRFP Fellow.