Our Team

 

Principal Investigator

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Dr. Tara Chaplin is an Associate Professor of Psychology at George Mason University. She received a Ph.D. in Child-Clinical psychology from Penn State University and completed post-doctoral training at the University of Pennsylvania. Following this, she served as an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine until moving to George Mason University in 2013.

Dr. Chaplin’s research interests are in the role of gender and emotion regulation in the development of psychopathology, substance use, and risk behavior in children and adolescents. She is also interested in the role of the family in adolescent development. Related to this, she is currently examining links between parent-teen interactions and adolescent development and is developing a mindfulness intervention for parents of adolescents. Dr. Chaplin’s research incorporates multiple methods to capture emotion regulation, including self-report, observation, physiology, neuroendocrine, and neuroimaging.

Graduate Students

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Rafael E. Hernandez Dubon

Rafael is a sixth-year student in the Ph.D. clinical psychology program at George Mason. He earned a dual B.S. degree from Virginia Commonwealth University in psychology with a concentration in addiction studies, and philosophy with a concentration in philosophy and science. Previous to Mason, he worked as a research assistant in projects focused on culturally enhancing substance use interventions for Latinx adolescents and young adults. He is interested in Latinx community oriented research, and the impact of sociocultural-spiritual factors in the development of psychopathology, specially substance use and addiction. As well as, culturally enhancing construct measurement, assessment, and interventions. He enjoys hiking, biking, and spending time with family.

 

 

 

Mary Ryan

Mary Ryan is a sixth-year student in George Mason University’s doctoral program for Clinical Psychology. She is currently away on internship. In May 2025, she defended her dissertation which examined adolescent real-time emotions through fMRI-EMA integrated research methods. 

 

 

 

Mallory A. Kisner

Mallory is a fifth-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program at George Mason University. She received her B.S. in psychology from Colorado State University in 2019, then worked as a research fellow at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), using fMRI to pilot a neurofeedback intervention for craving reduction with individuals with alcohol use disorder. Broadly, her research interests include the role of stress and reward processes in the development of harmful substance use patterns across the lifespan, and she has particular interest in the use of mindfulness techniques for both the prevention and treatment of substance use disorders. Mallory’s dissertation research, funded by a NIH F31 award (1F31AA031881-01), uses ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to explore intensive longitudinal associations between stress, mindfulness, and alcohol craving and use in highly stressed mothers of adolescents.

 

 

Lucy McClellan

Lucy is a third-year student in the Clinical Psychology PhD program at George Mason University. She received her B.A. in Psychology and English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2021. After graduating, Lucy was a Clinical Research Coordinator in the Gender Development Program at Children’s National Hospital, using fMRI and neuropsychological testing to study cognitive and mental health trajectories of gender-diverse youth. Her research interests include the impact of social relationships on adolescent mental health trajectories, as well as related neurocognitive mechanisms and differences by sex and gender.

 

 

Sasha Hofman

Sasha is a second-year student in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. Program at George Mason University. She received her B.S. in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh in 2022. Prior to joining the YEL Lab, Sasha worked as the Lab Manager of the Families, Emotion, Neuroscience, and Development (FEND) Lab at Pitt, where she examined positive affect in adolescent peer relationships as a protective factor against the intergenerational transmission of risk for depression. Sasha is interested in studying the developmental trajectory of depression for adolescents, focusing on mindfulness, neural correlates of emotion processing, and parenting behaviors as risk and protective factors. In her free time, Sasha enjoys lifting, reading, meditating, and spending time with her cat, Kisa.

 

 

 

Anna Leah Davis

Anna Leah is a first-year student in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at George Mason University. She received her B.S. in Psychology from Yale University in 2022, then worked as a research coordinator at Washington University in St. Louis and the University of South Carolina. Her overall research interests include adolescent emotion regulation, engagement in non-suicidal self-injury and disordered eating, and the impact of parents and peers on these processes. In her free time, she enjoys baking, reading, and doing puzzles.

 

 

 

 

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Laboratory Manager

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Giselle Bahr

Giselle is the project manager for the Parenting-Mindfully II study. She holds a B.S. in Psychology with a concentration in Clinical Psychology and minors in Data Analysis and Human Development and Family Science.  She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with research interests including interpersonal stress, suicidal ideation, non-suicidal self-injury, and crisis response.  She has a passion for working with other LGBTQ individuals by volunteering for the Trevor Project, and enjoys reading, yoga, and spending downtime with her wife and her dog.

 

 

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Post-Baccalaureate Research Assistants

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Acacia Varela

Acacia graduated with a B.S. Degree in Justice Studies and a minor in Political Science from James Madison University. Currently she is in the MA program of Technical and Professional Writing at GMU. Her research interest includes raciolinguistics related to mental health in the Latinx community, and assessment of biases in practitioners and impact on patient outcomes. In her free time, she enjoys reading, exploring art galleries, and attending live music events.

 

 

 

 

Laura Klein

Laura graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor’s degree in Recreational Therapy. Her emphasis was in youth at risk.  She is currently pursuing admission to a Psy.D program for Clinical Psychology. Her research interests include improving adolescent mental health, mood/emotion regulation, neurodiversity, and personality disorders.  Laura and her husband celebrate 30 years of marriage this year and have six grown children. Her hobbies include teaching piano and voice lessons, hiking with her dog, and traveling with her family.

 

 

 

 

Ann-Marie Clark

Ann-Marie graduated from Christopher Newport University with a B.S. in Psychology and a minor in Childhood studies. She is hoping to pursue a degree in Clinical Psychology and her research interests include mental health disorders in children and adolescents, especially ADHD and ASD. In her free time she enjoys hiking, reading, and playing the guitar with friends.

 

 

 

 

Jeanne Snyder-Pham

Jeanne graduated from George Mason University with a B.S. in Psychology, a minor in Biology, and a concentration in Clinical Psychology. She is hoping to pursue a Ph.D or PsyD in Clinical Psychology and her research interests include neurodegenerative disease in geriatric patients, and psychopathology in adolescents. In her free time, she enjoys baking, reading, and playing video games. 

 

 

 

 

Hanna Pham

Hanna is a graduate with a B.S. in Clinical Psychology from George Mason University. Currently she is in the MA program for Clinical Counseling and intends to do a PhD in Clinical Psychology in the future. Her research interests include mental health in the Asian American community, specifically Vietnamese American focusing on generational trauma. Outside of research she enjoys reading, spending time with her family and dog, and art.

 

 

 

 

 

Alaanah Bhanji

Alaanah is a recent MSc graduate from McGill University (2025), where she conducted research about clinical education for chronic pain. Prior to that, she completed her BSc in Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behaviour at McMaster University in 2022. Alaanah is interested in the mind-body connection and how psychological factors impact health and wellbeing. In her free time, she likes hiking, baking, and crafting, and hanging out with her dog.

 

 

 

Abigail Whitney

Abigail graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and eventually open up her own practice. Abigail also volunteers for the Clinical Assessment and Intervention Program at UMD, which specializes in adolescent social anxiety and parent-adolescent relationships. Outside of her academic pursuits, Abigail enjoys reading, baking, and painting.

 

 

 

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Undergraduate Research Assistants

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Cortland Lam

Cortland is a junior pursuing a B.S. in Psychology. He aims to earn a PhD in clinical psychology one day. His research interests include developmental psychology, psychopathology, health psychology, and emotional regulation. Outside of the lab, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, exploring new topics, and weight training.

 

 

 

Jenna Aboulhosn Sangid

Jenna is an undergraduate sophomore at George Mason working towards her B.S. in Psychology. Her research interests include examining cognitive psychology in human factors and applied cognition as well as interpersonal interactions and their impact on mental health. Outside of the lab, she enjoys growing houseplants, reading, and wheel throwing.

 

 

 

Ellie Hobson

Ellie is a Senior working towards a B.S In Criminology Law and Society and a minor in Forensic Psychology, and will be graduating in Fall 2025. She hopes to continue her education by pursuing a PsyD in Clinical Psychology and concentrate that work in Forensic Psychology to work with inmates. Her research interest include examining childhood trauma/abuse and its role in incarceration, risk of recidivism among individuals that are incarcerated, adolescent anxiety and family relationships, and personality disorders. Outside of school she likes to read, go to the gym, travel, and watch documentaries.

 

 

Griffin Perry

Griffin is a Junior at George Mason University, double majoring in Community Health and Psychology. He aims to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and has research interests in adolescent psychiatric care, HIV prevention, and developing culturally sensitive mental health policies for marginalized communities. In his free time, he enjoys reading, advocating for LGBTQIA+ and Asian American mental health, and spending time with friends and family.

 

 

 

Mehmood Shajih

Mehmood is pursuing a bachelor’s in psychology with a minor in Politics. His research interest focuses on the impact of parenting on children’s development and psychopathology. In his spare time, Mehmood loves exploring restaurants with friends, knitting, playing tennis, and kayaking!

 

 

 

 

 

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Teen Advisor

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Sarah Lee
Sarah is a high school junior passionate about psychology and public health, with a strong interest in moral cognition, self-regulation, and emotional well-being, ultimately aspiring to earn a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology in the future. As a Research Intern at George Mason University, she studies the intergenerational heritability of guilt and shame, their connections to religious frameworks, and their impact on emotional regulation. Beyond research, Sarah is a dedicated leader and advocate, working to bridge psychology with real-world impact through mental health awareness and community-driven initiatives.

 

 

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Graduate Student Alumni

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