Sona Dimidjian, PhD
Dr. Sona Dimidjian is the Director of The Renée Crown Wellness Institute and Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her research focuses on cultivating mental health and well-being among women, children, families, and communities. She studies the impact of behavioral approaches and contemplative practices, such as mindfulness meditation, in healthcare and educational settings. Her work focuses on key developmental transitions, such as the perinatal period, early childhood, and adolescence. She also has a longstanding interest in expanding access to effective care using both digital technology and community-based partnership. She is the recipient of numerous awards acknowledging her teaching and clinical research. She received her BA in Psychology from the University of Chicago and her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Washington.
Lee S. Cohen, MD
Dr. Cohen is Director of The Ammon-Pinizzotto Center for Women’s Mental Health at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is also the Edmund and Carroll Carpenter Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He completed his residency training and fellowship at the Massachusetts General Hospital. He is a national and international leader in the field of women’s mental health and was among the founders of the field of Perinatal and Reproductive Psychiatry. His work spans the domains of research, teaching and clinical care in the area of treatment of mood and anxiety disorders with subspecialty interest in psychiatric disorders associated with female reproductive function. These include psychiatric disorders during pregnancy and the post-partum period and mental health. The research which he conducts and oversees has helped to inform the care of patients who suffer from psychiatric illness.
Sherryl Goodman, PhD
Dr Goodman is a Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Psychology at Emory University with a secondary appointment as Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Goodman recently served as Editor of the Journal of Abnormal Psychology. She currently serves as Director of Graduate Studies in her department. Her research interests, grounded in the field of developmental psychopathology, primarily concern the mechanisms by which mothers with depression may transmit psychopathology to their children and how to prevent or treat depression that occurs during the perinatal time period. In close collaboration with colleagues, graduate and undergraduate students, she currently directs research on: (a) depression in mothers as an early life stress for infants, (b) vulnerabilities to depression in children of depressed mothers, and (c) interventions to prevent and treat perinatal depression.
Charlotte Clifford, BA
Charlotte is one of the team members at Massachusetts General Hospital who you may speak with during your five study interviews. Charlotte graduated summa cum laude from Colgate University in 2021 with a B.A. in Cellular Neuroscience and a minor in French and was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa Honors Society. She completed her undergraduate Honors thesis under the guidance of Dr. Wan-Chun Liu on a novel songbird model for Huntington’s Disease. Charlotte also assisted in ASD research in the pediatric department at Jacobi Medical Center. Charlotte is an EMT, Wilderness First Responder, and an outdoor enthusiast. As a clinical research coordinator with the CWMH, Charlotte supports the National Pregnancy Registry for Psychiatric Medications and the UPWARD study. After MGH, Charlotte plans to attend medical school.
Ella Rossa
Ella is one of the team members at Massachusetts General Hospital who you may speak with during your five study interviews. Ella graduated from Amherst College in 2021 with a B.A. in Psychology. She completed her undergraduate thesis on the effects of social media on autobiographical memory. D During her undergraduate career, Ella was a member of the track and field team, the president of Big Brothers Big Sisters at Amherst College, and a member of the college’s peer to peer mental health support group: The Wellness Team. In her free time, Ella enjoys running, making collages, and exploring the Boston area. After MGH, Ella hopes to either pursue either a degree in clinical social work or a PhD in clinical psychology.
Laurel Hicks
Laurel is one of the coaches for the Mindful Mood Balance for Moms online program and is part of the University of Colorado-Boulder study team. You will talk to her during your randomization call to find out which group you will be in for the study. Laurel went to Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. She is passionate about improving wellness for all people during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Laurel loves doing yoga, hiking, and cuddling with her yorkie, Ginger.
Natalie Coleman
Natalie is one of the research assistants on the UPWARD study and is part of the University of Colorado Boulder team. You may talk to her during your screening call or enrollment. She is passionate about women’s mental health and motivated to increase access to quality care. Natalie has her Bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Colorado Boulder. In her free time she loves traveling to new places, cooking and baking, and skiing.
Kelsey Phinney
Kelsey is a research assistant working on the UPWARD study as part of the University of Colorado team. You may have texted with her while scheduling your screening call and also spoken with her during your initial study phone interview. Kelsey attended Middlebury College where she studied Neuroscience, and she will be starting graduate school at the Colorado School of Public Health in the fall of 2020. Kelsey is passionate about working towards a healthcare system that offers affordable, accessible, equitable and prevention-based treatment options readily available to all. In her free time, she loves spending time in nature and making pen-and-ink drawings.
Kourtney Kelley
Kourtney is one of the research assistants on the UPWARD study as part of the University of Colorado team. You may talk to her during your screening call or initial phone interview. Kourtney attended the University of Colorado Boulder where she studied psychology and sociology. She is passionate about accessible and equitable mental health services for all. Kourtney loves to listen to dance music in her free time, finding new vegan recipes, and hiking.
Anne Fritzson
Anne is a Graduate Research Assistant on the UPWARD study, so you may have spoken with her during the initial study phone call. She is a Clinical Psychology graduate student at the University of Colorado Boulder and is passionate about the promotion of perinatal wellness, with a particular focus on affordable and accessible treatment options. Anne loves martial arts and spending time outside with her dog and her cat. Yes, she walks her cat!
Rachel Vanderkruik, PhD
Rachel is one of the coaches for the Mindful Mood Balance for Moms online program and is a Clinical Fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital. You may talk to her during your randomization call to find out which group you will be in for the study. Rachel is passionate about increasing access to evidence-based interventions and services through novel delivery methods (e.g., online platforms, peer delivery, and integrated care) and addressing disparities in mental health access and outcomes nationally and on a global scale.
Chris Mellinger, PhD
Dr. Chris Mellinger is a research associate at the Renée Crown Institute at the University of Colorado Boulder. As a social psychologist, his research interests focus on implicit measurement strategies for assessing stereotyping and prejudice. He is also interested in the way that group memberships affect that way that people think about themselves and others. Chris is primarily involved in analyzing data for the UPWARD project. In his spare time, Chris enjoys outdoor activities such as rock climbing, hiking, and camping.