Principal Investigator
Daniel Dickstein, MD
Dr. Dickstein is the Director of the Pediatric Mood, Imaging, & NeuroDevelopment Program (PediMIND) and Director of Child Psychiatry Research at Mclean Hospital, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Dr. Dickstein is board-certified in pediatrics, adult psychiatry, and child psychiatry. Mentorship is very important to Dr. Dickstein, as
Dr. Dickstein is the Director of the Pediatric Mood, Imaging, & NeuroDevelopment Program (PediMIND) and Director of Child Psychiatry Research at Mclean Hospital, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Dr. Dickstein is board-certified in pediatrics, adult psychiatry, and child psychiatry. Mentorship is very important to Dr. Dickstein, as he has helped numerous faculty receive NIMH Career Development ("K") Awards and Loan Repayment Program ("LRP") Grants, plus helping pre-doctoral RAs get into graduate school. Dr. Dickstein has received several awards, including being selected as the first physician to receive an NIMH BRAINS R01 grant (Bio-behavioral Research Award For Innovative New Scientists), NIMH's Richard J. Wyatt MD Memorial Fellowship Training Award for Outstanding Scientific Accomplishment, NIMH's Mentor of the Year Award, and NARSAD's Gerald Klerman M.D. Award for Outstanding Research in Clinical Brain and Behavior Science.
Clinical & Post-Doctoral Staff
Jillian Russo, PsyD
Julianne Wilner Tirpak, PhD
Julianne Wilner Tirpak, PhD
Dr. Jillian Russo received her bachelor’s degree in Human Development from Cornell University and her Masters and Doctoral degrees from Yeshiva University’s Ferkauf Graduate School of Clinical psychology. She graduated with a concentration in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and has worked with children, adolescents, parents, and adults stru
Dr. Jillian Russo received her bachelor’s degree in Human Development from Cornell University and her Masters and Doctoral degrees from Yeshiva University’s Ferkauf Graduate School of Clinical psychology. She graduated with a concentration in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and has worked with children, adolescents, parents, and adults struggling with depression, anxiety, trauma, adjustment, and mood and behavioral dysregulation for over 10 years. Her dissertation research focused on using fMRI technology to identify potential biomarkers for adolescents who are at risk for bipolar disorder. She hopes to be able to utilize research in everyday clinical settings in order to enhance treatment outcomes and diagnostic techniques.
Julianne Wilner Tirpak, PhD
Julianne Wilner Tirpak, PhD
Julianne Wilner Tirpak, PhD
Dr. Tirpak joined the PediMIND team as a post-doctoral fellow in September 2021. She received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Boston University in 2021 and completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Her research focuses on improving mental health treatment by developing and evaluating me
Dr. Tirpak joined the PediMIND team as a post-doctoral fellow in September 2021. She received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Boston University in 2021 and completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Her research focuses on improving mental health treatment by developing and evaluating mechanism-driven interventions, particularly for adolescents who engage in self-harm or suicidal behaviors. In addition to her work in the PediMIND lab, Dr. Tirpak conducts research and provides treatment at the McLean Hospital 3East Adolescent Dialectical Behavior Therapy program.
Josephine Au, PhD
Julianne Wilner Tirpak, PhD
Josephine Au, PhD
Dr. Josephine Au is a staff psychologist at PediMIND. She received her BA from University of Michigan and PhD from the Catholic University of America, where she worked with Dr. David Jobes and began to specialize in evidence-based interventions for suicidal patients. She completed her internship at Emory University School of Medicine and
Dr. Josephine Au is a staff psychologist at PediMIND. She received her BA from University of Michigan and PhD from the Catholic University of America, where she worked with Dr. David Jobes and began to specialize in evidence-based interventions for suicidal patients. She completed her internship at Emory University School of Medicine and postdoctoral fellowships at two 3East adolescent residential DBT programs at McLean Hospital. She is passionate about developing effective and scalable interventions for suicidal youth and families. Beyond PediMIND, she also does research with 3East and with Dr. Alan Fruzzetti, and she is a consultant of CAMS-care.
Clinical Research Assistants
Emma Cho
Courtney Kaplan
Courtney Kaplan
Emma Cho joined PediMIND as a clinical research assistant in July 2020 after graduating with a B.S. in Brain & Cognitive Science and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Rochester. Her primary research interests include the mental health outcomes and approaches to treatment following childhood adversity, as well as the intersectio
Emma Cho joined PediMIND as a clinical research assistant in July 2020 after graduating with a B.S. in Brain & Cognitive Science and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Rochester. Her primary research interests include the mental health outcomes and approaches to treatment following childhood adversity, as well as the intersection of executive dysfunction and mood & anxiety disorders. She plans to pursue a Masters degree in Social Work.
Courtney Kaplan
Courtney Kaplan
Courtney Kaplan
Courtney Kaplan joined the PediMIND team as a clinical research assistant in June 2021 after graduating with a B.A. in Psychology and minors in Biology and Chemistry from Wake Forest University. She is primarily interested in the integration of mental health into primary care and the use of mechanism-oriented research to develop clinical
Courtney Kaplan joined the PediMIND team as a clinical research assistant in June 2021 after graduating with a B.A. in Psychology and minors in Biology and Chemistry from Wake Forest University. She is primarily interested in the integration of mental health into primary care and the use of mechanism-oriented research to develop clinical diagnostic and treatment methods for children and adolescents in acute psychiatric settings. She plans to pursue an M.D.
Eileen Lee
Courtney Kaplan
Maria Naclerio
Eileen Lee joined PediMIND as a clinical research assistant in July 2021 after graduating with a B.A. in Neuroscience from Amherst College. She is primarily interested in researching brain mechanisms associated with child mental disorders and developing diagnosis and treatments for children and adolescents with neurodevelopment disorders. She plans to pursue an M.D.
Maria Naclerio
Angela Salisbury
Maria Naclerio
Maria Naclerio joined PediMIND as a clinical research assistant in July 2021 after spending a year working with adolescents in rural Alaska. She graduated from Duke University in 2020 with a B.A. in Psychology and minors in Neuroscience and Chemistry. Maria is primarily interested in the neural mechanism of emotion, with a focus on how
Maria Naclerio joined PediMIND as a clinical research assistant in July 2021 after spending a year working with adolescents in rural Alaska. She graduated from Duke University in 2020 with a B.A. in Psychology and minors in Neuroscience and Chemistry. Maria is primarily interested in the neural mechanism of emotion, with a focus on how it influences mood disorders and social behavior. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in either Clinical or Social Psychology.
Angela Salisbury
Angela Salisbury
Angela Salisbury
Angela Salisbury joined PediMIND as a clinical research assistant in June 2022 after graduating with a B.A. in Psychology from Boston College. She is primarily interested in the impact of childhood trauma on diagnoses and treatment, as well as the neural correlates of childhood psychiatric disorders. She plans to pursue graduate studies in clinical psychology.