Staff

Leadership

David Mischoulon, MD, PhD

David Mischoulon is a Psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital, the Joyce R Tedlow Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and the Director of the Depression Clinical and Research Program at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Cristina Cusin, MD

Dr. Cusin is an Associate Director of the DCRP and Associate Professor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

Paola Pedrelli, PhD

Dr. Pedrelli is an Associate Director of the Depression Clinical Research Program at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

Albert Yeung, MD, ScD

Dr. Albert Yeung is an Associate Director of the DCRP and associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

Andrew Nierenberg, MD

Dr. Andrew Nierenberg is an Associate Director of the DCRP and director of the Bipolar Clinical and Research Program.

Lauren Fisher, PhD

Dr. Lauren Fisher is a clinical psychologist who serves as director of clinical services at the DCRP, and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

Clinicians & Researchers

Kate Bentley, PhD

Dr. Kate Bentley is an Assistant Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, a Clinical Psychologist in the DCRP, and Director of the Suicide Prevention Research Program in the MGH Center for Precision Psychiatry. 

Trina Chang, MD, MPH

Dr. Chang is the director of community-based studies at the DCRP.

Amit Chopra, MD

Dr. Amit Chopra is a Psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). Dr. Chopra completed his medical training at Sawai Man Singh College, Jaipur, India in 2003, followed by research and clinical training in UK at King’s College London and University College London between 2003-2007. Dr. Chopra completed his Adult Psychiatry Residency, Sleep Medicine Fellowship, and Deep Brain Stimulation Fellowship at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota in between 2007-2013. Dr.

Joshua Curtiss, PhD

Dr. Joshua E. Curtiss, PhD, is currently an associate researcher at MGH with the DCRP and an assistant professor at Northeastern University. He completed his post-doctoral fellowship at the DCRP, as well as with the OCD and Related Disorders Program at MGH. He completed his doctoral program in clinical psychology at Boston University.

Amy Farabaugh, PhD

Dr. Farabaugh is the director of psychotherapy research at the DCRP and is an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.

Simmie Foster, MD, PhD

Simmie Foster, MD, PhD, is a psychiatrist in the DCRP and an Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

Felipe Jain, MD

Dr. Felipe Jain is Director of Healthy Aging Studies at the Depression Clinical and Research Program, a Psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School.  He is the first psychiatrist to receive the prestigious Paul K. Beeson K76 Emerging Leaders in Aging Research Career Development Award from the National Institute on Aging. 

Richard Liu, PhD

Dr. Richard Liu is a licensed clinical psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). He is an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School, the Director of Suicide Research in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at MGH, and Director of Big Data Studies at the DCRP.

Naoise Mac Giollabhui

Naoise Mac Giollabhui is a faculty member at the DCRP who graduated from Temple University with a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. His research seeks to understand why cognitive functioning is disrupted in depression, why these cognitive difficulties persist in remitted depression and the treatment options available to patients to address this debilitating symptom of depression.

Maren Nyer, PhD

Dr. Maren Nyer is director of yoga studies at the DCRP.

Aderonke Pederson, MD

Dr. Pederson completed medical school and residency training in psychiatry at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. During residency she also received a certificate of scholarly concentration in global health. Dr. Pederson is the Director of Research Equity in the Clinical Trials Network and Institute at MGH and a Member of the Faculty of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.  

Jonathan Liu Worth, MD

Dr. Jonathan Liu Worth, MD, is a staff psychopharmacologist in the DCRP. He is a graduate of the University of Hawaii, John A. Burns School of Medicine.

Program Management

Paulina Gutierrez-Ramirez

Paulina Gutierrez-Ramirez is the Program Coordinator of the DCRP. Paulina graduated from Boston University in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience, and she is currently enrolled at Harvard Extension School under their premedical program.

Dylan Gould, MPH

Dylan Gould, MPH is the Grant Coordinator for the Depression Clinical and Research Program. Dylan graduated with a Master of Public Health from the Boston University School of Public Health receiving Delta Omega honors while concentrating in Community Assessment, Program Design, Implementation, and Evaluation with a sub-concentration in Mental Health and Substance Use in 2023. Prior to graduate school, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience from Baylor University in 2021.

Johnny Ellzey

Johnny Ellzey is the Grant Coordinator for the DCRP. He obtained a M.P.A. from the Toulouse Graduate School at the University of North Texas in 2022.

Clinical Research Coordinators

Blessing Adeleke

Blessing holds a Master of Arts in Psychology from Pepperdine University and a Bachelor of Science in Physiology and Neuroscience with a minor in Education Studies from the University of California, San Diego.

Minna Behnan

Minna graduated from the College of the Holy Cross with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology.

Ava Licht

Ava graduated from the College of the Holy Cross with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a minor in Neuroscience.

Juliana Peacock

Juliana graduated from Georgetown University in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and minors in Cognitive Science and Business Administration.

Catherine Schuessler

Catherine Schuessler graduated from Northeastern University in 2023 where she studied Psychology and minored in Human Services.

 

Clinical Support Staff

Maria Lalai

Maria Lalai is the Administrative Coordinator for the DCRP. She is a diligent, detail-oriented individual who is comfortable working in fast-paced and challenging work environments.

Aashna Pandya

Aashna graduated from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences with a Bachelor of Science in Medical and Molecular Biology and a minor in Health Psychology. Over the past year, Aashna interned as a Clinical Research Intern at MGH Center for Women’s Mental Health where she contributed to the National Pregnancy Registry for Psychiatric Medications. At her university, Aashna was also an Undergraduate Research Assistant in Dr.

Jason Jusino

Jason Jusino is the Patient Services Coordinator for the DCRP. He has worked for multiple departments at Mass General Brigham, including the Registration and Referral/Authorizations department and the Central Billing Office.

Co-op & Practicum Students

Isabelle Abdallah

Izzy Abdallah is a third-year student at Northeastern University, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Behavioral Neuroscience.

Julia Christiano

Julia Christiano is an undergraduate co-op student from Northeastern University, where she studies Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice.

Fatou Gaye

Fatou Gaye is a second-year undergraduate student at Boston University, majoring in Biology with a specialization in Neurobiology and minoring in Psychology. 

Madeline Morton

Madeline Morton is a fourth-year undergraduate student studying psychology and neuroscience at the College of the Holy Cross. 

Matias Cattani

Matias Cattani is a fourth-year undergraduate student studying biopsychology and biotechnology at Tufts University.

Directors Emeriti

Jonathan Alpert, MD, PhD

Dr. Jonathan Alpert is Director Emeritus of the DCRP, and co-founder and co-director of the MGH Depression and Anxiety Associates Group Practice.

Maurizio Fava, MD

Dr. Maurizio Fava founded the DCRP in 1990 and is now Director Emeritus.