THRIVE - Key Persons
Ana Ceci received her Bachelor's degree in psychology from Loyola Marymount University in 2004, and her Master of Science degree in Clinical Psychology from California Lutheran University (CLU) in 2007. After graduating she began working with the Integrated Substance Abuse Program (ISAP) at UCLA in November of 2007. At ISAP she was responsible for report writing, grant preparation, and data analysis. She is a study coordinator for several studies and oversees several neuroimaging projects.
Job Titles:
- Research Scientist at AltaMed Institute for Health Equity
Dr. Melissa Chinchilla is a Research Scientist at AltaMed Institute for Health Equity and a Health Services Researcher at THRIVe. Her research focuses on the social determinants of health, including housing and homelessness. Her research has examined the community integration outcomes of formerly homeless individuals assisted through the VA's largest homeless program, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-VA Supportive Housing (VASH). Dr. Chinchilla's research on HUD-VASH points to the importance of voucher type and neighborhood factors in assuring that formerly homeless individuals in supportive housing are able to achieve housing stability and improvements in quality of life. Dr. Chinchilla's work also examines Latino homelessness in Los Angeles County, including what is driving the increase in Latino homelessness, gaps in housing and service provision, and best practices for serving this population. Dr. Chinchilla holds a doctorate from the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a masters of Health Policy Management from UCLA's Fielding School of Public Health.
Felice Reddy, Ph.D., joined the Green Lab in 2012 with the support of the VA's Advanced Fellowship in Mental Illness Research and Treatment. She received her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Nebraska, after completing a clinical internship at the West Haven VA Connecticut Healthcare System. Her doctoral research focused on social cognitive treatments for schizophrenia. Her postdoctoral research focused on the development of new paradigms to study motivation and effort in the context of negative symptoms. She completed a NARSAD Young Investigator award examining the cognitive consequences of social exclusion, and a Career Development Award that tested the efficacy of a new intervention for motivational negative symptoms. Felice is a licensed psychologist in California and North Carolina and regularly contributes to lab projects, even when she is on the other coast. Felice is a member of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies and the Society for Research in Psychopathology. Contact Felice at lenafelice@ucla.edu
Jonathan Wynn earned his Bachelors of Arts in Psychobiology from Occidental College and his Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from the University of Southern California in 2002. He subsequently studied electrophysiology and social cognition in schizophrenia during a three-year post-doctoral fellowship at UCLA in Dr. Michael Green's lab, where he has since remained. His research interests focus on early sensory processing, neuroplasticity, and social cognition in people with serious mental illness, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and, more recently, in homeless Veterans with and without psychosis. He utilizes electrophysiology (EEG, ERP), neuroimaging (fMRI), and psychophysiology (startle, HR) methodologies in his work. Dr. Wynn has received funding from the Department of Veterans Affairs, NARSAD (now the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation), and the Stanley Medical Research Institute. He has authored articles in journals such as The American Journal of Psychiatry, Biological Psychiatry, and Schizophrenia Bulletin. Dr. Wynn is a member of the Society for Research in Psychopathology.
Lauren Catalano, Ph.D., joined the Green Lab in 2018 with the support of the VA's Advanced Fellowship in Mental Illness Research and Treatment. She received her bachelor's degree in psychology from University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where she studied under Dr. David Penn. She earned her doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park under the mentorship of Dr. Jim Gold and Dr. Jack Blanchard, after completing a clinical internship at the Baltimore VA/UMD. Her graduate research focused on negative symptoms and social reward processing in schizophrenia using EEG/ERP and behavioral methods. Her postdoctoral work will expand upon this line of research to examine factors that reduce social motivation in schizophrenia. Lauren has co-authored manuscripts published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Schizophrenia Bulletin, and Schizophrenia Research. She is a member of the Society for Research in Psychopathology.
Megan Olsen received her Bachelor's degree in Communication from Northwestern University in 2015 and her Master's degree in Social Work from the University of Chicago in 2018. Megan has worked as a case manager and psychotherapist for adolescents and adults and has experience in a variety of settings, including residential treatment, primary care, and community-based treatment. Megan and serves as a recruiter, interviewer, and intervention leader.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Member of the Executive Committee
Job Titles:
- Associate Director
- Member of the Executive Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Associate Director /
Job Titles:
- Staff Psychiatrist at the Veterans Administration Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System
Walter Dunn is a staff psychiatrist at the Veterans Administration Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (VAGLAHS) and Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA. His clinical activities include treating patients with psychosis, post-traumatic stress disorder, and mood disorders. He is the director of the Neuromodulation clinic at the VAGLAHS, and co-director of the Trauma Recovery Services clinic which treats PTSD. In addition to his work at the VA, he serves as the psychiatrist for the UCLA Operation Mend program which provides treatment for returning veterans and their families. His research interests include developing novel neuromodulation treatments for psychiatric illnesses. Walter graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in molecular biology and received his Ph.D. in biochemistry from UC Berkeley. He attended UC Davis School of Medicine and completed his psychiatry residency at the UCLA Semel Institute. After residency, he completed a two year MIRECC research fellowship before becoming a full time staff psychiatrist and faculty member..