Dr. Fred Foley's Lab
The Psychology of Multiple Sclerosis
Jessica Sloan
Jessica Sloan is a fifth-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology (Health Emphasis) Ph.D. program. Jessica is broadly interested in mind-body interactions in patients with medical and psychiatric disorders. More specifically, her current research focuses on the interaction between mindfulness, depression, and pain in patients with MS. She is currently working on a grant-funded randomized control trial testing the effects of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in an MS population.
Students
Roseann Archetti
Roseann is a fourth-year student in the Clinical Psychology (Health Emphasis) Ph.D. program, minoring in Clinical Neuropsychology. Her current research examines Multiple Sclerosis on a neurological level through the use of visual evoked potentials (VEPs). She plans to use VEPs to assess disruptions in neural activity among individuals with Multiple Sclerosis and Clinically Isolated Syndrome in order to further examine the implications VEP data may have on disease diagnosis. This research is in collaboration with Dr. Zemon's Systems Neuroscience Lab at Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology.
Jason Botvinick
My interests revolve around the role of individual psychosocial and neurological factors on adaptive functioning. In particular, I am interested in studying the effects of increased family caregiver burden on the relationship between the caregivers and the individuals with MS. Furthermore, I want to determine if a weakened relationship causes the patient with MS to have poorer mental health, physical health, and overall adaptive functioning. In addition, I am curious to see whether psychosocial or neuropsychological factors which might be predictive of increased caregiver burden and the previously stated potential consequences.
Marnina Stimmel
Marnina is a fourth-year student in the Clinical Psychology (Health Emphasis) Ph.D. program, minoring in Clinical Neuropsychology. Her research interests include neuropsychological functioning in Multiple Sclerosis. She is currently working on a grant funded randomized control trial which seeks to help women with Multiple Sclerosis maintain employment through early neuropsychological evaluation and individualized treatment plans. She is also working on a study that measures treatment adherence to neuropsychological testing recommendations.
Jeffrey Portnoy
Jeff is a fourth-year student in the Clinical Psychology (Health Emphasis) Ph.D. program, minoring in Clinical Neuropsychology. His research interests include the neuropsychological sequelae of multiple sclerosis, including dysfunction of cognition and affect, and other factors affecting patients' quality of life, such as level of disability and employment status. He is also interested in statistical evaluation of clinical and research tools and methods used in the diagnosis and assessment of neurological and neuropsychiatric disease. Jeff is currently heading a project to create a patient-reported outcome scale measuring living disability in MS that can also be used as a valid and reliable predictor of disease severity across neurophysiological domains.
Elana Mendelowitz
Elana Mendelowitz is a fifth-year student in the Clinical Psychology (Health Emphasis) Ph.D. program. As a member of the Psychology of the Multiple Sclerosis lab, her broad research interests include investigating symptoms related to health-related quality of life in people with MS as well as the treatment of such symptoms to improve health-related quality of life. Her predoctoral research focused on types of sexual dysfunctions as predictors of the physical and mental aspects of quality of life. For her dissertation, Elana, along with fellow lab-member, Jessie Sloan, is conducting a grant-funded randomized controlled trial investigating the impact of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on the symptoms of pain and depression in the MS population.
Eliana Pasternak
Eliana is a fifth-year student in the Clinical Psychology (Health Emphasis) Ph.D. program, with a concentration in neuropsychology. Her research interests focus on neuropsychological factors in Multiple Sclerosis, including measurement, correlates, and predictors of cognitive impairment and cognitive fatigue. She is additionally working on a prospective randomized clinical trial focusing on maintenance of employment status at the Multiple Sclerosis Clinic at Holy Name Medical Center.
Nicholas Vissicchio
Nick is a third-year student in the Clinical Psychology (Health Emphasis) Ph.D. program. His research interests generally include the neuropsychological correlates of multiple sclerosis. His current research focuses on the effects of cognitive fatigue on cognition in MS, as well as the relationship between disability status, family functioning, and MS self-efficacy.
Caroline Altaras
Caroline Altaras is a third-year student in the Clinical Psychology (Health Emphasis) Ph.D. program. Her clinical interests center around use of neuropsychological assessments and psychotherapy interventions for individuals with chronic, neurodegenerative disorders. Specifically, she is interested in exploring anxiety and psychotherapy treatment outcomes in the MS population.
Amanda Parker
Amanda Parker is a second-year student in the Clinical Psychology (Health Emphasis) Ph.D. program. As a member of the Psychology of the Multiple Sclerosis lab, her broad research interests include the use of psychotherapy interventions and neuropsychological assessments for individuals with chronic illnesses and neurodegenerative disorders, as well as exploring disability status and functioning. Specifically, she is interested in exploring health-related quality of life aspects and psychotherapy treatment outcomes in the multiple sclerosis population.
Jennifer Miller
Jennifer Miller is a second-year student in the Clinical Psychology (Health Emphasis) Ph.D. program. Her research interests focus on the use of neuropsychological assessments and psychotherapy interventions for patients who suffer from Multiple Sclerosis. Specifically, she is interested in exploring neuropsychological predictors of disease progression in Multiple Sclerosis.