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Department of Psychiatry Department of Psychiatry
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People

Program Director

Betty Shih

P. Betty Shih, M.P.M., Ph.D. is the Director of the Fellowship and Director of Didactic Training. Dr. Shih received her Ph.D. in genetic epidemiology from the University of Pittsburgh, and completed postdoctoral training at the UC San Diego Department of Medicine and Department of Psychiatry.

Dr. Shih's research encompasses a synthesis of epidemiology and molecular genetic studies in both clinical and population-based samples. Her expertise is in the genetics and translational science of complex disorders and phenotype such as eating disorders, metabolic syndrome, aging, and psychiatric comorbidities. Dr. Shih has served the Fellowship as a training faculty since 2012.

Meet the Fellows

profile-placeholder-small.jpgDr. McKenna Williams received her PhD in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in Neuropsychology from the SDSU/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program. Her research examines biological, cognitive, and psychiatric changes associated with neurological disorders in mid to late life, including Alzheimer’s disease, related dementias, and epilepsy. She aims to combine advanced neuroimaging techniques, neuropsychological assessment, and disease-related biomarkers to study early risk factors, health and psychiatric comorbidities, and cognitive outcomes among these populations.

 

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Dr. April C. May earned her PhD from the San Diego State University/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology with a focus in Neuropsychology. Her research focuses on understanding how substance use (cannabis, nicotine/tobacco, and alcohol) interacts with brain development and mental health during adolescence and young adulthood. Her work integrates large-scale longitudinal datasets (e.g., ABCD), advanced neuroimaging (fMRI, MEG), and health behavior data (sleep, nutrition, physical activity) to identify mechanisms linking substance use with neurodevelopmental and mental health outcomes. By combining behavioral, biological, and contextual data, Dr. May research aims to clarify risk and resilience pathways and to inform prevention and intervention strategies.
Advisory Committee
  • P. Betty Shih, M.P.M., Ph.D., Program Director, Associate Professor, UC San Diego Department of Psychiatry
  • Zafiris J. Daskalakis, M.D., Ph.D., Professor and Chair, UC San Diego Department of Psychiatry
  • John Kelsoe, M.D., Professor Emeritus, UC San Diego Department of Psychiatry
  • Susan Tapert, Ph.D., Professor, UC San Diego Department of Psychiatry
  • Neal Swerdlow, M.D., Ph.D., Professor, UC San Diego Department of Psychiatry
  • Jonathon Sebat, Ph.D., Associate Professor, UC San Diego Department of Psychiatry
  • Murray Stein, M.D., M.P.H., Professor, UC San Diego Department of Psychiatry