Tina is a VETSA postdoctoral scholar whose research investigates how modifiable factors, particularly aspects of sleep—such as duration and quality across adulthood—affect cognitive decline, cognitive aging, and the risk for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD). She earned her PhD in Developmental Psychology from the University of California, Riverside, where she examined individual differences in sleep and cognition across the lifespan, examining both genetic and environmental influences. Tina’s work aims to disentangle these contributions to determine whether sleep may serve as a modifiable risk factor for ADRD. Outside the lab, she enjoys baking and experimenting with new recipes.
Jack Hunt (Department of Psychiatry Research Residency Track Scholar, UC San Diego)
Jack joins the VETSA team as a resident in the UCSD Department of Psychiatry Research Residency Track Program. As a physician-scientist, his mission is to improve the mental health of older people by understanding biopsychosocial influences on healthy aging and identifying points of intervention on a patient- and population-level. His current research focuses on understanding the neural and cognitive correlates of frailty and cardiometabolic factors to better define modifiable risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. He previously obtained an MD and PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology from University of Wisconsin – Madison where his dissertation work explored the link between neighborhood-level socioeconomic disadvantage, neurodegeneration and cognitive decline. In his free time, he enjoys playing music and being in nature with his family.
Olivia K. Puckett, B.S. (MRI Testing Lead, UC San Diego)
Olivia received her BS in Cognitive Science with a Specialization in Neuroscience at UCSD. She started her research journey in a wet lab studying Huntington's and ALS, and later switched to neuroimaging research studying epilepsy patients. She has been working on the VETSA MRI study since 2016, managing MRI data collection and processing of structural, diffusion, and arterial spin labeling MRI data. Her primary research interest is neuroimaging. When she's not looking at brains, she's probably at the park with her rescue dog Wiggles, third -wave coffee in hand.
Madel Penaloza, B.S. (Testing Lead, UC San Diego)
Madel received her B.S. in Cognitive Science with a specialization in Clinical Aspects of Cognition from the University of California, San Diego. Prior to joining VETSA, she worked on the Cognitive Aging Longitudinal Study at the Shiley-Marcos Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center as a bilingual psychometrist specializing in the recruitment and testing of Hispanic participants. Currently, she is one of the coordinators/testers for VETSA where she oversees day-to-day testing, train staff and students on testing protocols and conducts neuropsychological testing.
Nathan Whitsel, B.S. (Testing Lead, UC San Diego)
Nathan received his B.S. in Psychology with a specialization in clinical psychology and behavioral neuroscience from the University of California, San Diego. He previously worked at the Veteran’s Medical Research Foundation for Dr. Eric Granholm studying the contribution of Oxytocin therapy in combination with Cognitive-Behavioral Social Skills Training (CBSST) in Schizophrenia. He is currently one of the coordinators and psychometrists for VETSA where he oversees data management projects, as well as neuropsychological testing and data collection. Outside of the lab, he enjoys hiking and the outdoors, expanding his cooking abilities, and playing several musical instruments including guitar, mandolin, and piano.
Erik Buchholz, M.S., M.A. (Sr. Research Data Analyst, UC San Diego)
Erikunites his interest in information science (M.S.; UALR) and health psychology (M.A.; UCMerced) by exploring data analytic methods to answer two questions: (1) how does health change over time and (2) how do risk factors suggest targets for interventions? For instance, he evaluated health problems by applying machine learning to health records during his artificial intelligence fellowship with the NIH (AIM-AHEAD). He works with researchers to explore the biopsychosocial model of health by analyzing data, publishing findings, and beating back the encroaching chaos of data management. Outside the lab, he enjoys weight-lifting and pursuing cultural events and theatrical performances.
