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Destiny Martinez Ruiz
Undergraduate Research Assistant
I am a second-year undergraduate at UCSD, learning about research and studying Cognitive Behavioral Neuroscience. My passion is to explore ways to best support people in having healthier lives. I’m excited to have the chance to serve Latinx/Hispanic communities and to promote their representation in healthcare, hoping to one day work in the field of medicine. Outside of work and school, cooking is my happy place. I always love to share a fresh meal with my friends and roommates at the dorm. At the same time, it brings me joy to share photos of new foods with my family back at home.
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Marina Zaher Nakhla
Graduate Student
Marina Zaher Nakhla graduated from CSU Northridge with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and Master's degree in Clinical Psychology. She is currently a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate at the San Diego State University/University of California San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in neuropsychology.
Marina is a Strategic Enhancement of Excellence through Diversity (SEED) fellow and a graduate researcher in both Dr. Zvinka Zlatar's WISE Laboratory and Dr. Dawn Schiehser's Neurocognition and Movement Laboratory. Her research interests involve cognitive aging, as well as the intersection between neuropsychological disorders, physical disability, and mental health. She also has interests in working with underrepresented populations in both research and clinical practice. -
Gisselle Santiago
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Gisselle is a fourth-year undergraduate student at UC San Diego majoring in Human Biology and Global Health. She is currently on the pre-med track and hopes to attend medical school after taking a gap year to work in the field. She is interested in learning more about how neurodegenerative diseases affect minority populations, specifically for Hispanics/Latinos.
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Emily Pantoja
Undergraduate Research Assistant -
Lynn Cohen
Undergraduate Research Assistant/Lab Manager
Lynn majored in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience. Her research interests include dementia, traumatic brain injury, and brain imaging. She plans on pursuing a graduate degree in Neuropsychology. -
Caitlin Knight
Lab Manager | Undergraduate Research Assistant
Caitlin majored in Psychology, with a specialization in Cognitive Psychology. She is interested in learning and memory research, and hopes one day to work in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. -
Allison Williams
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Allison majored in Biochemistry & Cell Biology major and minored in Psychology. She is a pre-med student who hopes to go into the field of Psychiatry or Neurology. Her research interests involve preventative psychiatry and neurodegenerative diseases. -
Maya Eshel
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Maya majored in Communications with a Psychology minor. She is interested in cognitive aging and language research. Following the completion of her undergraduate studies at UC San Diego she hopes to pursue a degree in Clinical Psychology. -
JD Lewis
Undergraduate Research Assistant
JD Lewis graduated from UC San Diego. His psychological interests include motivation, mindfulness, emotions, understanding, and performance psychology. He is currently looking into graduate programs to continue his education in the field of psychology. -
Colin Carey
Graduate Research Assistant
Colin Carey is a Ph.D. student in clinical psychology at the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University, San Diego. He served as an elective practice graduate student research assistant at the WISE lab under the supervision of Dr. Zvinka Zlatar from June 2017 - June 2018. In this role, he administered the lab's neuropsychological assessment battery to older adults at three study timepoints, scored and interpreted assessments, and compiled summary feedback letters for participants. Additionally, he conducted thorough physical health, exercise, and psychosocial phone screenings with potential participants and assisted in participant recruitment efforts. During his time at the WISE lab, Colin also administered neuropsychological assessment batteries at the Veterans Medical Research Foundation (VMRF) to participants in a longitudinal study of individuals at-risk for developing Alzheimer's Disease. -
Jessica Osuna
Undergraduate Research Assistant/Research Coordinator
Jessica Osuna worked at the WISE Lab as the research coordinator from March 2016 to June 2018. She continues to be involved in aging-related studies at UCSD and the VA San Diego. Her primary research interests are focused on how vascular risks contribute to cognitive trajectories in healthy and pathological aging, and how such vascular contributions may inform intervention strategies. Aside from research, Jessica enjoys spending time with her pets, competing in marathons, and playing soccer with her team. -
Lauren Johnson
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Lauren Toomey worked under Dr. Zlatar in the WISE Lab from May 2017 to May 2018. She was a research assistant and helped with participant recruitment, cognitive testing, and data entry/analysis. During that time, she was a senior at UCSD and co-currently working under Dr. Wierenga in her research lab at the VA Hospital. She has now received her degree in Cognitive Science with Specialization in Neuroscience and has plans to work with neuropsychiatric research and pursue her PhD. -
Mikaela Orner
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Mikaela worked as a Research Assistant in the WISE Lab from December 2016 to December 2017. During her time in the lab, she helped create study materials, worked one-on-one with participants, and administered neuropsychological assessments. In March of 2018, she graduated from UC San Diego with a B.S. in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience and a minor in Biology. After graduating, she went on to become a Project Coordinator for the Brain Development Imaging Labs, an autism research lab, at San Diego State University.