Research Assistants

Tara Anderson is a 3^rd year UCLA student pursuing a double major in Psychology and Disability Studies and a minor in Applied Developmental Psychology. Tara currently serves as a senior research assistant for PEERS® for preschoolers and previously served as senior research assistant for PEERS® f for Adolescents. Tara broadly supports various PEERS® clinical group efforts. Her research interests include child psychopathology, specifically autism, ADHD, and anxiety. After she graduates, she hopes to pursue graduate school with the intention of becoming a Clinical Psychologist, specializing in disabled youth. Tara primarily works in the PEERS for Preschoolers groups and the PEERS for Adolescents groups. Aside from her work in PEERS, she is involved in UCLA Club Beach Volleyball and the Association of Students for Child Development (ASCD).

Aaron is third year at UCLA, pursuing a degree in Psychology with a double minor in Applied Developmental Psychology and Spanish. Currently. Currently Aaron serves senior research assistant for PEERS for Young Adults. He hopes to become a therapist one day and plans on continuing to study Psychology in graduate school and is interested in bringing mental health support to marginalized communities. In his free time, he enjoys working as a barista, reading, and playing the clarinet in the UCLA Bruin Marching Band.

Britney Nguyen is a senior research assistant and behavioral coach at the UCLA PEERS Clinic. She has been involved in the PEERS for Adolescents groups, PEERS summer Boot Camps, and PEERS for Dating research study. Britney earned her B.A. in Psychology from UCLA and aspires to become a developmental pediatrician. Outside of PEERS, Britney also works as a developmental therapist, utilizing the DIR Floortime model of therapy to support youth on the autism spectrum. Her clinical and research interests include increasing access to mental health care and reducing health disparities in underserved communities.

Natalie is a senior research assistant supporting the PEERS Virtual Social Skills Classes and Summer Bootcamps. After graduating from Northwestern University with a degree in Human Development and Psychological Services, Natalie completed Teach for America in the Bay Area and earned her Master’s in Special Education. She is currently a Resource Specialist for LAUSD working with students in grades K-5. In her free time, Natalie enjoys going to the beach and walking her (very old) dogs.

Fiona Smith Sonoma State University graduate with a B.A. in Philosophy. She currently works as a research assistant at the UCLA PEERS® Clinic. Fiona currently serves as a behavioral coach in PEERS® Summer Bootcamps and assists with aspects of PEERS® for Preschoolers. Additionally, Fiona helps code observational measures for the UCLA College to Career Research Study. Her professional interests include healthcare and technology policy. Fiona's role at the UCLA PEERs clinic includes participating as a behavioral coach in PEERs for adolescents and assisting in PEERs for Careers research.

Emma currently is a behavioral coach for PEERS® Virtual Social Skills Classes. Formally, Emma served as a Senior Research Assistant in Thursday PEERS® for Adolescents groups held online via Zoom and also served as a behavioral coach in PEERS® summer boot camps.

Ellen Choi is a senior research assistant at the UCLA PEERS Clinic and a student at the University of California, Santa Barbara, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Psychological Brain Sciences. After obtaining her degree, Ellen intends to continue working with the neurodivergent community and obtain a doctorate in clinical psychology.

Currently, Ellen serves as a behavioral coach in PEERS® Virtual Social Skills Classes and also contributes to PEERS® data entry. Formally, Emma served as a Summer Research Assistant where she acted as a behavioral coach in PEERS® summer boot camps.

Kavya Juwadi graduated from UCLA with a degree in psychobiology. At PEERS she serves as a behavioral coach in PEERS for Young Adults and also supports our PEERS for Careers social media team. Kavya also currently works as a research assistant at the Children’s Institute and is passionate about research regarding health disparities. In her spare time, she likes to hike and cook/bake!

Sami Mamoun is a Junior Research Assistant affiliated with the UCLA PEERS Clinic. In this capacity, he has supported as a behavioral coach for both the PEERS for Young Adults Group and the PEERS for Adolescents Group and now supports with data entry and administrative tasks. Currently, in his fourth year at UCLA majoring in Neuroscience and aspires to pursue a career in the medical field upon completing his undergraduate studies. Drawing from prior experience in a clinical setting, he is enthusiastic about broadening his knowledge within the realm of neuroscience through his contributions to the PEERS Clinic. Beyond his academic pursuits, Sami finds delight in various interests including Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, chess, tennis, and surfing.

Lynne Zhao is a fourth year pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Psychobiology and minor in English. Currently, Lynne previously served as a behavioral coach in PEERS® for Young Adults and now supports aspects of PEERS® for Dating. Throughout her college career, she has had previous experience providing in-home services for autistic children, teaching children and adolescents in multilingual summer camps and coordinating volunteer teams to serve the homeless population of Skid Row, Los Angeles and Santa Monica. She plans to attend Physician Associate school upon completing her undergraduate education with the intention of entering the field of psychiatry or pediatrics to continue to advocate for individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Ella Hou is a third year undergraduate student at UCLA, pursuing a degree in Human Biology & Society paired with a minor in Disability Studies with the intent of going into the field of Speech-Language Pathology. Currently, Ella supports efforts for PEERS® for Preschoolers and contributes to PEERS® data entry. After graduating, she hopes to specialize in pediatric rehabilitation and wants to positively impact underrepresented communities.

Jake Duhagon is an undergraduate student at UCLA, majoring in Sociology. Currently, Jake serves as a behavioral coach at PEERS Summer Bootcamps and also is a PEERS® Clinic lab assistant where he supports managing the clinic spaces, various efforts for PEERS® Clinical Groups, and also PEERS® data entry. He plans to pursue a graduate degree in Psychology after graduation, with the goal of establishing a career in private practice.

Hannah Isabella Doroteo is a research assistant/behavior coach at the PEERS Clinic. She received her BA in Psychology from UC San Diego in 2023. Along with supporting the PEERS for Young Adults groups, she also works as a behavior interventionist in schools throughout Los Angeles county. Hannah is an aspiring school psychologist and loves learning about evidence-based practices to support individuals with developmental disabilities.

Aishwarya Manga is currently an undergraduate student at UCLA pursuing a degree in Psychobiology (B.S.). She hopes to attend medical school following graduation. She is passionate about advancing research and interventions for neurodevelopmental disorders, fostering both academic and real-world growth. Outside of the classroom, she enjoys dancing, running, and playing guitar.

Aanchal Patel (she/her) is a third-year Cognitive Science major at UCLA. She currently serves as a senior research assistant for PEERS for Careers and previously served as behavioral coach for PEERS Young Adult groups. She also contributes to the PEERS for Careers social media team. Aanchal aspires to pursue a healthcare career, focusing on supporting autistic individuals.

Tatiana Issaghoulian is a behavioral coach for the PEERS® for Adolescents group at the UCLA PEERS® Clinic. She is currently attending UCLA as a fourth year psychology major. In the future, she would like to become a clinical psychologist with a focus on neuropsychology due to her interest in neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. Tatiana seeks to utilize her empathetic and non-judgemental nature to positively impact those around her.

Grace is a senior research assistant for the PEERS for Dating study UCLA PEERS® Clinic under the mentorship of Dr. Elizabeth Laugeson. She previously served as a behavioral coach in PEERS® for Preschoolers. Grace has several years of experience working in clinical settings conducting intakes, scoring neuropsychological assessments, and assisting licensed psychologists. She also has experience working as a research assistant studying language acquisition in children at her undergraduate institution, Santa Clara University. She is currently completing her Master’s in Psychology at Pepperdine University and hopes to pursue a Clinical Psychology doctoral program. Her clinical research interests include the early assessment and intervention of adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorder and mood and anxiety disorders.

Sydney Mazza is a senior research assistant and behavioral coach at the UCLA PEERS Clinic and primarily works with PEERS for Adolescence. She is currently a student at UCLA pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology with a Spanish minor. After she graduates, she hopes to attend graduate school for clinical psychology. Her clinical interests include child development and psychopharmacology, and she hopes to address mental health disparities in her career.

Isabella Valente is a research assistant and behavioral coach at the PEERS Clinic. She has received a bachelor's of science from UCLA in Human Biology and Society. She plans to work as a healthcare professional and eventually attend medical school.

Ivy Nguyen is a fourth year molecular biology major with aspirations to become a Physician Associate in the future. She is currently involved in the PEERS for Preschoolers and Young Adult groups as a social coach. Outside of PEERS and her academic commitments, she enjoys thrifting, reading, staying active, and spending quality time with the people she loves.

Victor Ayaay is a second-year at UCLA pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Cognitive Science. Following graduation, he hopes to continue studying psychology and counseling in graduate school. His research interests include social and developmental psychology within youth and their families.

Gabriel Lavi graduated from New York University in the Spring of 2023 and is planning to attend medical school. He is a research assistant involved with PEERS for Young Adults and PEERS for Dating. He also volunteers with several organizations he is also passionate about, such as the One Life Project and United Against Fentanyl. Gabriel was previously a college-athlete and enjoys spending his free time exercising, writing, and spending quality time with his family.

Warsha is currently a Human Biology and Society majoring student at UCLA. She is a rising junior involved in various campus activities, including serving as the Internal Communications Director at the UNICEF branch at UCLA, a Researcher Director of the Student Education and Research on Contemporary Health organization, and a Logistical Director of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, a nationwide organization supporting blood cancer patients! To gain insight and experience in healthcare, Warsha serves as a Student Intern and Volunteer at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, and proudly serves her role as a clinical research assistant with the PEERS Clinic for Preschoolers at the Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA!

Ari Rubin recently graduated from Denison with a degree in Psychology with a main focus being in the child development field. He has a deep interest in understanding the development of social skills for children especially with special needs. He hopes to continue his work in child development research into the coming years ultimately leading to a higher degree.

Elijah Bautista is a third-year undergraduate at UCLA studying Psychology and intends to become a Clinical Psychologist. He is actively involved in neurodiversity advocacy on campus, is an editor for the UCLA Psychology Journal, and volunteers as a research assistant at the CARE in Youth Mental Health Laboratory. He hopes to address ADHD-related disparities affecting our neurodiverse and underrepresented communities in his current and future research and advocacy.

Karly Bundy is a Research Assistant and Behavioral Coach for the UCLA PEERS® Educational Classes. She is a fourth year at UCLA, currently pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Cognitive Science (B.S.) and minor in Linguistics. After she graduates, she plans to complete post-bacc research and attend a doctoral program in Clinical Psychology. She is passionate about working with neurodiverse populations and strengthening assessment measures to better accommodate underrepresented communities in clinical research.

Mateen recently graduated from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana with a bachelor's degree in clinical psychology. He plans to pursue a Psy.D. or Ph.D. in clinical psychology and hopes to focus on adolescent mental health. Mateen’s research interests involve exploring protective factors against adolescent depression and anxiety. He also has previous experience as a summer camp director and as a volunteer crisis counselor. During his free time he loves baking, playing board games and the outdoors.

Dahlia Kirov is a 4th year undergraduate student at UCLA studying psychobiology and applied developmental psychology. She serves as a research assistant for PEERS as well as a volunteer for their preschool programs. In addition to PEERS, she works as a clinical/research assistant at Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital’s Child OCD Intensive Outpatient Program, research assistant for UCLA's Center for Anxiety Resilience Education and Support, and research editor for the Undergraduate Journal of Psychology at UCLA. Her interests include early intervention, parent-child dynamics, and evidence-based treatments supporting the mental wellbeing of children, adolescents, and their families.