Principal Investigators
Bridget Callaghan
Principal Investigator
Bridget is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and is the director of the Brain and Body Lab (BABLab), which opened in 2019. Before starting at UCLA, Bridget was a postdoctoral research fellow at Columbia University in New York, and completed her doctorate in Psychology and her training as a clinical psychologist at the University of New South Wales in Australia. Bridget has experience working with animal models of early adversity, as well as in behavioral, fMRI, and biological research within human populations. Born in Sydney, Bridget is a lover of the sun and beaches. When she is not in the lab, she likes to spend time with her husband Beau, and dog Vinnie, hanging out, hiking (i.e., doing bush walks) and eating food.
Jennifer Silvers
Principal Investigator
Jennifer is an Associate Professor in the Developmental and Social areas of the Psychology Department at UCLA as well as at UCLA’s Brain Research Institute. Prior to joining the faculty at UCLA, she completed her Bachelor’s degree at the University of Virginia and her Ph.D. with postdoctoral training at Columbia University. Using a combination of behavioral, physiological, and neuroimaging measures, Jennifer is interested in understanding how children, adolescents, and adults regulate their emotions and how other people (friends and family) may regulate our emotional experiences as well. When she makes it outside of UCLA, she enjoys running in L.A.’s gorgeous hills, trying to get around without the assistance of Google Maps, cooking, and spending time with her husband, children, and dog.
Study Coordinators
Savannah Lopez
RISE-Up EA+ Study Coordinator
Savannah is the study coordinator for the RISE-Up EA+ project under the joint collaboration of Dr. Bridget Callaghan and Dr. Jennifer Silvers. She graduated from UCLA in 2024 with a B.S in Neuroscience and a minor in Disability Studies. During her undergraduate years, she gained valuable experience as a research assistant under Dr. Adriana Galvan and Dr. Tara Peris at the UCLA Childhood OCD, Anxiety & Tic Disorders Program. Savannah is interested in pursuing a PhD and conducting fMRI research to explore the neurobiological foundations of various mental health disorders, including anxiety and depression, across diverse cultural, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. When she is not in the lab, Savannah enjoys spending time with her family/friends and watching movies/TV shows.
Elizabeth Gaines
SAND Lab Manager
Elizabeth graduated from UCLA in 2021 with a degree in Neuroscience and a minor in Film and Television studies. As an undergraduate, she volunteered as a research assistant in the SAND Lab, and completed her major thesis project on reappraisal capacity in youth during COVID. As lab manager, she is responsible for coordinating and conducting each phase of the lab’s several research projects. Apart from research, Elizabeth enjoys knitting, painting, and visiting Barnes & Noble.
Graduate Students
Saché Coury
Graduate Student
Saché graduated from Stanford University in 2020, where she received a BA in Psychology with honors with a specialization in Neuroscience. She is broadly interested in how early life stress shapes and alters neurodevelopment and increases risk for psychopathology in youth, with a special interest in neuro-inflammatory processes. Saché’s research currently focuses on exploring neuroimmune mechanisms that may explain how exposure to early adversity increases maladaptive emotion regulation strategies that impact mental health outcomes in youth. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with my two cats (James and Roux), watching sports (mainly soccer and basketball), reading, traveling, and exploring new restaurants
Paul Savoca
Graduate Student
Paul is a Graduate Student in the Brain and Body Lab (BABLab) in the Psychology Department at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He is interested in how early life experiences shape mental and physical well-being. His primary focus is on how interoceptive processes are altered over the course of development and following adversity. Paul graduated from Northeastern University in 2019 with a B.S. in Psychology. Prior to joining the BABLab, he worked as a clinical research coordinator in the Interdisciplinary Affective Science Lab at Massachusetts General Hospital. When not doing research, he enjoys watching soccer games, cooking, and hiking.
Genesis Flores
Graduate Student
Genesis is a graduate student in the Psychology Department’s Brain and Body Lab (BABLab) at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She is interested in how processes of risk and adaptation unfold among individuals exposed to highly stressful environments during sensitive periods of development and how this stress becomes biologically embedded both within and across generations. In the BABLab, her research focuses on the microbiome-gut-brain axis as a network of pathways by which prenatal maternal stress exposure and broader contextual adversities contribute to psychological health outcomes across the lifespan. Genesis graduated from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona in 2020. She later worked as a lab manager in the Neuroendocrinology of Social Ties Lab at the University of Southern California. Outside of the lab, Genesis enjoys discovering new coffee shops, visiting local flea markets, and spending time with her two dogs, McMuffin and Mooncake.
Research Assistants
Brandon Parenti
Research Assistant
Brandon Parenti is an undergraduate Psychology student at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a prospective minor in Evolutionary Medicine. With a strong research interest in developmental psychology, he is excited to further assess the ontogenetic and phylogenetic trajectories of adolescent adversity and their psychological applications. Brandon is extremely thrilled to continue his education after graduation from UCLA as a prospective Ph.D. student in Developmental Psychology, where he will expand and assess the applications of developmental research. Outside of the lab, Brandon has been a student course assistant for Developmental Psychology and has done extracurricular work as a high-school student peer counselor.
Chase Savela
Research Assistant
Chase is an undergraduate student at UCLA majoring in Psychology. He is interested in learning more about the bidirectional relationship between mental health and physical health, which he seeks to apply in research on the model of integrated mental healthcare. He is passionate about exploring ways to improve the accessibility and quality of current interventions for young people that struggle with trauma and internalizing disorders. After graduating, Chase plans to pursue a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology. Outside of the lab, he loves rock climbing (and coaching it), slacklining, and spending time outdoors!