Meet Our Team

Lead Researcher:

Uma Rao, MD

Dr. Rao is the Lead Researcher of the UCI BRoAD Lab, a professor of Psychiatry & Human Behavior at the UCI School of Medicine, and the Director of Education and Research in Psychiatry at Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC).  She completed her training in General Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the State University of New York at Stony Brook as well as a post-doctoral research fellowship in child Psychiatry at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University. She is board certified in General Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Since completing training, she has had academic as well as clinical and research leadership positions in several nationally and internationally recognized academic institutions until she joined UCI in April 2017.  Dr. Rao has been involved in mood and substance use disorders research for over 25 years. Her primary areas of interest are adolescent depressive and addictive disorders, including neurobiological and psychosocial predictors of first onset and longitudinal clinical course in youth with familial and/or environmental risk, developmental/ethnic influences on the phenomenology and neurobiological processes, and translational intervention research. Recently, she has extended her work to include physical/medical conditions that frequently co-occur with these disorders, specifically obesity and pain, from a health disparities perspective.  Dr. Rao has published numerous research articles and has received awards from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Indo-American Psychiatric Association and community agencies for scientific and volunteer contributions. She has served on the editorial boards of several scientific journals and currently is the editor of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry News.

Co-Investigators & Collaborators:

Velma McBride Murry, PhD

Dr. Murry is a nationally recognized expert examining ways in which racism affects family processes, behavior, and health outcomes of families. At Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College, she holds the Endowed Lois Autrey Betts Chair, Education and Human Development, Joe B. Wyatt Distinguished University Professor, Co-Director of Vanderbilt Medical Center, CTSA, Community Engagement Research Core, Professor, Human and Organizational Development and Co-Director of the Community Engagement Research Core.  In addition to her renowned service at Vanderbilt, she is a Distinguished Senior Research Fellow at the George Brown School of Social Work at Washington University of St. Louis. She serves on several national boards, including Foundation of Child Development Board of Directors, National Academy of Medicine, Culture of Health Advisory Board, and Blueprints Advisory Board of Directors, to name a few.  Dr. Murry has published over 125 papers, presented her work in national and international conferences, and has received more than 25 external grants as principal investigator or co-principal investigator to fund her research activities. Her work is regularly published in premier journals such as Society for Research on Adolescence, Journal of Adolescent Health, Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology; Prevention Science; Journal of Clinical Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology; and Journal of Marriage and Family. Murry is co-editor of the National Academy of Medicine’s Perspectives on Health Equity & Social Determinants of Health (2017).

Theo van Erp, PhD

Dr. Theo G.M. van Erp joined the University of California Irvine Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior in 2010. He received his doctorate in clinical neuroscience from the University of Utrecht in 2007 and continued working on several multi-center brain imaging projects as an Assistant Researcher at the University of California Los Angeles between 2007-2010. In 2010, he started the Clinical Translational Neuroscience Laboratory with a research program focused on imaging and imaging genetics research in psychiatric disorders.  The primary aim of Dr. Van Erp’s Clinical Translational Neuroscience Laboratory is to understand the mechanisms underlying psychotic and affective disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder. To achieve this aim, he conducts structural neuroimaging, functional neuroimaging, and neurocognitive studies. Dr. Van Erp collaborates with investigators locally at the University of California Irvine, nationally, and internationally with regard to neuroimaging, neurocognition, and genomic research.

Shlomit Radom-Aizik, PhD

Dr. Aizik is the Founder & Executive Director of the Pediatric Exercise and Genomics Research Center (PERC) at UC Irvine Health. She is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, working to advance exercise medicine through clinical and laboratory research using genomic and epigenetic approaches, and to promote and foster community partnerships to encourage physical activity across the lifespan. In her current position as the Executive Director of PERC, she has fruitful collaborations with multidisciplinary group of local and international researchers on an array of pioneering exercise-science studies including studies on exercise and the brain, exercise and bone health in children, exergaming and exercise medicine. Dr. Aizik is a Principal Investigator (PI) on two NIH Grants: 1) MoTrPAC pediatric clinical center, which is a nation-wide consortium to study the molecular maps in response to exercise, and 2) project REACH; Revamping Exercise Assessments in Child Health.

Kate Kuhlman, PhD

Dr. Kuhlman is an Associate Professor of Psychological Science at the University of California Irvine and the Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology at University of California Los Angeles. Dr. Kuhlman received her B.S. from New York University, her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Michigan, and completed her postdoctoral training in Psychoneuroimmunology at UCLA before joining the faculty at UCI. Her research is broadly focused on how childhood adversity confers risk for poor health outcomes throughout the lifespan, with a current interest in the neurobiological processes underlying depression in adolescence. Her research is currently funded by the National Institute for Mental Health and the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation

Elaine M. Urbina, MD, MS

Dr. Urbina is Director of Preventive Cardiology at Cincinnati Children’s, where she leads a multidisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, and dieticians in the treatment of high blood pressure (hypertension) and high cholesterol (dyslipidemia). Her area of expertise is non-invasive imaging of the heart and blood vessels in youth with risk factors for heart attack and stroke. She leads the vascular core for many multicenter research studies and holds leadership roles in many organizations including the International Pediatric Hypertension Association and the North American Artery Association and she is a Fellow of the American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology, and American Academy of Pediatrics. She has been a member of many important position papers and guidelines on treatment of cardiovascular risk factors in youth. Dr. Urbina is a collaborator on the CVD Study.

Heather C. Huszti, PhD

Heather Huszti, PhD, is a licensed psychologist and chief psychologist at CHOC as well as the section chief for pediatric psychology. She also is the director of training for the Psychology Training Program at CHOC. She completed her doctoral degree in clinical psychology with an emphasis in family therapy from Texas Tech University and completed an internship and fellowship at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC). She was on faculty at OUHSC, where she was the director of the Pediatric Psychology Program. She joined CHOC in 2002.

She has served as a principle investigator on a number of federally funded research projects with a focus on adherence

Wyman Lai, PhD

Dr. Wyman Lai is a leading, internationally recognized pediatric cardiologist who treats the full spectrum of heart conditions at CHOC. He is an expert in the areas of fetal cardiology and non-invasive imaging for heart disease in fetuses and children. Dr. Lai’s research interests include the echocardiographic evaluation of complex congenital heart disease, the use of advanced imaging techniques for the assessment of cardiac function, and the potential contribution of artificial intelligence in cardiology.

Dr. Lai serves as assistant division chief of cardiology at CHOC Specialists and Medical Director, Echocardiography. He has served on American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) Board of Directors and currently sits on the National Board of Echocardiography Board of Directors. Dr. Lai is a prolific author who has written over 100 peer-reviewed research publications and many invited reviews and chapters. He is the lead editor of a comprehensive textbook on pediatric echocardiography, and he has lectured extensively in the United States and internationally.

Dr. Lai graduated from the Brown University School of Medicine, the Harvard School of Public Health, and, more recently, the UCI Paul Merage School of Business. He completed training in pediatrics and pediatric cardiology at the UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles. Dr. Lai underwent advanced training in congenital cardiac MRI at Boston Children’s Hospital.

Postdoctoral Scholars/Fellows:

 

Data and Imaging Analysts:

Baolong Truong, BS 

Baolong graduated from UCI in June 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in Data Science, and is currently a graduate student at UIUC pursuing a master’s degree in Computer Science. He joined the lab in July 2023 as a database administrator and analyst to support the researchers in data analysis and make a measurable impact at the BRoAD Lab. In the future, he is interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in a statistical discipline. Away from the lab, he is interested in fitness, food, exploring new places, movies, music, and video games. 

Derek Taylor, BS

Derek is our database manager and biostatistician (Data Geek), but has also been called “Data Ninja”. Derek took his first professional job at UCI as a neurochemistry consultant studying self-injury in persons with autism after completing a bachelor degree in Biochemistry and Biophysics from UC Davis.  His career includes six years coordinating a national study of alcoholic cirrhosis with the VA Cooper Studies, eight years as an programmer analyst at UCI Brain Imaging Center and Seven years as Biostatistician and DBA for a network of private neuropsychiatric clinics. Derek has contributed to twenty scientific publications with his favorite first author publication in American Journal of Applied Physiology.  When away from the data, Derek is an outdoorsman, excellent cook, wire artist, book author, musician, and singer touring with the Robert Allen Layman’s Gospel Chorus.

Research Staff:

Sabrina Kuo, BS

Sabrina graduated from UCI in June 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in Public Health Sciences.  She originally joined the lab in January 2018 as a PH 194 clinical and translational research student, and continued volunteering with the BRoAD Lab until she officially transitioned to a research coordinator for the Eating Patterns & Activity Study in June 2019.  In the future, she hopes to work in the public health and healthcare fields to raise awareness about wellness and improve access to quality healthcare. In her spare time, she enjoys listening to music and podcasts, learning new languages, and trying new foods.

Ece Tan, BS

Ece received her bachelor’s degree in Human Biology from UCI in 2017. After graduating, she became increasingly interested in the overlap between biology and psychology, which led her to complete the Post-Baccalaureate Program in Psychological Science at UCI. Ece joined the BRoAD Lab as a research assistant while a student in the program in the spring of 2022 and was subsequently hired as a research coordinator that summer. She started the role as coordinator for the Life Skills Study and now primarily coordinates the Cardiovascular Study. Ece is passionate about pediatric mental health and really enjoys working with children and adolescents; for five years, she was a volunteer in the Child Life Department at CHOC. She is excited to be involved in research on adolescent development in the BRoAD Lab as she intends to become a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist who conducts research in developmental psychopathology, psychoneuroendocrinology, and psychoneuroimmunology in the future. In her free time, Ece enjoys playing tennis, board games, and grabbing coffee with friends!

Ryan Lau, BA

Ryan Lau is a graduate from Chapman University who joined in July of 2022. After obtaining his bachelors degree in Psychology at Chapman university, he has since joined Pepperdine’s Masters of Clinical Psychology, with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy. He intends to continue his education to the doctoral level in Psychology in the future, and continue to pursue research later in the future. In his free time, Ryan enjoys archery, listening to music, and playing video games with friends.

Veronica Alvarez, MA

Veronica graduated from UC Davis in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Chicana/o Studies. After graduating, she worked at a child abuse prevention center where she became interested in learning more about developmental psychology and its intersection with the law. Shortly after, she pursued a master’s in Legal and Forensic Psychology at UC Irvine, graduating in 2023. During her time as a graduate student, she joined the Development, Disorder, and Delinquency Lab, where she worked closely with juveniles who were or had been involved with the criminal justice system. Veronica was also one of the lead research assistants for two projects at the Child Narratives Lab, where she got to interview several children and learn more about how different social contexts and individual differences influence children’s reports about past events. Veronica hopes to continue her studies in the future and pursue a PhD in developmental psychology. Outside of academia and her professional life, Veronica enjoys going to festivals and concerts, loves to travel, and likes to wind down by going to the gym or reading a good book.

Research Assistants & Volunteers:

Esha Sankhala

Esha is an undergraduate student working on her B.S. in Biological Sciences who joined the lab in October of 2021. She aims to enter the medical field, and is interested in neurology and gynecology. In her free time, she enjoys tennis, spending time with family and friends, and practicing the guitar.

Ankita Mirchandani

Ankita is a second-year undergraduate student pursuing a B.S. in Biological Sciences at UCI. She is a pre-dental student interested in mental/behavioral health and began assisting in Fall of 2022. Her free time consists of coloring, reading, watching movies, doing calligraphy, and spending quality time with family and friends.

Ai Kim

Hello, my name is Ai Kim. I am an undergraduate student in the school of Biological Sciences at UCI and joined the BRoAD Lab at the beginning of the 2022 Fall quarter. I hope to pursue a career in the medical field as a Physician Assistant supporting and helping underrepresented communities, such as POC communities and the LGBT community, in order to create a more inclusive and welcoming medical service. In my spare time, I love to sing and listen to music. I also enjoy spending time with animals at shelters and getting coffee with friends.

Kenton Chau

Kenton joined the BRoAD lab in the Fall of 2022. He is currently working towards his B.S. in Biological Sciences, with hopes of pursuing a career in the medical field either as a physician or in clinical research. In his spare time, he enjoys playing video games, tennis, and trying new restaurants. 

Amber Ahsan

Amber is a fourth-year undergraduate student pursuing a B.A. in Psychological Sciences who joined the lab in June 2023. She plans to either become a psychiatrist or a physician assistant specializing in psychiatry. She joined the BRoAD lab because she is passionate about finding new breakthroughs in relation to mental health conditions, so she is able to integrate these discoveries in her practice as a clinician one day when working with patients of adolescent age. Likewise, she looks forward to learning more about the research process itself and gaining valuable clinical skills. In her free time, she likes to spend as much time with family and friends, work out, journal, and read books relating to psychology. 

Esther Lee

Esther is an undergraduate student studying Biological Sciences, B.S. at UCI and joined the BRoAD Lab in June of 2023. She is a pre-med student aspiring to enter the medical field as a physician with interest towards pediatrics and neurology. In her free time, she likes to listen to music, read, take drives to the beach, explore new food places, and spend time with family and friends.

Verenice Patino

Verenice is majoring in Biological Sciences and minoring in Psychological Science at UCI. She joined the BRoAD Lab in June of 2023. Verenice is interested in Psychiatry for an MD degree or Neuroscience/Psychological Science for a PhD program. She wants to help diverse communities with mental or neurological disorders. Currently, she is a Residential Counselor at a mental health facility. In the future, she hopes to volunteer at a hospital and join a club to get more experience in the health field. She also wants to learn how to play the flute and dance folklorico. In her free time, she loves to go to the movies, flea markets and restaurants with her daughter and sisters. She loves to watch Netflix, learn about ancient history and plan vacations for her family and friends.

Keyanna Daniels

Keyanna Daniels is currently a second-year medical student at the UCI School of Medicine. She is from Long Beach, CA and graduated from USC in 2020 with her degree in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention with double minor in natural sciences and screenwriting. After her time at USC, she joined the California State Executive Fellowship where she worked on health policy at the California Department of Healthcare Services. Following this experience, she went on to work as a Clinical Research Coordinator, running multiple trials looking at new drugs for the treatment of PTSD, BED, and ADHD. Now at studying UCI School of Medicine, she serves as a LEAD-ABC Scholar, where she further enhances her medical education by learning and implementing initiatives to address health disparities in the African, Black, and Caribbean (ABC) communities. She is interested in multiple specialties currently but has always had an interest in primary care and psychiatry. For fun she loves binge watching reality tv, going to concerts, writing, and painting.

Samar Gilani

Samar is a post-baccalaureate student at UCI and joined the BRoAD lab in the fall of 2023. She graduated in May 2023 from San Diego State University with a B.A in psychology, emphasizing in neuroscience. Samar hopes to pursue a clinical PsyD graduate program and eventually treat young adults with mood disorders. 

Victoria (Vicky) Acuna

I graduated with a B.A from the University of Massachusetts, Boston in May 2022 as an Early Childhood Education Major and Psychology minor. I started in the BRoAD lab in the Fall of 2023 as a post-baccalaureate student at UCI. I am interested in learning more about clinical psychology and gaining research experience. For fun, I enjoy reading, hiking, trying new things and traveling.

Cameron Eslamian

Cameron Eslamian is a second-year Biological Sciences major at UCI with premed aspirations. He eagerly joined the BRoAD lab in the fall of 2023, driven by his strong interest in neurobiology and mental health research. He is dedicated to gaining valuable research experience and has a primary focus on expanding his knowledge and contributing to scientific advancements. In his free time he enjoys spending time with friends and family, attending festivals, traveling, and listening to music. 

Zoë Braverman

Zoë graduated from Soka University of America with a B.A. in Life Sciences in May 2023. She is a current post-baccalaureate student in psychological science at UCI and began working in the BRoAD lab during the fall of 2023. She plans to pursue a PsyD in clinical psychology, specializing in sport and exercise psychology in the future. Outside of the lab, she enjoys walking, going to art galleries, yoga, and thrifting or vintage shopping. 

Saul Martinez

Saul Martinez is a first-year medical student enrolled in the Program in Medical Education for the Latiné Community (PRIME-LC) at the UC Irvine School of Medicine. He graduated from UC Berkeley in 2021 with a degree in Molecular Environmental Biology. As an undergraduate, Saul conducted research with the school-based prevention program for newcomer immigrant adolescents, FUERTE, and studied health disparities among day laborers in the East Bay Area. He is focused on addressing health disparities and mental health obstacles in underserved communities, with a particular emphasis on Spanish-speaking, immigrant, and rural populations. Saul is pursuing a combined MD/Master’s degree and hopes to specialize in family medicine or psychiatry. In his free time, he enjoys watching Drag Race, exploring tide pools, and playing volleyball.