Alderman, Cheryl

Contact Information
Phone: (919) 972-7447
Pager: (919) 216-2519
Fax: (919) 493-8985
Email: cheryl_alderman@med.unc.edu

Education
B.S., Biology and Psychology: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (May 2006)

Cheryl spent her first years after college working in group homes and day programs for children and adults with autism spectrum disorders. Currently, Cheryl is the clinical research manager for the ASPIRE Program. She coordinates several individual clinical trials, performs blood draws and administers cognitive tests. She also administers the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R), which are two diagnostic assessments that are frequently used in autism research.

Atkins, Evelyn

Contact Information
Phone: (919) 972-7500
Fax: (919) 493-8985
Email: eatkins@med.unc.edu

Evelyn Atkins has worked for UNC-CH for 25 years and has been with Dr. Sikich since 2006. She provides administrative support for the daily operations of Psychiatry Faculty Research Programs and is the coordinator of Dr. Sikich’s private patient appointments.

Baluyot, Kristine

Contact Information
Phone: (919) 972-7497
Fax: (919) 493-8985
Email: kristine_baluyot@med.unc.edu

Education
B.A., Psychology (Neuroscience): Stanford University

Kristine is a research assistant and the coordinator of the ICBT research study. She volunteers with equine therapy and hippotherapy centers, where she helps kids with physical and mental disabilities learn to ride horses. She plans to pursue a career in psychiatry or family medicine in the future.

Bedford, James

Education
B.S., Psychology: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
M.D.: UNC School of Medicine
Psychiatry Residency: UNC Hospitals

James E. Bedford, MD is currently a general psychiatry resident at UNC Hospitals. He was raised in Chapel Hill. He has been involved in research at the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, in community support services and the summer camp program at the Autism Society of North Carolina, and currently serves on the Clinical Advisory Board for the Carolina Living and Learning Center, TEACCH's integrated vocational and residential program for adults with autism.

Connelly, Nicollette (Niki)

Contact Information
Phone: (919) 972-7448
Fax: (919) 493-8985
Email: niki_connelly@med.unc.edu

Education
B.A., Psychology and Anthropology: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (May 2010)

Niki is the IRB and Regulatory Coordinator for the ASPIRE Research Program. Her field of interest is developmental psychology, with a focus on children and adolescents. As an undergraduate, Niki spent two years as a research assistant working with UNC’s Department of Psychology and Department of Psychiatry. She plans to pursue her Master’s in Social Work in the future, and spends her free time volunteering at The Arc of Orange County, working with adolescents who have autism, mental retardation, and cerebral palsy.

Copeland, John (Nathan)

Education
B.A., Psychology and Genetics: The University of Georgia
M.P.H., Public Health Genetics: The University of Michigan
M.D., The University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Psychiatry Residency: UNC Hospitals

Nathan Copeland hails from Memphis, TN where his high school AP psychology class first nurtured his interest in psychiatry. Nathan soon found that his passion for the field of the psychiatry was being matched by his passion for collegiate sports and university pride! Now a proud Tar Heel in the Department of Psychiatry at UNC, Nathan is excited to add one more institution and decorated athletic program to the list. Finding inspiration for working with adolescents and children after living in India and teaching at a rural school, Dr. Copeland is excited to work with the Aspire program and even more excited to work with all the kids that it reaches.

Gallins, Constantina

Contact Information
Phone: (919) 972-7444
Fax: (919) 493-8985
Email: cgallins@med.unc.edu

Education
B.S., Communications and English: East Carolina University

Constantina Gallins spent 3 years at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine working as a clinical research coordinator for an autism genetics research team.  Currently, Constantina is a clinical research coordinator for the Seaside and BMS research studies. She administers cognitive tests, as well as the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R).  She is interested in learning how autism develops in hopes of improving treatment approaches.

Mabe, Micah

Contact Information
Phone: (919) 972-7443
Fax: (919) 493-8985
Email: mlmabe@med.unc.edu

Education
B.S., Biological Sciences: North Carolina State University

Micah graduated from North Carolina State University with a major in biology and minor in genetics. He has been working with the ASPIRE research team since the summer of 2009, and is currently the coordinator of the IMPACT weight gain study. He is a trained phlebotomist and does blood draws for several of the ASPIRE Research studies.  He plans to apply to medical school in order to follow his interest for working with children.