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Robert B. Christian, MD, FAAPAssistant Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics
Associate Director, North Carolina LEND Program
Jean B. Mankowski, PhDClinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry
Licensed Psychologist #3643
Director of Training, NC-LEND
Melissa Beck, PhDLicensed Psychologist
Adrianne (Anne) Harris, PhDClinical Assistant Professor/ Licensed Psychologist
Department of Psychiatry
Emma JagasiaDr. Emma Jagasia (1st year T32 awardee) received her research PhD and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. Her research focuses on the neurodevelopmental impact of early violence exposure during childhood and adolescence. Dr. Jagasia works under the mentorship of Dr. Cathi Propper to investigate how early environmental stressors influence brain development and contribute to neurodevelopmental disorders, with a focus on the gut–brain axis as a potential mediator of these effects. Her work leverages longitudinal neuroimaging and behavioral data to inform developmentally sensitive interventions that bridge basic science and clinical practice.
Kathryn McNaughtonDr. Kathryn McNaughton (1st year T32 awardee) received her PhD in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science from the University of Maryland under the mentorship of Dr. Elizabeth Redcay. Her research investigates neural and cognitive factors involved in peer interactions between autistic and non-autistic youth. As a UNC CIDD T32 fellow, Dr. McNaughton will work with Drs. Clare Harrop and Dan Bauer to investigate longitudinal trajectories in social processing, peer interactions, and mental health outcomes for autistic youth.
Alicia RavensDr. Alicia Ravens (1st year T32 awardee) earned her PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Utah under the mentorship of Dr. Jason Shepherd, where she investigated non-cell-autonomous mechanisms of synaptic plasticity. Her work revealed how the activity-dependent release of the neuronal protein Arc coordinates network-level processes critical for memory consolidation. For her postdoctoral training, Dr. Ravens joined the lab of Dr. Graham Diering to study how sleep is encoded and discharged at excitatory synapses through plasticity mechanisms. As a fellow in the UNC CIDD T32 program, she is investigating how genetic regulation of sleep affects synaptic development and contributes to dysfunction in neurodevelopmental disorders. Her research ultimately aims to identify sleep-based therapeutic strategies to restore synaptic and behavioral function.
