I am a Clinical Psychologist in the Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center (PRRC) at the West LA VA Medical Center. I also maintain a part-time private (telehealth) practice. Prior to my current position, I spent 9 years (as a fellow then a young investigator) working in Dr. Michael Green’s Laboratory at the VA Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC). During my research career, I used electroencephalography (EEG) and behavioral methods to characterize the cognitive and perceptual abnormalities in schizophrenia with the goal of developing innovative interventions for these deficits. I have received funding from the Department of Veterans Affairs as well as from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation to conduct randomized controlled trials evaluating the effects of different cognitive training interventions and neurostimulation techniques on cognition and neuroplasticity in schizophrenia. I have published 20 articles (13 as first-author, listed below) in peer-reviewed journals including Psychological Medicine, Brain and Behavior, Schizophrenia Research, Neuropsychology, Bipolar Disorders, and Journal of Psychiatric Research.
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
1998 – 2002 B.A. in Psychology (Lebanese University, Fanar)
2002 – 2005 M.A. in Clinical Psychology (California State University, Northridge)
2005 – 2010 Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology (San Diego State University and University of California, San Diego Joint Doctoral Program)
2009 – 2010 Clinical Internship (VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System)
2010 – 2013 Advanced Fellowship in Mental Illness Research and Treatment (VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System)
AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS
2002 Lebanese University Psychology Award for Highest Academic Achievement
2003 CSUN Associated Students Scholarship
2004 CSUN Graduate Equity Fellowship
2004 CSUN James Russell Simpson Scholarship
2004 CSUN Robert Rainey Memorial Award for Clinical Excellence
2004 Phi Kappa Phi Scholarship
2004 Sally Casanova Pre-Doctoral Fellowship
2013 International Congress on Schizophrenia Research Young Investigator Award
GRANTS
2008 – 2009 MIRECC Pala Grant (10K): Neurophysiological Predictors of Psychosocial Dysfunction in First-Episode and Prodromal Schizophrenia
2010 – 2011 MIRECC Pala Grant (10K): Relationship between Auditory Processing and Affective Prosody Detection in Schizophrenia
2013 – 2018 VA Career Development Award (900K): Evaluating Two Types of Cognitive Training in Veterans with Schizophrenia
2016 – 2018 NARSAD Young Investigator Award (60K): Effects of Non-Invasive Electrical Stimulation on Visual Cortical Plasticity in Schizophrenia
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS (PDF files are available exclusively for personal use)