Current Lab Members
Current Lab Members
The Compas Lab is currently comprised of undergraduate and graduate students, post-bachelor’s research assistants, staff members, and faculty, all of whom work as a team to implement the Compas Lab goals and current research projects. In addition, the many Compas Lab Alumni have made all current and past projects possible.
Lab Staff
Jennifer Newton, M.Ed.
Senior Research Assistant
Jennifer graduated summa cum laude from Christopher Newport University with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a minor in Leadership Studies. Jennifer recently received her M.Ed. in Child Studies from Vanderbilt University on the Clinical and Developmental Research track. During graduate school, she worked as a Research Assistant on the Pediatric Palliative Care Research Team at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
In the Stress and Coping Lab, Jennifer works on the Social Connectedness and Health Study. She is primarily interested in the design and implementation of psychosocial interventions targeting stress, anxiety, and health-related quality of life in children and adolescents with chronic medical conditions. In the future, Jennifer hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.
When she’s not in the lab, Jennifer loves to go to concerts in downtown Nashville, connect with friends across the country and abroad, and listen to her favorite artists and podcasts. Jennifer’s favorite Taylor Swift eras are Lover and Reputation.
Contact information: jennifer.l.newton@vanderbilt.edu
Katie Edel, B.S.
Senior Research Assistant
Katie graduated from Indiana University Bloomington with a BS in Neuroscience with distinction and a minor in Psychology. During undergrad, she worked for 2 years in the Cognition and Action Neuroimaging Lab (CANLab) where she conducted lab experiments utilizing the program MATLAB. Katie then worked at Neurology Specialists in Bloomington as a Medical Assistant and worked with patients with neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s. She continued working in research as a Clinical Research Technician assisting in neurology clinical trials at the IU Neuroscience Center in Indianapolis.
Since moving to Nashville, Katie has worked as a Mental Health Specialist II at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. Katie recently joined the Stress and Coping Lab in March 2024 and will be primarily working on the Social Connectedness and Heath Study. She plans to pursue her PhD in Clinical Psychology in the future and is interested in studying relationships, PTSD, and anxiety/depression.
In her free time, Katie enjoys hiking, yoga, reading, and spending time with her cats Yuengling and Jackie and her golden retriever, Stevie!
Graduate Students
Allegra Anderson, M.S.
Allegra is a sixth-year PhD student currently on her clinical internship at the Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University. She graduated magna cum laude from Binghamton University in 2016 with a bachelors degree in Psychology. She then worked for two years as a project coordinator in the Affective & Translational Neuroscience Lab at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Allegra is currently working on the Stress and Emotions in the Lives of Families study. She is interested in familial, sociodemographic, and individual-level factors that influence the development of psychopathology, particularly in the context of individuals exposed to adversity or trauma.
Contact information: allegra.s.anderson@vanderbilt.edu
Marissa Roth, M.S.
Marissa is a sixth-year PhD student currently on her clinical internship at Massachusetts General Hospital / Harvard Medical School. She graduated from Stanford University in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a minor in Biology. From 2017-2018, she worked as a research coordinator in the Stanford Neurodevelopment, Affect, and Psychopathology Lab.
Prior to joining the Stress and Coping Lab in spring 2021, Marissa studied the effects of early caregiving experiences on infant brain development. She currently works on multiple projects in the Stress and Coping Lab, including Cognitive Function in Hemophilia Patients and Helping Families Cope with Huntington’s Disease. She is interested in neurocognitive development in pediatric populations and interpersonal coping processes in families affected by chronic medical conditions.
Outside of the lab, Marissa enjoys spending time with friends, exploring Nashville’s art scene, biking, and playing with her dog, Nelly.
Contact information: marissa.c.roth@vanderbilt.edu
Abigail Pine, M.S.
Abigail Pine is a fifth-year clinical psychology graduate student in the Stress and Coping Lab. She received her BA in Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis in 2017, and worked as a research coordinator at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences prior to starting graduate school in Fall 2019. She currently works predominantly on the Social Connectedness and Health research study. Abigail is interested in adolescence and interventions, as well as the role of parenting, parent-adolescent communication, and parental involvement within the context of psychotherapy interventions. She is particularly passionate about bridging the gap between research and clinical work.
Contact information: abigail.e.pine@vanderbilt.edu
Abby Ciriegio, M.S., M.Ed.
Abby is a fourth-year PhD student. Abby graduated from The Ohio State University in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. She continued her education at Vanderbilt University where she focused her coursework and practica experiences in Pediatric Healthcare. Abby received her M.Ed. in Child Studies from Vanderbilt University in May 2018. In August 2022 she received a M.S. in Clinical Psychology from Vanderbilt University.
Her research interests include understanding how biological, behavioral, and psychosocial mechanisms can promote resiliency among children and families facing various health adversities.
Outside of the lab, I enjoy reading, taking spin classes, exploring Nashville’s food scene, and spending time with my French Bulldog, Harrison!
Contact Information: abagail.e.ciriegio@vanderbilt.edu
Abbey Snow, B.A.
Abbey is a first-year PhD student. She graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and minor in Neuroscience. In 2020, she worked as a research assistant in the Brain Development Lab at Vanderbilt, where she assisted in the formation and organization of a large neuroimaging dataset designed to openly share data via OpenNeuro. She then worked in Washington, D.C. for a year conducting animal neuroscience research on the cerebellum at Howard University, before returning to Nashville and working in the Stress & Coping Lab at Vanderbilt as a research coordinator.
In the Stress & Coping Lab, Abbey works on the Social Connectedness and Health in Families Study and Helping Families Cope with Huntington’s Disease projects. Abbey is broadly interested in the impact of interpersonal processes in risk and resilience for psychopathology in children and adolescents, as well as understanding how endophenotypic expressions of stress and coping can help illuminate effective intervention research.
Outside of the lab, Abbey enjoys reading, yoga, going for long walks, and hanging out with her 2 cats, Milk and Munchkin.
Contact information: abigail.l.snow@vanderbilt.edu
Mary Baumann
Contact Information: mary.g.baumann@vanderbilt.edu
Undergraduate & Independent Study Students
Seniors:
Louis DeLuna
Gabriella Modugno
Leo Park
Jun Hee Shin
Nora Wang
Micah Yu
Juniors:
Jeremiah Crosswhite
Logan Gaskin
Caroline Grace Butler
McKay Lucas
Raechel Rawicz
Hannah Weissman