Lab Graduates
Kelsey Ludwig, Ph.D.
Kelsey Ludwig is originally from the midwest, but has officially adopted North Carolina as her home. She graduated from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in May of 2012 with a B.S. in Psychology, a B.A. in Spanish and a minor in Medical Anthropology. She volunteered in the Penn Lab as an undergraduate assistant for three years and formerly served as the Project Coordinator for the Social Cognition Psychometric Evaluation (SCOPE) study before starting graduate studies. Between graduation and employment, Kelsey enjoyed 6 months in South America interviewing Latina women about parenting, breastfeeding and childbirthing practices. She is interested in the development and implementation of psychosocial interventions for schizophrenia and the impact of loneliness on recovery and resiliency in schizophrenia. In general, she loves people, traveling, cooking, languages and any/all things related to other cultures. She completed her internship at the University of California San Diego Veteran Affairs Consortium.
Tate Halverson, Ph.D.
Tate grew up in the Twin Cities, MN. She graduated from Hamline University (St. Paul, MN) in 2011 with a degree in psychology. Following graduation, Tate worked with Dr. Scott Sponheim at the Minneapolis VA on projects investigating traumatic brain injury and PTSD in returning veterans and family studies of schizophrenia. She also worked with Dr. Snezana Urosevic at the University of Minnesota on a project investigating adolescent bipolar disorders. Her current research interests include first episode psychosis, social cognition in schizophrenia, and predictors of illness onset. In her free time, you can find Tate exploring the outdoors with her dog Arthur. She completed her internship at the Veteran Affairs Medical Center in Durham, NC.
Arundati Nagendra, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow: Disparities Research Unit, Center of Excellence in Psychosocial and Systemic Research, Massachusetts General Hospital
Arun grew up in Hong Kong, then moved in 2006 to Illinois where she majored in psychology at Northwestern University. At UNC, Arun and Dr. Penn began a program of research on Black Americans with schizophrenia. This is an understudied area, even though a recent meta-analysis showed that Black Americans are 2.4 times more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia than White Americans. Arun’s research evaluates: (a) the presence and magnitude of racial disparities in schizophrenia; (b) mechanisms (e.g., socioeconomic status, perceived racism) that may underlie observed disparities; and (c) racial bias in widely used schizophrenia assessments. In her free time, she enjoys reading and spending time with her two cats. Arun completed her internship at Yale University, Adult Community Mental Health Services.
Julia Browne, PhD
Advanced Fellow: Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Durham VA
Julia was born in New York City and raised in Glen Head, New York. She graduated from Tufts University in 2011 with a degree in clinical psychology. As an undergraduate, she interned at Conexions Day Treatment Center in East Boston, MA where she led and co-led various therapy groups for adults with schizophrenia. Prior to starting graduate school, she spent two years on the International Tennis Federation (ITF) professional circuit competing in tournaments within the United States and abroad. Julia’s current program of research involves: (1) examining non-specific factors and recovery outcomes within first episode psychosis treatment and, (2) developing and implementing exercise interventions for individuals with multi-episode schizophrenia. In her free time, she enjoys hot yoga, tennis, squash, ping-pong, and hiking. She completed her internship at Yale University in the Department of Psychiatry.
Ben Buck, PhD
Acting Instructor: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington
Clinical Training Lead: Behavioral Research in Technology and Engineering (BRiTE) Center
Originally from Westfield, Indiana, Ben also completed his undergraduate studies at UNC, with majors in philosophy and psychology. In-between semesters as a UNC undergrad, Ben worked as a research assistant to Paul Lysaker at the Roudebush VAMC in Indianapolis on studies examining metacognition in schizophrenia. As a graduate student in the Penn Lab, he developed a program of research focused on the social cognition involved in persecutory ideation. After his graduate work at UNC, he completed his psychology internship at the Puget Sound VA Health Care System and a postdoctoral fellowship in VA Health Services Research and Development, both at the Seattle VA. Now, as a faculty member at UW Psychiatry, his research focuses on developing mobile health (mHealth) assessments and interventions for schizophrenia-spectrum disorders and cross-diagnostic persecutory ideation. His work has a particular focus on developing mHealth interventions that can be delivered remotely to individuals at risk of psychosis and their family caregivers to promote treatment seeking and thus reduce duration of untreated illness. His work is supported by a NARSAD Young Investigator Award from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation and a K23 Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23MH122504) from NIMH. For more info, click here.
Emily Gagen, PhD
Staff Psychologist: Massachusetts Mental Health Center
Instructor of Psychology, Harvard Medical School
Emily grew up in Hudson, New York. She graduated from Connecticut College in New London, CT with a B.A. in psychology. Before graduate school, she worked at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in the departments of preventive medicine and psychiatry, coordinating research studies on depression, multiple sclerosis, and schizophrenia. Her dissertation utilized latent class analysis to examine groups of individuals with early psychosis based on levels of social functioning. Additional research interests include metacognitive deficits in schizophrenia and psychosocial treatment for early psychosis. Emily completed her predoctoral internship at the Richard L. Roudebush VAMC under the mentorship of Dr. Paul Lysaker, and her postdoctoral fellowship at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University and the Providence VAMC, where she collaborated with colleagues across the VA system to develop coordinated early psychosis services for young veterans recently diagnosed with a psychotic disorder. She is currently a staff psychologist at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center on the Emerging Young Adult Services team, where she provides individual and group psychotherapy to young adults recently diagnosed with mental illness and supervises clinical psychology trainees.
Kristin Healey, PhD
Staff Psychologist: VAMC, Durham, NC
Kristin was born and raised in East Windsor, NJ. Kristin completed her B.A. in psychology at The College of New Jersey and subsequently worked as a research assistant at the Schizophrenia Research Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Her dissertation focused on investigating symptom heterogeneity within individuals at clinical high risk of developing psychosis as a means of enhancing risk prediction models. She has additional research interests in social cognition, psychometric evaluation, and program evaluation. She completed her internship at the Durham VA Medical Center and her post-doctoral fellowship at the Fellowship Consortium at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Kristin currently works as a staff psychologist in the outpatient mental health clinic at the Durham VAMC and is also a member of the internship training faculty. Within this clinic, she specializes in the treatment of serious mental illness, PTSD, couple therapy, and LGBTQIA Veteran wellness.
Katy Harper, PhD
Staff Psychologist: Main Street Clinical Associates and Developing Minds, Durham, NC
Katy was born and raised outside of Vancouver, Canada. Katy earned a B.A. from McGill University in Psychology before moving to New York City to pursue a M.A. in Counselling Psychology from Columbia University and subsequently completing her Ph.D in Clinical Psychology at UNC. Her dissertation focused on the development and implementation of an Internet-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Program for individuals experiencing auditory hallucinations. She completed her internship in her hometown of Vancouver at Vancouver Coastal Health.
Katy has continued to work in the Raleigh-Durham area and currently works at two group practices, Main Street Clinical Associates and Developing Minds, in downtown Durham. Although she currently has a generalist CBT practice she continues to work with individuals with severe mental illness when the opportunity presents itself.
Tim Perry, PhD
Staff Psychologist: Trauma Recovery Clinic, Charlie Norwood VAMC, Augusta, GA
Dr. Perry earned a BA in psychology and American History at UNC Chapel Hill and worked in the field of autism and developmental disabilities before returning to UNC for graduate school. His research there focused on autism and social cognition with his dissertation examining cognitive styles related to the Broader Autism Phenotype. Dr. Perry completed his pre-doctoral internship at the Charlie Norwood VAMC/Medical College of Georgia Consortium and followed this training with a postdoctoral fellowship focusing on trauma at the Memphis VAMC. Currently, he works as a staff psychologist in the Trauma Recovery Clinic at the Charlie Norwood VAMC in Augusta, Georgia and is also a member of the internship training faculty.
Clare Marks Gibson, PhD
National Consultant/Trainer: VA Psychosocial Rehabilitation Training Program, VISN-5 Mental Illness Research and Education Clinical Center
Dr. Clare Gibson graduated from the UNC clinical program in 2012. She completed her pre-doctoral clinical internship at the Veterans Affairs Maryland Health Care System (VAMHCS)/University of Maryland Internship Consortium in the serious mental illness track. Dr. Gibson then went on to complete a one year postdoctoral fellowship in VA’s Interprofessional Fellowship Program in Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery at VA Connecticut Health Care System & Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Gibson was a staff psychologist at the Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center at VAMHCS for over five years. Dr. Gibson is currently a national consultant and trainer for VA’s Social Skills Training Program as part of the VA Psychosocial Rehabilitation Training Program at the VISN-5 Mental Illness Research and Education Clinical Center (MIRECC). She also provides training for psychology trainees at VAMHCS. Dr. Gibson’s professional interests are in psychosocial treatments for SMI, integrating recovery into mental healthcare systems, and self-care for mental health professionals.
Allison Bassett Ratto, PhD
Staff Psychologist: Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders at Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC
Dr. Allison Ratto graduated from UNC in 2013. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC, where she is now a member of the faculty. Dr. Ratto is involved in both clinical services and research with children with ASD and their families. Her current research interests focus on underserved populations of individuals with ASD, particularly dual-language learners and autistic girls and women.
Sarah Uzenoff Mintz, PhD
Staff Psychologist: The Wake-Kendall Group, PLLC, Washington, DC
Dr. Sarah Uzenoff Mintz graduated from UNC in 2011 and completed a postdoctoral residency at Saint Elizabeths Hospital (DC Department of Mental Health) in August, 2012. Dr. Mintz is currently in practice in Washington, DC with the Wake-Kendall Group, PLLC, where she sees adult and adolescent psychotherapy patients and is a member of the group’s Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) team
David Johnson, PhD
Clinical Psychologist: Ogden Center for Change, Ogden, Utah
Dr. Johnson graduated with his PhD from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in 2010 and and worked as a clinical psychologist in the area of rural mental health on the Pacific Island territory of Guam. He has experience in Veterans Affairs Healthcare, community mental health, wilderness and residential therapy. He recently co-founded the Ogden Center for Change and now primarily works with adults, treating trauma and PTSD. He also provides evidence-based treatment of anxiety, mood, and substance use disorders. David maintains an interest in multicultural psychology, trauma, and group therapy as well as training of students and other mental health care staff.
Abigail Judge, PhD
Private Psychotherapy and Forensic Practice, Cambridge, MA
Dr. Abigail Judge graduated from UNC-CH’s clinical program in 2009. She completed her predoctoral and post-doctoral training at Harvard Medical School, including two post-doctoral fellowships in child and family forensic psychology at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Judge maintains a private practice in Cambridge, MA, and she works as a therapist, consultant, educator, author, and expert witness. In addition to private practice, Dr. Judge is on staff at Massachusetts General Hospital and she is an Instructor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. At MGH, Dr. Judge leads a clinic for young adult and adult survivors of domestic sex trafficking and sexual exploitation, and she presents on this topic at the regional and national level. Dr. Judge has edited two books and published many journal articles, and her work was most recently supported by a grant from the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, Listening to survivors: Building mental health services for women exiting commercial sexual exploitation through psychology and survivor professional collaborations. Visit Dr. Judge at www.abigailjudge.com.
Evan Waldheter, PhD
Staff Psychologist and Coordinator of Psychology Training: MIT Mental Health and Counseling Service
Evan graduated from the UNC Clinical Ph.D. Program in 2008, and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in clinical psychology at the Cambridge Health Alliance/Harvard Medical School in August, 2009. Currently, he is a staff psychologist and coordinator of psychology training at the MIT Student Mental Health and Counseling Service. Dr. Waldheter leads one of the counseling center’s interdisciplinary treatment teams, supervises psychology trainees, and provides individual and group therapy to MIT undergraduate and graduate students
David Roberts, PhD
Staff Psychologist: University of Texas Health Science Center
Dr. Roberts is a clinical psychologist studying psychosocial treatment and social cognition in psychosis. He is interested in using normative models of social judgment and decision-making to understand and enhance abnormal social cognition. For the past eight years, he has focused largely on the development and testing of Social Cognition and Interaction Training (SCIT), an intervention that he developed with David Penn and Dennis Combs. Dr. Roberts also studies paranoia, delusion, and treatment of early psychosis.
Amy Pinkham, PhD 
Professor: University of Texas at Dallas, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences
After finishing a postdoctoral fellowship at the Brain Behavior Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania in 2009, Amy joined the psychology faculty of Southern Methodist University as the Director of the Social Cognition and Schizophrenia Research Lab. Her research program at SMU linked the fields of clinical psychology and neuroscience in an effort to address fundamental questions regarding the behavioral characteristics and neural basis of social cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. In 2014, Amy joined the psychology faculty at The University of Texas at Dallas in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences as an Associate Professor, where she continues to investigate the characteristics, neural basis, and behavioral consequences of social cognitive impairment in schizophrenia. Her Schizophrenia and Social Cognition Lab uses functional neuroimaging (fMRI) and behavioral techniques to examine how the human brain processes social information, how these neural systems may be disturbed in schizophrenia and related disorders, and the behavioral consequences of these impairments.
Shannon Couture O’Flinn, PhD
Associate Director of Clinical Training & Associate Professor of the Practice of Psychology: University of Southern California
After graduating from UNC-CH in 2007, Shannon joined the faculty at the University of Manchester (UK) from 2007-2008, then the faculty at the University of Maryland College Park in 2008. While there, she collaborated with Dr. Jack Blanchard and his lab, investigating cognitions associated with negative symptoms in schizophrenia, and social factors important for individuals with elevated rates of social anhedonia. In 2011, Shannon accepted a position at the University of Southern California as Director of the Psychology Services Center where she focused on teaching and supervision. After working in private practice from 2018-2020, she rejoined the faculty at the University of Southern California as the Associate Director of Clinical Training.
Jake Godfrey, PhD
Co-Director of the Center for Psychology and Education, PLLC, Chapel Hill, NC
Jake completed his undergraduate studies in Psychology, with a Certificate in Human Development, at Duke University; he received his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2004. He completed his clinical internship at The Children’s Hospital of Denver, in Denver, CO. Since then, he has joined the faculty of the Center for Psychology and Education as a Co-Director. He is a Licensed Psychologist and Certified Health Care Provider. His interests and specialties include: psychological and psychoeducational assessment of individuals preschool through adult age; individual and family therapy addressing a wide range of clinical concerns; and parent and school consultation. Jake and his family have lived in Chapel Hill since 2003. In addition to enjoying time with his family, Jake is an avid trail runner and general outdoor enthusiast.
Dennis Combs, PhD
Associate Professor: University of Texas at Tyler
Dennis Combs is currently an associate professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Tyler. Prior to moving back home to Texas, he worked at the University of Tulsa for 5 years in the Ph.D. Clinical psychology program. Dennis was a student of Dr. Penn’s at LSU. He received the 2009 Early Career Award from the National Register of Health Service Psychologist. Dennis spends his time researching paranoia, social cognition, and methods to improve these areas. He has published over 45 papers since finishing grad school in 2002.
James Martin, PhD
Forensic Psychologist: Gainesville, GA
James had the opportunity to work with Dr. Penn in his labs at IIT and LSU. He interned at the William S. Hall Psychiatric Institute in South Carolina and completed his doctorate from LSU in 2002. This was followed by a one year temporary appointment as an assistant professor at the North Georgia College & State University, after which he settled into private practice in Gainesville, Georgia. Now, his practice predominately involves conducting forensic/court-ordered assessments for various juvenile and superior courts and the Department of Juvenile Justice. When not working he prefers to spend his free time with his 12-year old daughter and digging through the dirt in various locales in search of semi-precious gemstones and minerals. David has had a deep impact on my professional career, and was a great mentor to work with.
J. Meg Racenstein, PhD
Clinical Neuropsychologist: Chicago, IL
J. Meg Racenstein, Ph.D., is a licensed Clinical Neuropsychologist in private practice. She has two offices located in the northern suburbs of Chicago. Dr. Racenstein has extensive experience conducting neuropsychological assessments of school age children, adolescents and young adults with known or suspected attentional, psychological, learning or substance-induced disorders, as well as intellectually gifted individuals. Dr. Racenstein focused her research on patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and the dual diagnosis of substance abuse. She studied the diagnosis and assessment of psychiatric symptomatology as well as cognitive and psychosocial functioning in these population subsets.
Dr. Racenstein received her B.S. degree in Psychology at the University of Illinois, Champaign, followed by her M.A., in Community Counseling at Loyola University, Chicago. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the Illinois Institute of Technology, Institute of Psychology. She completed her internship and post-doctoral fellowship training in Neuropsychology at the University of Illinois Medical Center in Chicago.
Jennifer Francis, PhD
Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry: University of Illinois at Chicago
Jennifer is currently an assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She specializes in cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) of mood and anxiety disorders and provides training and supervision in CBT for psychiatry residents and psychology interns and externs. Jennifer is also a study therapist on a NIMH RDoC grant examining the impact of CBT and SSRIs on brain function, physiology and behavior among individuals with anxiety and depressive symptoms. Prior to moving to Chicago, Jennifer spent 4 years treating active duty military at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. She provided CBT for service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who were diagnosed with PTSD, panic disorder, and other post-deployment health issues. Jennifer was the lead psychologist on a grant funded PTSD treatment intervention comparing prolonged exposure to virtual reality exposure for soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Jennifer received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Louisiana State University in 2003 and completed her pre-doctoral internship at the West Virginia University School of Medicine in Morgantown, WV. She completed a post-doctoral research fellowship in anxiety disorders with the Clinical Psychology Training Consortium at Brown University Medical School. She was an NHLBI T32 fellow on a behavioral medicine cardiovascular training grant at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, MD where she studied the impact of anxiety on cardiovascular disease.