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Postdoctoral Fellows
Nadine Chang, Ph.D.
Dr. Chang received her Ph.D. in clinical and school psychology from Hofstra University and conducted her predoctoral clinical internship at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx, New York. Her primary research interests involve cognitive functioning, assessment, and treatment for acute and chronic schizophrenia, along with ethnic differences in symptom presentation. Her clinical interests include cognitive behavioral interventions for schizophrenia and other severe mental illness. At the Psychopathology Research Unit, she serves as the project director and study therapist for a clinical trial of Cognitive Therapy for negative symptoms in schizophrenia, as well as project director for a study evaluating negative cognitions and functioning in schizophrenia.
John Dennis, Ph.D.
Dr. Dennis received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Saint Louis University and conducted his predoctoral clinical internship at the Boston Consortium/VA Boston Healthcare System. His primary research interests are identifying mechanisms of change in cognitive behavioral interventions, with a particular emphasis on exploring the role of cognitive flexibility. His clinical interests include offering cognitive behavioral interventions for mood and anxiety disorders as well as suicide ideation. At the Psychopathology Research Unit, he serves as the project director for a study comparing the efficacy of cognitive therapy (CT) with the efficacy of an enhanced usual care (EUC) intervention for reducing the rate of suicide ideation and the severity of depression and hopelessness among older men.
Paul Grant, Ph.D.
The goal of my research efforts is to improve functioning and quality of life in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. I am, therefore, interested in describing the experience of affected individuals in terms of cognitive products and processes that might be amenable to treatment intervention. Defeatist and negativistic beliefs, for example, soak up a significant portion of the variance in the commonly observed association between cognitive impairment and functional outcome in schizophrenia. I am currently investigating the hypothesis that change in these beliefs and attitudes will produce corresponding improvement in negative symptoms, functioning and quality of life. Most generally, I am interested to extend the scope and efficacy of cognitive behavioral interventions for individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Emily Haigh, Ph.D.
Dr. Haigh received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Kent State University and conducted her predoctoral clinical internship at St. Joseph’s Healthcare in Hamilton, Ontario. Her primary research interests involve the investigation of cognitive vulnerabilities to depression, with an emphasis on examining the role of negative repetitive thought in the etiology of depression and anxiety. She is also interested in exploring mechanisms of change in cognitive-behavioral and mindfulness-based interventions; in particular, how these interventions influence the way an individual responds to emotional experiences and how this relates to relapse and recovery. At the Psychopathology Research Unit, she serves as the project director for a study evaluating the use of Cognitive Therapy in the treatment of suicide attempters. Her clinical interests include offering cognitive behavioral interventions for mood, anxiety and borderline personality disorders.
Dimitri Perivoliotis, Ph.D.
Dr. Perivoliotis received his graduate training at the University of California San Diego/San Diego State University Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology. He went on to complete his internship at the New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City and received his PhD in clinical psychology in 2006. He is currently completing a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania Psychopathology Research Unit under the mentorship of Dr. Aaron T. Beck. His general research interest is in the area of functional outcome in people with schizophrenia. Specifically, he is interested in examining the methods used to assess this important yet complex concept, the psychological factors that may affect functioning (e.g., negative beliefs), and the process of improving outcome with cognitive therapy (CT). He currently serves as co-manager and project therapist for a study on CT for negative symptoms and functioning, which he hopes will help to answer some of these questions and lead to improved real-world outcomes for people with schizophrenia.
Jarrod Reisweber, Psy.D.
Dr. Reisweber received his graduate training in clinical psychology from James Madison University and his school psychology training from The College of William and Mary. As part of his clinical training, he completed forensic and clinical rotations during his internship at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. His clinical and research interests include forensic psychology, anger management, systemic interventions, and consultation. At the Psychopathology Research Unit, he serves as project director for a study investigating cognitive therapy for individuals who have a high risk for suicide and a co-occurring substance dependence disorder. He is also directly involved with the Beck Initiative Training. Specifically, he is working to train therapists in school and forensic settings to use cognitive therapy.
Sally Riggs, ClinPsy.D.
Dr. Riggs received her Doctorate in Clinical Psycholgy from the University of London in 2005. She then worked as a Clinical Psychologist in Psychosocial Rehabilitation for Central and Northwest London National Health Service Trust, working with people with Schizophrenia from a Recovery Model perspective. She came to the Psychopathology Research Unit at the University of Pennsylvania in July 2008 to learn about the mental healthcare system within the US, as well as to share her knowledge and expertise in British ways of working with Schizophrenia. Her main interests are in furthering the evidence for and recognition of Cognitive Therapy for Psychosis in the US, and in the relationship between Nutrition and Mental Health. She works as a project therapist in a study evaluating the effectiveness of Cognitive Therapy for Negative Symptoms and Functioning, as well as a consultant for the Beck Initiative Training, specializing in CT for Schizophrenia trainings.
Luke Schultz, Ph.D.
Dr. Schultz received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Temple University, and conducted his predoctoral clinical internship at the Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, NY. His primary research interests involve the maintenance of anxiety and mood disorders, particularly through biased cognitive processes, such as attentional and inferential bias. His clinical interests include offering cognitive behavioral intervention for anxiety and mood disorders as well as schizophrenia. At the Psychopathology Research Unit, he serves as the project director for a study evaluating the use of Cognitive Therapy in the treatment of suicide attempters. He works on the Beck Initiative as well, consulting with and training community therapists on the implementation of Cognitive Therapy. He also serves as a study therapist on a trial investigating the use of Cognitive Therapy for negative symptoms and functioning in schizophrenia.