Staff

Amanda Arcomano, BFA
Research Assistant, STARS
arcomano@nursing.upenn.edu

Amanda Arcomano is a research assistant working on STARS (Exploratory Project 1), led by Dr. José Bauermeister and Dr. Lily Brown. Amanda graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre in 2018. She has previously done research into transgender, non-binary, and gender diverse mental health and became a crisis counselor with the Trevor Project in 2021. She is currently pursuing a Master of Science degree in Community & Trauma Counseling with a concentration in Child Trauma & Play Therapy at Thomas Jefferson University. In her free time, Amanda enjoys reading, embroidering, and watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer with her spouse. 

Jenn Ben Nathan, BA
Research Assistant, STARS
jbennath@sas.upenn.edu

Jenn Ben Nathan is a research assistant and peer mentor care navigator for STARS (Exploratory Project 1), led by Dr. José Bauermeister and Dr. Lily Brown. Jenn graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Neuroscience in 2023. In her free time, Jenn loves going to concerts and listening to vinyl records from her collection.

Megan Brady, BS
Clinical Research Coordinator, Project CALMER
megan.brady@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
215-746-6038

Megan Brady is a clinical research coordinator on Project CALMER (Exploratory Project 2), led by Dr. Maria Oquendo and Dr. Emily Becker-Haimes. She also works on Project ACTIVE, an NIMH study in collaboration with the Penn Center for Mental Health and the Penn Collaborative led by Dr. Becker-Haimes. She also assists Dr. Becker-Haimes in her clinic, the Pediatric Anxiety Treatment Center at Hall Mercer (PATCH). Megan graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. Prior to working with INSPIRE, Megan was a research technologist at the Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, PA, focusing on underlying mechanisms of mood disorders. She is currently working on obtaining a Master of Public Health degree at the University of Pennsylvania with the goal of working in health policy.

Kennedy Chatman, BS
Clinical Research Coordinator, Project CALMER
Kennedy.Chatman@PennMedicine.upenn.edu

Kennedy Chatman is a clinical research coordinator supporting Project CALMER (Exploratory Project 2), led by Dr. Maria Oquendo and Dr. Emily Becker-Haimes. She also works on Project ACTIVE and assists Dr. Becker-Haimes in her clinic, the Pediatric Anxiety Treatment Center at Hall Mercer (PATCH). Kennedy graduated from Loyola University New Orleans with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology, where she conducted research on factors associated with sexual revictimization.

Danielle Eisenman, BA
Clinical Research Coordinator, Signature Project
danielle.eisenman@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Danielle Eisenman is a clinical research coordinator working on the Signature Project. She received her Bachelor of Arts in psychology at Harvard College, where she researched the effectiveness and implementation of youth psychotherapy interventions at the Lab for Youth Mental Health. She also has experience delivering the evidence-based Summer Treatment Program to young people at the Baker Center for Children and Families. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, going for long walks, and listening to audiobooks.  

Sy Hwang, MS
Data Scientist, Methods Core
Sy.Hwang@Pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Sy Hwang is a data scientist working on the Signature Project and the Methods Core. He specializes in natural language processing, deep learning, machine learning, and big data processing at the Clinical Research Informatics Core (CIC). He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Purdue University and Master of Science degree from University of Pennsylvania. Prior to joining the CIC, he co-founded two startups in the San Francisco Bay Area, including a consultancy specializing in deep learning-based solutions for early-stage startups. His current research interests lie in large language models, translational machine learning, and explainable AI.

Makiya Lloyd, BA
Clinical Research Assistant, Pathways to Care
lloydm3@chop.edu

Makiya Lloyd is a clinical research assistant supporting Pathways to Care (Exploratory Project 3), led by Dr. Rhonda Boyd. Prior to joining the INSPIRE team, Makiya obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology with a concentration in Public Health from Clark University in 2021. In her free time, she enjoys camping, local travel, and cooking.

Lindiwe Mayinja, BS
Clinical Research Coordinator, STARS
Lindiwe.Mayinja@Pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Lindiwe Mayinja is a clinical research coordinator serving as a peer mentor for STARS (Exploratory Project 1), led by Dr. José Bauermeister and Dr. Lily Brown. Through researching developmental mechanisms of anxiety in children with early life traumatic exposures at the Yale CANDLab and working with adolescents with PTSD and other trauma-related disorders at McLean Hospital, Lindiwe has fostered an interest in how emotion regulation difficulties brought on by adverse childhood experiences contribute to the development and maintenance of psychopathology in childhood and adolescence. Lindiwe intends to pursue a career as a clinical scientist, pursuing translational research to reduce adolescent suicide risk in community and academic medical settings.

Alexander O’Connor
Creative Research Assistant, STARS

Alexander O’Connor is a creative research assistant working on STARS (Exploratory Project 1), led by Dr. José Bauermeister and Dr. Lily Brown, and is a peer mentor for participants using the app developed as part of the project. Alexander is an undergraduate student at the University of Pennsylvania and is interested in psychology and mental health.

Esha Patel, BS
Behavioral Design Strategist, Methods Core
esha.patel@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Esha Patel is the behavioral design strategist working as part of the Methods Core. The crux of Esha’s role relies on understanding the point of view of the patients to deliver a positive overall experience, as related to the studies within the INSPIRE project. She uses these insights to troubleshoot and rapidly prototype strategies that will be implemented by the researchers within each sub-project. Esha graduated from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor of Science degree in Cell & Molecular Biology and has received a UX/UI Design certificate from the University of Pennsylvania. In her free time, Esha enjoys birding outside of the city, reading, and spending time with her cat, Shiva.

Megan Reilly, MPH
Project Manager
megrei@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
215-898-8358

Megan Reilly is the Project Manager of the INSPIRE Center. She provides project management and research operations support across the INSPIRE projects and cores, with a particular focus on the Signature Project and Admin Core. Megan received a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 2017, where her capstone research focused on the relationship between team sports participation and depression, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Haverford College in 2014. In her free time, Megan enjoys running/working out, exploring new restaurants, reading, and planning her next trip.

Emily Schriver, MS
Data Scientist, Methods Core
Emily.Schriver@Pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Emily Schriver is a data scientist working on the Signature Project and the Methods Core, providing data acquisition, regular reports, and study analysis. Emily earned a Master of Science degree in Biostatistics from Drexel School of Public Health in 2014 and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Georgetown University in 2012. In her free time, Emily enjoys playing ultimate frisbee, hiking through national parks, and hanging out with her dog, Moose.

Lisa Shen, MUSA
Data Analyst, Methods Core
Lisa.Shen@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Michael Steinberg, MA
Clinical Research Coordinator, Signature Project
michael.steinberg@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Michael Steinberg is a clinical research coordinator for the Signature Project and the Methods Core. He graduated with a Master of Arts degree in Clinical Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University, where he worked in the Regulation of Emotion in Anxiety and Depression (READ) lab studying emotion regulation therapy (ERT) under Dr. Douglas Mennin. Before his master’s degree, Michael worked at a psychiatry office based in New Rochelle, NY as a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) coordinator and office manager. Michael is especially interested in the effects of childhood maltreatment on brain development and how it contributes to severe psychiatric disorders.

Jessica Webster, MS, LPC
Project Manager, STARS
websterj@nursing.upenn.edu
215-898-9054

Jessica Webster (she/her) is a Project Manager working on STARS (Exploratory Project 1), led by Dr. José Bauermeister and Dr. Lily Brown. Her research interests include healthcare disparities affecting LGBTQ communities and minority populations, the impact of traumatic events on health outcomes, education/early-intervention program design for reducing post-traumatic stress development, and qualitative research methods.  Prior to INSPIRE, Jessica was a Clinical Research Coordinator in the Penn Nursing Behavioral Health Sciences Department for studies examining the consequences of traumatic injury, pain and pain burden, and health disparities among ethnic and racial minority populations.  She has also worked as an intervention specialist providing a manualized cognitive behavioral treatment intervention to parent/child dyads aimed at reducing aggression in pre-adolescent youth.  Jessica earned her Master of Science degree in Counseling and Human Relations from Villanova University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology with minors in Sociology and French from Chestnut Hill College.  She is a Certified Secondary School Counselor and Licensed Professional Counselor in PA with specialization in the treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Michal Weiss, BS
Clinical Research Coordinator, Project CALMER
michal.weiss@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Michal Weiss is a clinical research coordinator working on Project CALMER (Exploratory Project 2), led by Dr. Maria Oquendo and Dr. Emily Becker-Haimes. She also works on Project INTAAKE and the Coping First Aid program, and assists with COBALT, a mental health and wellness platform created for Penn Medicine faculty and staff. She previously worked on Project RESPECT. Michal graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (Psychology, Biological Sciences and Human Development) in 2020. Prior to joining the CMH team, she worked at the Leffell Lower School in Westchester, NY as a Junior Faculty Fellow. Her interests include the usage of mental health policy to improve preventative measures of mental healthcare and the reduction of stigma through increased access and awareness of mental healthcare. In her free time, Michal enjoys cooking and baking, board game nights, and exploring new restaurants.

Nadi Wisseh, MSW, LSW
Patient Navigator/Clinical Research Coordinator II, Pathways to Care
wissehn@chop.edu

Nadi Damond Wisseh is a patient navigator working on Pathways to Care (Exploratory Project 3), led by Dr. Rhonda Boyd. In this role, she primarily supports participants' connection to mental health services and addresses challenges that they may face while connecting to mental health services. She is also a Clinical Research Coordinator II at the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Before joining CHOP, she worked with children and youth involved with the child welfare system in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Ms. Wisseh is a licensed social worker. She completed her Master of Social Work degree and Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology at Temple University.