Current Members
Director, Adult Autism Spectrum Program / Director, Social Neuroscience Laboratory / Co-Director, Autism Spectrum Program of Excellence / Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Click for Brodkin Bio
James is a Postdoctoral Researcher working on the cognitive-behavioral treatment study within the lab. He completed his PhD in Clinical Child Psychology at The University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa), psychology predoctoral internship at Indiana University School of Medicine, and Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at Stony Brook University.
Giulietta Flaherty, PsyD, is a member of the Brodkin Lab. Giulietta received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from The College of New Jersey, and her doctorate in School Psychology from Rutgers University’s Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology. Giulietta has a passion for supporting adults with neurodevelopmental disabilities and has over eight years of experience working with this community academic, vocational, and residential settings. Giulietta’s current research focuses on TUNE In, a cognitive behavioral and mindfulness-based program that teaches autistic adults how to use skills of attunement to navigate social interactions.
Isabelle graduated from the University of Oregon Honors College in 2022 with a B.S. in Neuroscience. Her previous research was under the guidance of Dr. Matthew Smear and examined altered olfactomotor behaviors using SHANK3 mice as a model of autism. Now as a graduate student in the Brodkin Lab, she is studying how odors may modulate the autonomic nervous system using behavioral assays and EEG in autistic adults. Outside of lab, Isabelle is involved in volunteering with the Eagles Autism Foundation, NGG’s Graduate Lead Initiatives and Activities (GLIA), and training her own service dog, Theo.
Holly C. Dow
Clinical Research Coordinator, Lab Manager
Holly has over 17 years of research experience working for Dr. Brodkin. Holly’s work has focused on the neurobiology of social behaviors in mouse models related to ASD. In 2018, Holly became a Clinical Research Coordinator for the ASPE Study and had been with the Study ever since and is currently the Senior CRC for the Study.
Zoe Smernoff
Clinical Research Coordinator
Zoe graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience. While at Penn, Zoe worked as a Research Assistant in the Brodkin Lab where she studied quantitative autistic traits and their interactions with various psychological constructs.
Thomas Martin Sophocles
Clinical Research Coordinator
Thomas received his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at the University of Michigan. He is passionate about understanding the breadth of autism phenotypes across various identities, with a specific interest in phenotypic differences amongst men, women, and non-binary people. His current focuses in the lab are TUNE In and ASPE Recruitment. In his spare time, he loves to play piano and care for his plants.
Ruchi Garuda
Clinical Research Coordinator
Ruchi graduated from the University of Michigan with a BS in Biopsychology, Cognition and Neuroscience have previously worked on genomic sequencing and brain imaging studies on ASD. Ruchi currently works on understanding the genetic correlations with ASD and Neurexin and understanding altered physical activity and sleep quality levels among these adults. She eventually hopes to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology and work with children with autism. In her free time, she loves working on puzzles and watching a good TV show.
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