Staff

Lang Duong, BS (she/her/hers)
Clinical Research Coordinator
lang.duong@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
215-349-5222

Lang Duong graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in psychology. She completed an independent research project on the impact of acculturative strategies on Asian adolescents' ethnic identity and psychosocial well-being. She decided to join the Center for Psychotherapy Research because of the parallelism between the mission of the center and her research interests, which includes the creation of culturally-sensitive psychotherapies and the democratization of psychological sciences. She will be joining the University of Miami as a Child Clinical Psychology PhD student under Dr. Amanda Jensen-Doss' advisory in Fall 2023.

Kristin Foust Montague, BS (she/her/hers)
Clinical Research Coordinator
kristin.foust@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
215-746-7728

Kristin joined the Perelman School of Medicine in 2013 and has been working on the PACE/PACENET Projects: SUSTAIN and CREST for the past 10 years. As the Program Coordinator, she oversees two large-scale measurement-based collaborative care programs which aim to improve the outcomes for seniors across the state of Pennsylvania and caregivers of individuals with cognitive impairment and ADRD. Kristin is a graduate of James Madison University with her B.S. in Health Studies.  She is a passionate advocate for innovate care models to support the retooling of the mental health workforce and the growing needs of the aging population and their caregivers. 

Elizabeth Grecco, MSS, LSW (she/her/hers)
Senior Training Specialist, Behavioral Health Provider
egrecco@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
215-746-2980

Elizabeth arrived at Penn after completing an MSS at Bryn Mawr College, with a background in both developmental and geriatric mental health. She comes to the Center for Psychotherapy Research with a decade of clinical research experience and is the Clinical Lead on the PACE Team, which works to provide evidence-based behavioral health support to low-income seniors throughout Pennsylvania. Elizabeth is experienced in providing clinical trainings to a range of professionals, and serves as a committee chairperson for the Pennsylvania Society for Clinical Social Work. She is a practicing social worker and psychotherapist in the Philadelphia area, specializing in grief and relational challenges. Current research interests are the delivery of evidence-based therapies to disenfranchised and rural populations, and the overall expansion of integrated mental health care.

Brena Hong, LSW (she/her/hers)
Behavioral Health Provider
brena.hong@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
215-746-7734

Brena is a licensed social worker providing behavioral health services to community-dwelling older adults across Pennsylvania. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts in Health and Societies, and later graduated from Penn’s School of Social Policy and Practice with her Master’s in Social Work. Brena has experience in crisis work with victims and survivors of domestic violence, as well as internship experience as a medical social worker in an intensive care unit. She currently works as a behavioral health provider on the PACE Team. Brena specializes in grief and loss, relational challenges, and the Whole Health Model, with a particular interest in working with caregivers of those with dementia and providing evidence-based short-term therapeutic interventions.

Paula DeFrancis, LSW (she/her/hers)
Behavioral Health Provider
paula.defrancis@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
215-746-1988

Paula is a licensed social worker in Pennsylvania and holds a master’s degree in clinical social work with a specialization in healthcare from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy & Practice. She is a behavioral health provider on the PACE team. She comes to the Center for Psychotherapy Research with expertise in geriatrics and integrative behavioral healthcare. Paula has prior internship experience at the Behavioral Health Lab at the VA Medical Center in Philadelphia, PA using the integrative healthcare model with veterans and caregivers. She has experience teaching mindfulness at the Penn Memory Center as a volunteer for their Memory Café program for adults with dementia and their caregivers. She holds a bachelors in Music Education from Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of the Arts and has over 10 years of experience working with students of all ages. Paula’s areas of interest include the creation of inclusive and anti-oppressive psychotherapies, mindfulness interventions, cognitive behavioral therapy, and creative arts therapies.

Patria Alvelo, PsyD (she/her/hers)
Diagnostic Supervisor
drpatriaalvelo@gmail.com

Dr. Alvelo is a licensed psychologist who holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master's degree in Women's History from Sarah Lawrence College, and a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Widener University. In addition to training and supervising diagnosticians in the Clinical Assessment Core, Dr. Alvelo works as a full-time clinician specialized in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), trauma, attachment, and issues related to gender and sexuality.

Rachel Canella, MS (she/her/hers)
Diagnostician
canellar@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Rachel Canella is a fourth-year doctoral student in La Salle University’s Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program and previously graduated from Loyola University Maryland’s Accelerated B.A./M.S. Program in Clinical Psychology. Clinically, Rachel is completing various externships at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia providing evidence-based psychotherapy, consultation, and neuropsychological assessments to pediatric patients with medical complexities. She is passionate about delivering high-quality psychological services to underserved, marginalized, and vulnerable populations. Rachel’s research interests include the development of novel tools to enhance the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based treatments for youth within community mental health settings.

Blair Burgin, MA (she/her/hers)
Diagnosticians
burginb1@lasalle.edu

Blair Burgin is currently a fourth-year doctoral student in La Salle University's Psy.D. program with a concentration in clinical child and family psychology. Her professional goals include working with children, adolescents, and families by providing treatment for anxiety and anxiety-related disorders using empirically supported treatments in a range of settings. 

Kristina (Tina) D'Angelo, RN (she/her/hers)
Behavioral Health Technician
kdangelo@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
215-746-7726

Tina has a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in Gerontology from West Chester University. Tina Recently completed nursing school and is a licensed RN. She is in the process of applying for an RN to BSN program to start in the fall. Tina has worked in Geriatric Psychiatry for over 20 years. Tina is the lead behavioral health technician on the PACE Team. She especially enjoys helping support caregivers of older adults with ADRD.

Ashleigh Fenton, BS (she/her/hers)
Behavioral Health Technician
ashleigh.fenton@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
215-746-7709

Ashleigh graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. Many of her classes and research labs focused on developmental psychology and cognition. Realizing that most of those psychology courses only focused on infants and children, she became interested in learning more about adults and aging. Ashleigh currently works as a behavioral health technician on the PACE Team. Her professional interests include family studies and geriatric research, specifically in vulnerable populations. In the future, she hopes to pursue a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology.

Cathryn Boga (she/her/hers)
Undergraduate Research Assistant
cboga@sas.upenn.edu

Cathryn is currently a rising senior in the Department of Psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences. In the future, she hopes to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology. Her current research interests include the impacts of race/ethnicity on mental health treatment experiences and outcomes.