People
Emily Treichler, PhD [she/her] is a Research Psychologist in the Desert Pacific Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC) at the VA San Diego, and Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). She also provides clinical services in the Inpatient Service at Sharp Healthcare.
Dr. Treichler completed her Ph.D. at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2016, along with an internship at the University of Maryland Medical Center/VA Maryland Consortium in the serious mental illness track. She completed a fellowship in psychosis research at the Desert Pacific MIRECC/UCSD in 2019. Dr. Treichler holds a Career Development Award from the VA Rehabilitation Research and Development program. She has received awards from the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) Psychosis and Schizophrenia Spectrum Special Interest Group, the Mather Institute, UCSD, and the University of Nebraska. She is a co-author, with Dilip Jeste, MD, of a blog in Psychology Today, Practical Wisdom.
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Dr. Treichler is currently not accepting grad student applications.
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Email: etreichler@health.ucsd.edu
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Links: Google Scholar | Twitter
Sirina Tiwari is the Lab Coordinator at the Collab Lab, where she helps to oversee research operations and facilitates collaborations between clinicians and researchers. She holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience from Temple University.
Sirina is passionate about improving mental health interventions through evidence-based practices. She aspires to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology, integrating research methodologies with a culturally sensitive approach to enhance mental health treatment. Committed to decolonizing psychology, Sirina aims to work with immigrants and disadvantaged communities to develop more inclusive, accessible, and equitable mental health care solutions.
Hadia Hamza received her bachelor’s degree at UCSD in Human Biology with a minor in Psychology in 2024. She hopes to pursue a career in the medical field in the near future. She is passionate about patient education, improving access to person-centered treatment, especially in underserved communities, and addressing stigma around mental health in marginalized populations.
Nathaneal Putris is currently a fourth-year general bio major at UCSD and joined the lab in 2023. He hopes to attend medical school within the coming years.He has a significant interest in translating the work being done in the lab into a medical setting, hoping to make an impact in the mental health space, especially within the local communities in San Diego.
Zhiying (Crystal) Quan Zhiying received her bachelor’s degrees at UCSD, double majoring in Clinical Psychology and Sociology. She hopes get a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology to have a more in-depth understanding of mental health. She aims to remove the social stigma on mental illness, encourage patients to seek help and provide more personalized, reliable, and effective treatment.
Jennisa Bangal is a fourth-year undergraduate at UCSD majoring in Public Health. She plans on working in health policy with a focus on mental health. She aims to increase access to care and expand compassionate mental health crisis response services. She intends to apply the skills and knowledge gained in the Collab Lab to educate the public about resources available, reduce the stigma surrounding mental health, and promote the mental health of populations by influencing local policy and health promotion programs in the future.
Leila Herschenfeld is a fourth-year undergraduate student at UCSD, double majoring in Cognitive Behavioral Neuroscience and Psychology. She plans to become a Clinical Psychologist, focusing on developing and providing mental health care to underserved communities. Drawing on her experience in the Collab Lab, she aims to deliver empathetic, evidence-based treatment tailored to the diverse needs of each individual.
Snehita Vallumchetla is a fourth-year neurobiology major with a minor in cognitive science. She aspires to be a doctor at the forefront of mental health research with hope to drive meaningful change. Through her experience in Collab Lab, she has developed valuable skills that she aims to use in efforts to destigmatize mental health, particularly in underserved communities.
Isabelle Li is a third-year undergraduate student at UCSD, majoring in clinical psychology and minoring in business economics. She hopes to pursue a career that focuses on improving the lives of everyday people through research and is currently interested in mental health and neuroscience.
Shria Bulusu received her bachelor’s degree at UCSD, majoring in Public Health and minoring in Economics and International Studies. She plans to pursue a Masters in Public Health in the near future, focused on health policy. Her experience in the Collab Lab has deeply influenced her passion for promoting health equity through evidence-based research, person-centered approaches, and multifaceted health solutions.
Alumni
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Lauren McBride was the Collab Lab's study coordinator. She is now a doctoral student in Colin Depp's lab at the Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology at San Diego State University/University of California, San Diego.
Elissa Gomez was a research assistant at the Collab Lab. She is now a masters student at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.
Joanna Nazari Jain was a research assistant at the Collab Lab. She is now a Clinical Research Coordinator at the Stanford School of Medicine
Han Trieu is a third-year undergraduate at UC San Diego studying Psychology with a specialization in Human Health. She hopes to attend graduate school to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology. Her goal is to spread mental health awareness within the educational system to promote health and well-being for the youth.
Vaishnavi Melkote is currently a first-year Master’s student at UC San Diego’s Global Health Program. She graduated from UC San Diego in 2022 with a double major in B.S. Global Health and B.S. Cognitive & Behavioral Neuroscience. In the future, she hopes to become a practicing physician and pursue research with a focus on global mental health. She is particularly passionate about mental healthcare equity and increasing access to care.
Robert Mercado [he/his] was the study coordinator for the Collab Lab at the VA San Diego. Mr. Mercado completed his bachelor's of science at the University of California, San Diego in 2019. He was previously a research assistant at the UCSD Emotion Lab and the UCSD Cognitive Assessment and Risk Evaluation (CARE) program. His research interests include treatments in psychosis and substance use disorders.
Elijah Sosa was a research assistant for the Collab Lab. He got his bachelor’s degree from UC San Diego in 2022 in Global Health. His research interests include topics in addiction, including addiction treatment outcomes and addiction prevention.
Kasey Yu received her bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry/Chemistry from UC San Diego in 2022. Outside of class, she enjoys learning about the world through research and team projects. Kasey is interested in implementation science as a way of evaluating the efficacy of medical interventions and health policy. She is also interested in patient-centered care, mental health, and environmental health research.
Jillian Abasta is a student at UCSD majoring in Clinical Psychology. She is interested in a career in mental health research, specifically investigating effective treatments and preventative measures for mental health disorders. She is enthusiastic about utilizing the skills she gains from the Collab Lab in her future research to ensure interventions are readily accessible and attainable to those in need.
Izzy Vismara is a student research assistant at UCSD double majoring in Psychology and Ecology, Behavior and Evolution with a minor in Critical Gender Studies. She plans on getting her PhD in Clinical Psychology. She plans on becoming a psychologist in couple and individual therapy. She wants to promote more awareness about public mental health and work towards making therapy more accessible to lower income communities.
Austin Okelly is a student at UCSD who studies cognitive and behavioral neuroscience. As a veteran himself, he served five years in the Marine Corps infantry. He is passionate about mental health and wants to learn more about systems of care, as well as how military service impacts mental well-being.
Sydney Seaton received her bachelor's degree in Clinical Psychology from UC San Diego in 2023. She is currently a Case Manager/Supported Employment and Education Specialist for New Journeys, an early intervention first-episode psychosis program in Washington. She hopes to make the transition into services as stress-free as possible while working in collaboration with clients and their families. In the future, she aims to be a Licensed Clinical Social Worker or Mental Health Counselor and continue supporting people with serious mental illness and their loved ones on their unique pathway to recovery.
Jasmin is a graduate student in the Master of Public Health (MPH) program at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health & Human Longevity Science with a concentration in epidemiology. She received her BA in Sociology of Science and Medicine at UC San Diego in 2020. She is a motivated researcher with experience contributing to research team projects designed to investigate and analyze the intersections of race, gender and class on subjective experiences of mental health in underrepresented populations. Her undergraduate thesis investigated the ways in which individuals with serious mental illness use social media to interact with others with similar backgrounds, give and receive support and manage daily life and stigma.
Justin Wang majored in Psychology at UCSD. He plans on working to promote mental health care in marginalized communities and help destigmatize the topic of mental health to encourage those who need care to seek it out.
Pets of Collab Lab
Violet
Elf
Link
Anakin
Juniper (handsome loaf)
& Piper
Percy