People

CHI Lab Director

Principal Investigator: Diana A. Chirinos, PhD

Dr. Diana Chirinos is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She is a licensed clinical psychologist with training in public health and behavioral medicine. Her interdisciplinary program of research has been guided by theoretical models for understanding illness progression that incorporate elements of the behavioral sciences, psychoneuroimmunology, and basic physiology. Her work focuses on understanding the role of demographic and psychosocial factors as determinants of the cardiovascular health. Specifically, she is interested in (1) characterizing the cardiovascular risk profile of vulnerable populations, such as ethnic minorities or bereaved individuals; and (2) elucidating the biobehavioral pathways underlying the relationship between chronic stressors, such as depression or sleep disturbances, and cardiovascular disease outcomes. Her long-term goal is to design well-informed targeted interventions to reduce the burden of chronic stress and cardiovascular disease among vulnerable populations. Before joining the Department of Preventive Medicine in October, 2018, Dr. Chirinos was a postdoctoral fellow in the Center for Circadian and Sleep Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and a Rice Academy Fellow at Rice University. She received her BA in Psychology at Santa Maria Catholic University in Arequipa, Peru, and her MS and PhD in Clinical Health Psychology from the University of Miami. Dr. Chirinos also completed a full-time APA accredited clinical internship at Rush University Medical Center with a concentration in health psychology.

Lab Manager

Jessica Thomas, MA, LCSW (Research Project Coordinator)

Jessica Thomas (she/her) holds a BA in French from Georgetown University and an MA in Social Service Administration (clinical social work) from the University of Chicago. Now in her 10th year at Northwestern, Jessica has coordinated a variety of projects in both Preventive Medicine and Medical Social Sciences (MSS). She has contributed to studies in the following areas: supportive oncology, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), health literacy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for depression among women, pediatric atopic dermatitis, and pediatric cardiovascular health. Currently, she works on the RESTore and HEAL projects led by Dr. Chirinos. These studies examine sleep disturbance and overall health among spousally bereaved individuals. When not at work, Jessica enjoys walking her Shih Tzu, traveling, and spending time with her family and friends.

Graduate Students 

Morgann West, MA (Graduate Research Assistant)

Morgann West graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Arizona in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Family Studies and Human Development minor. During Morgann’s undergraduate education, she worked as a research assistant in Mary-Frances O’Connor’s GLASS (Grief, Loss and Social Stress) Lab focusing on bereaved participants and assisting with qualitative interviews with individuals who were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. She is interested in sleep, grief, depression, and trauma within the minority population. Morgann recently graduated from the Clinical Psychology master’s program at Northwestern University. She will continue working with Dr. Chirinos as a doctoral student in Northwestern’s Clinical Psychology program, beginning in September 2023. When not in the lab, Morgann enjoys traveling and spending time with friends and family.

Havisha Pedamallu, BA (Graduate Research Assistant)

Havisha Pedamallu is an MD/MPH student at Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern. She graduated from Washington University in 2021 and studied Computational Biology and Genomics and Healthcare Management. Havisha is interested in how one’s social experiences their subclinical cardiovascular risk and specifically to identify the biological mechanisms by which this occurs. In addition to clinical practice, Havisha hopes to be engaged in community-based preventive health initiatives in the future. During college, she was a participant in the Amgen Scholars Program at the NIH where she conducted biomedical research and examined the policy-based public health implications of this work. During medical school, she was also a Schweitzer Fellow and led a community-based intervention to disseminate culturally informed preventive health information to the South Asian immigrant community in Chicago. She is passionate about understanding the drivers of and protective factors against chronic disease.

Julia Starikovsky, MA (Graduate Research Assistant)

Julia Starikovsky graduated from the University of Maryland in 2019 with a BA in Psychology and a Neuroscience Minor. After college, she worked as a Clinical Research Coordinator at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania for two years working with youth Multiple Sclerosis and Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease populations. Julia earned her MA in the Clinical Psychology program at Northwestern University and is now pursuing her PhD in Clinical Psychology at Northwestern University. She is interested in creating manageable and sustainable interventions (i.e. sleep, physical activity, mindfulness) for those with chronic illness and in prevention of chronic illness.

Research Assistants

Mariana Quintero, BS (Research Assistant)

Mariana Quintero graduated from Purdue University, earning a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Biology. During her undergraduate studies, Mariana completed internships at Alivio Medical Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, and the University of Illinois Chicago, where she gained vast experience in both clinical and lab-based research. At the height of the pandemic, she contributed to COVID-19 research at Alivio Medical Center, where she recruited study participants and provided culturally sensitive education on vaccine safety to the Hispanic community. At IU, she utilized mouse models to investigate the role of the MCTP2 gene in heart formation and its implications for congenital heart disease, working with patients at Riley Children’s Hospital. At UIC, she studied the resilience of naked mole-rats for human cancer and aging research. Currently, Mariana is a Research Assistant for the HEAL and RESTore studies in the CHI Lab, where she utilizes her bilingual skills to recruit and assess Hispanic participants. She is passionate about bridging the gap between research and patient care, particularly in vulnerable communities, a mission that drives her decision to apply to medical school. Outside of the lab, Mariana enjoys cooking, watching movies, and spending time with her friends, family, and kitten.

Lydia Amezcua, BS (Research Assistant)

Lydia Amezcua graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2023 with a BS In Clinical Psychology and a health administration minor. During Lydia’s undergraduate education, she worked as the social media coordinator for a nonprofit organization aimed to address the underrepresentation of Latinos in Clinical and Counseling Psychology Doctoral programs called Plans4Psych since 2022. She also assisted in Dissertation Research by qualitatively analyzing interview transcripts to understand the unique perspectives of survivors of torture, predominately coming from African countries, who have applied for asylum. Lydia will be an incoming master’s student in the Health Administration program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is interested in researching better clinical practices for Latino, Black, and other disadvantaged populations and being part of a system that actively supports care coordination while enhancing the patient experience. When not in the lab, Lydia enjoys going to the gym, trying new drinks from coffee shops, and spending time with family and friends.

Sofia Melio, BA (Research Assistant)

Sofia Melio graduated from San Pablo Catholic University (Arequipa, Peru), earning a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. During her time as a student, she worked as an intern at Honorio Delgado Regional Hospital in the Psychiatry ward, gaining valuable insight into mental health care and treatment. She collaborated with other healthcare professionals to provide comprehensive care to individuals with mental health disorders. Additionally, she worked as an intern at the Institute of the South, where she helped support the mental well-being, academic success, and overall welfare of the students. Her professional journey since graduation has consistently revolved around roles that are person-oriented, which has fueled her desire to continue working in positions dedicated to helping people, specifically in the mental health field. Currently, Sofia works as a Research Assistant for the RESTore project in the CHI lab. Driven by her passion for furthering her knowledge and expertise, she is preparing to apply to a Master’s program in Psychology. Her aspirations involve specializing in areas such as grief, depression, anxiety, and sleep issues, particularly within minority groups. When not at work, Sofia enjoys taking long walks, watching movies, trying new restaurants, and traveling.

Alumni

Eva Hentges, BA (Graduate Research Assistant)

Eva Hentges graduated Summa Cum Laude from Saint Louis University Madrid in 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. During her undergraduate studies, she worked as a research assistant for the Social Psychology & Methodology Lab at Autonoma University Madrid and as an intern for University of Michigan and for the Consortium for Military Health and Performance. Upon graduation, she received the Academic Excellence award in Psychology for her poster “The Role of Body Image in Online Dating.” Currently, Eva is pursuing her MA in Clinical Psychology at Northwestern University. She is working in CBITs (Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies) under the mentorship of Dr. Kaylee Kruzan and Dr. Jason Washburn. Eva is interested in developing digital mental health interventions which target the reduction of NSSI, anxiety, and depression in diverse populations. Likewise, she is also interested in the implementation of health promotion interventions to improve emotional dysregulation and negative health behaviors. Eva assisted with participant recruitment for the RESTore Plus study in the CHI Lab.

Casey Bonzell, BA (Research Assistant)

Casey graduated from Northwestern University in 2018 with a BA in psychology and a certificate in human-centered design. After working as an IP litigation paralegal in downtown Chicago for a year and a half, he realized that he wanted to pursue a career in medicine. He completed a pre-medicine post-baccalaureate program at Northwestern and plans to attend medical school. Working on the RESTore study sparked an interest in exploring how sleep, exercise, and nutrition can help improve health outcomes for at-risk individuals, and he is excited about the prospect of practicing preventative medicine in the future.

Lisa Kamsickas, MA (Graduate Research Assistant)

Dr. Chirinos’ first intern, Lisa Kamsickas was a master’s level research assistant in the CHI Lab. After graduating from Northwestern University, she began her role as a clinical research subjects coordinator in pediatric neuro-oncology at Michigan Medicine. Though a Detroit native, she earned her undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of St Andrews in Scotland. You can learn more about Lisa’s work here: https://research.medicine.umich.edu/department/staff/lisa-kamsickas

Liliana Aguayo, PhD, MPH (Clinical Research Assistant Professor)

Liliana Aguayo was a postdoctoral fellow with the CHI Lab before becoming a Clinical Research Assistant Professor at Emory University’s Hubert Department of Global Health. She is a community health researcher investigating the early life origins of disparities in obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Dr. Aguayo completed postdoctoral training in cardiovascular epidemiology as a fellow of the American Heart Association (AHA) at Northwestern University and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital. During these times she worked under the mentorship of Dr. Chirinos. Upon completion of her postdoctoral training, she transitioned to her current position at Emory Rollins School of Public Health. You can learn more about Liliana’s work here: https://sph.emory.edu/faculty/profile/index.php?FID=liliana-aguayo-10977

Emily Vargas, PhD (Program Officer)

Emily Vargas was a postdoctoral fellow with the CHI Lab before becoming a program officer at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine with the Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences located in Washington D.C. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine provide independent, objective advice to inform policy with evidence, spark innovation and progress, and confront challenging issues for the benefit of society.

Prior to joining, Emily earned her bachelor’s degree with honors in Psychology from Rutgers University in New Jersey. Following graduation, she earned her MS and her PhD in Psychology from the University of Michigan in the area of Personality and Social Contexts. After graduation, she completed a 2-year T32 Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention at Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine. Emily continued working at Northwestern University as a Research Assistant Professor in Preventive Medicine, funded through a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant until February 2022. Throughout her research career, Emily’s research was focused on examining the intersection of individual’s marginalized identities & psychosocial factors, and how they impact well-being as well as inform disparities and equity. You can learn more about Emily’s work here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-vargas-382953129/