Smoking and Nicotine Dependence Research Lab
Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology
Yeshiva University
Our Students
Jacob Levin is a fifth-year student in the Clinical Psychology, Health Emphasis PhD Program, and a teaching assistant in Dr. Weinberger's lab. His dissertation aims to psychometrically validate the Distress Tolerance Scale and the Distress Tolerance Scale (Short-Form) in people living with HIV/AIDS. His pre-doctoral thesis examined the relationship between distress tolerance and motivation to quit cigarettes.
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Jacob trained as a clinical psychology extern in the Parnes Clinic, in John Jay's Counseling Services Center, and in New York-Presbyterian's Addiction and Recovery Unit and the General Psychiatric Inpatient Unit. Currently, he serves as a psychology extern on the Health Psychology Track at Northwell Health and North Shore Hospital. He also works as a behavioral intake counselor at New York Bariatric Group.
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Jacob graduated from Vanderbilt University with a BA in History, and previously worked in political media consulting before starting graduate school.
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E-mail: jlevin2@mail.yu.edu
Emily Kim is a fifth-year student in the Clinical Psychology Health Emphasis PhD Program. She completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and Biology from Stony Brook University, where she specialized in Neuroscience. During her undergraduate studies, she worked as a research assistant in Dr. Roman Kotov's lab, contributing to a 20-year longitudinal study on Schizophrenia. Additionally, she conducted an EMR study focusing on first responders present at the scene of the 9/11 incident as a 10 year follow-up study. After her undergraduate studies, she pursued her Master's at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, studying Forensic Psychology. There, she successfully completed her Master's thesis, delving into the intricate connections between substance use, neurocognitive abilities, and criminal recidivism under the guidance of Dr. Casey LaDuke.
Currently, Emily is working on her doctoral dissertation project, which explores the relationship between traumatic brain injury, substance use, and neurocognitive functioning, which is overseen by Dr. Andrea Weinberger. Additionally, she is actively engaged in a systematic research examining the relationship between cannabis use, schizophrenia, and neurocognitive abilities. She has completed her pre-doctoral project on the relationship between substance use and discrimination among a sample of individuals with a mental health diagnosis.
To date, she completed her practicum experiences at the Kessler Rehabilitation Center on the Brain Injury Unit. She furthered her training at NYU Langone in the Neurology department. Currently, she is undergoing training at Northwell University Hospital, focusing her efforts in the Neurology department.
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Email: ekim10@mail.yu.edu
Talya Gordon is a fourth year Ph.D. student in the Clinical Psychology with Health Emphasis program. She earned a Bachelors of Science in Psychology and Biobehavioral Health from the University of Maryland (UMD) in May 2020. While attending UMD, Talya was a research assistant in Dr. Jessica Magidson’s Global Mental Health and Addiction Lab researching the efficacy of a mindfulness intervention in increasing adherence to HIV antiretroviral medication in individuals with substance use disorders in South Africa. After graduation, Talya was awarded an Intramural Research Training Award at the National Institute of Health’s Clinical Center. While at the NIH, Talya collaborated on projects ranging from the implementation of a CBT-I intervention for individuals with substance use disorders and insomnia to a cooking behavior intervention in African-American adults at risk for cardiovascular disease.
Talya hopes to research how social determinants of health, such as socioeconomic status, contribute to the cycle of addiction.
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Email: trgordo1@mail.yu.edu
Esther (she/her/hers) is a fourth year PhD student at Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology and a psychology extern at Memorial Sloan Kettering. Her research interests include trauma experience and addictions in women and racial/ethnic minorities with an emphasis on nicotine dependence. Her predoctoral project focuses on gender and trauma status on nicotine and tobacco cessation and relapse.
Previously, Esther has conducted neurology research at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai under the guidance of Leif Havton, MD PhD and at Columbia University Zuckerman Institute under the guidance of Michael E. Goldberg, MD. Esther lives with her husband in the Washington Heights community of Manhattan, and loves hosting large community meals and has contributed to the below publications.
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Email: epstern@mail.yu.edu
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Loriann Cioffi is a fourth-year student in the Clinical Psychology, Health Emphasis PhD Program. She received her masters degree in clinical psychology at Ferkauf Graduate school of Psychology and graduated Summa Cum Laude from St. John’s University with a B.A in Psychology and a minor in Sociology.
For her dissertation, Loriann is examining the effect of perceived social isolation on the relationship between pain and cigarette smoking among a sample of adults with HIV. For her pre-doctoral thesis, Loriann investigated the mediating role of internalized HIV stigma on the relationship between substance use and anxiety among adult PWH. Loriann is also co-coordinating a study called “HIV, individual characteristics, and behavior”, which aims to examine variables related to cigarette smoking and the use of other substances among PLWH.
She is currently training as a psychology extern at Queens Hospital Center in the inpatient psychiatric unit for patients with comorbid medical disorders and adult outpatient psychology department. Previously she was an extern at North Central Bronx Hospital in the inpatient adult psychiatric unit and the partial hospitalization program, the Northport VA Medical Center in the Substance Abuse Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (SARRTP), and the Max and Celia Parnes Family Psychological Services Clinic at Yeshiva University in the Behavioral Medicine sub-clinic. She was previously working as a clinical and cognitive assessment rater at the Experimental Psychopathology Laboratory (PI: David Kimhy) at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai working on multi-site NIMH-funded clinical trials.
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Email: lcioffi@mail.yu.edu
Gali is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in the Clinical Psychology, Health Emphasis Program. Her current research focuses on cognitive assessments for individuals in residential substance use disorder programs, with a leadership role in a project examining the intersection of hepatitis C and tobacco use. She has also contributed to research exploring cognitive testing in asthma patients and the therapeutic impact of heart rate variability biofeedback in managing asthma.
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Her clinical experiences include psycho-oncology at Lenox Hill, the Ferkauf Older Adults Program, Hunter College Counseling, and the Parnes Clinic. Additionally, she provides neuropsychological testing through a private practice in Manhattan.
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Outside of her academic and clinical work, Gali enjoys practicing yoga, spending time outdoors, and watching psychological thrillers.
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Email: gmoritz@mail.yu.edu
Tanya Mehdizadeh is a third-year Ph.D. candidate in the Clinical Psychology, Health Emphasis Program. Tanya received her Master's degree in Clinical Psychology from Columbia University, Teachers College and graduated Cum Laude with Departmental Honors from George Washington University with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Psychology.
Her research interests include intersectional stigma, minority stress, attachment theory, psychedelic-assisted therapy, and substance use behaviors. She is also interested in mindfulness-based strategies and other "third wave" therapies for substance use treatment.
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Tanya trained as a clinical psychology extern in the Parnes Clinic and in Brooklyn College's Personal Counseling Center. Currently, she serves as a psychology extern at Nassau University Medical Center in the adult inpatient psychiatric unit and adult outpatient psychology department. ​
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Outside of her academic and clinical work, Tanya enjoys live music, snowboarding, and traveling.
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Email: tmehdiza@mail.yu.edu
Frank Merenda is a first-year student in the Clinical Psychology, Health Emphasis PhD Program. His research interests include exploring the impact of religious affiliation on substance use patterns and general mental health outcomes. His work aims to understand how varying levels of religious involvement and spirituality influence mental health and substance use trajectories.
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Frank obtained his Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Marist College where he was the recipient of the 2024 Multicultural and Social Justice Advocacy Award. He has completed internships at an intensive outpatient substance use facility and two group private practices working with individuals of many ages and walks of life. Additionally, he served as a research assistant for three years, under the supervision of Thomas Killian, PhD evaluating the effects of early religious messages on ally development.
Outside of academia, Frank enjoys practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and reading about different philosophical perspectives.
Email: fmerenda@mail.yu.edu
Ana is a first-year international student in the Clinical Psychology with Health Emphasis PhD program. She previously earned her B.A. in Psychology, summa cum laude, from UCLA, and her M.A. in Psychology with a clinical focus from NYU. Ana’s master's thesis focused on the impact of early life stress on reward-seeking behaviors using a neurobiological approach. In her doctoral studies, Ana is broadly interested in examining risk factors implicated in the development and maintenance of substance use disorders.
Outside of science, Ana enjoys traveling and spending time with her family in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Email: ax2095@nyu.edu
Simay is a first-year student in the Clinical Health Psychology PhD Program at Ferkauf Graduate School. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience and Psychology. She researched the efficacy and acceptability of cognitive behavioral therapy for irritable bowel syndrome patients in her honors program. Later, she worked at the OCD and Related Disorders Clinic at the Massachusetts General Hospital as a clinical research coordinator. She has worked with OCD, GAD, and MDD patients on a variety of treatment studies there. Simay’s independent research at MGH focused on co-occurring substance use disorders with other psychological disorders. She plans to pursue this research area in her graduate school studies.
Email: sipek@mail.yu.edu