Smoking and Nicotine Dependence Research Lab
Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology
Yeshiva University
Our Students
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Sylvie Messer is a fifth-year doctoral candidate in the Clinical Psychology, Health Emphasis Ph.D. Program. She is currently on internship at the VA NY Harbor Healthcare System, Brooklyn Campus.
Sylvie carried out her pre-doctoral thesis under the supervision of Drs. Andrea Weinberger and Guillermo Horga. Her thesis investigated the relationship between substance use, clinical symptoms, and sequential belief updating processes in patients at clinical high-risk for schizophrenia. For her doctoral dissertation, she is examining the relationship between cigarette smoking and emotion processing in individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. She has also concurrently worked as a clinical, cognitive, and diagnostic rater at the Experimental Psychopathology Laboratory (PI: David Kimhy, PhD) at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai working on multi-site NIMH-funded clinical trials.
She has trained as a psychology extern at the Parnes Clinic, Brooklyn College Personal Counseling Program, Metropolitan Center for Mental Health in the Families and Individuals in Recovery Program, and Nassau University Medical Center.
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E-mail: smesser@mail.yu.edu
Tyler Pia is a fifth year doctoral candidate in the Clinical Psychology, Health Emphasis Ph.D. program. She is currently on internship at Pilgrim Psychiatric Center.
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Currently, Tyler is working on her dissertation under the supervision of Dr. Andrea Weinberger, investigating theoretical mechanisms behind synthetic cannabinoid use. Her predoctoral thesis was also carried out under the supervision of Dr. Andrea Weinberger, and investigated the relationship between cigarette smoking, heart disease, and suicide.
Tyler has had past externships at Brooklyn College Personal Counseling Center, the Parnes Clinic, St. Barnabas Hospital, and Staten Island University Hospital in the Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehab. She volunteered at New York State Psychiatric Institute in the COPE clinic with Dr. Gary Brucato and Dr. Ragy Girgis during the first year of her Ph.D. program.
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Email: tpia@mail.yu.edu
Esther Perez is a fifth-year student in the Clinical Psychology, Health Emphasis PhD Program. She graduated magna cum Laude from Stern College for Women, Yeshiva University with a B.A in Psychology with a concentration in neuroscience and a minor in Management. After college she was a research assistant at the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Miami University. There, she worked on rat studies to find ways to alleviate spinal cord injury pain.
Esther carried out her pre-doctoral thesis under the supervision of Dr. Andrea Weinberger. Her research investigated the relationship between adolescent cannabis use and depression and perceived social support. For her dissertation project, Esther is currently investigating the relationship of social media use, depression, and e-cigarette use initiation among young adults.
She has trained as a psychology extern at the Parnes Clinic, Brooklyn College Personal Counseling Program, and at New York Presbyterian in the addiction and recovery unit and at the general psychiatric inpatient unit. Currently, she is training as a psychology extern at the Seven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at NYU Langone.
Email: esther.perez@mail.yu.edu
Jacob Levin is a fourth-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 fourth-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 third 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 third 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 third-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 Suma 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 role social isolation plays in mediating the relationship between different domains of pain and smoking among adult People with HIV (PWH). 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 North Central Bronx Hospital in the inpatient adult psychiatric unit and the partial hospitalization program. She is also concurrently working as a clinical, cognitive 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. Previously she was an extern at the Parnes Clinic at Yeshiva University and the Northport VA Medical Center in the Substance Abuse Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (SARRTP).
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Email: lcioffi@mail.yu.edu
Gali is a third-year student in the Clinical Health Psychology PhD Program at Ferkauf Graduate School. Her academic journey began with a bachelor's degree in psychology and criminology from the University of Miami. Gali has engaged in clinical training at institutions such as the Parnes Clinic, Hunter College Counseling and Wellness Center, and currently, at the Ferkauf Older Adults Program. Gali's earlier research work focused on asthma and cognitive testing. Presently, her research pursuits are centered around substance use disorder and self-report cognitive assessment. Beyond her academic pursuits, Gali practices vinyasa yoga during her free time, which she also enjoys weaving into her treatment of patients.
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Email: gmoritz@mail.yu.edu
Kaitlin (Kait) Cuddleston is a second-year student in the Clinical Psychology, Health Emphasis PhD Program at Ferkauf. She received her master’s degree in psychology at New York University, where she completed her thesis under Dr. Andrei Cimpian and Dr. Katharina Block, examining the intersections between culture and personality. As an undergraduate, Kait attended the University of Nevada, Reno, where she earned her B.S. in physics with dual minors in mathematics and astronomy.
Kait’s research interests include minority mental health, substance use, and diversity science. Kait’s predoctoral research project aims to identify and analyze trends in alcohol, cannabis, and cigarette use in a sample of American Indian individuals who simultaneously identify as Lesbian, Gay, or Bisexual. She is training as a psychology extern at the John Jay College Counseling & Wellness Center and the Parnes Clinic. Kait is also an adjunct instructor at Hunter College, where she has taught courses in experimental research methods and introduction to psychology. In her free time, Kait enjoys reading, painting, and caring for her three cats, Malone, Ned, and Merlin.
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Email: kcuddles@mail.yu.edu