OUR TEAM
Faculty
Todd J. Farchione, Ph.D.
Dr. Farchione is a Research Full Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Boston University. He is the director of the TREND-UP Lab at Boston University’s Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders which focuses on identifying higher-order, functional mechanisms associated with the development and maintenance of emotional disorders and the dissemination of improved psychological treatments for these disorders. Dr. Farchione is a co-developer of the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (UP) and has substantially contributed to evaluating and refining the protocol since its inception. He has also published extensively on the UP and the nature and treatment of emotional disorders in general.
David H. Barlow, Ph.D., ABPP
Dr. Barlow is Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry Emeritus and Founder and Director Emeritus of the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders at Boston University. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Vermont in 1969 and has published over 650 articles and chapters and over 100 books and manuals, mostly in the area of the nature and treatment of emotional disorders. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Distinguished Scientific Award for Applications of Psychology from the American Psychological Association. For more information, visit: Dr. Barlow’s CARD website
Post-Doctoral Fellows
Alexander Williams, Ph.D.
Alex is the Associate Director of the TREND-UP lab, and a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Boston University. His research focuses on the development, maintenance, and prevention/treatment of emotional disorders. Alex is also interested in how hierarchical approaches and related methods can enhance the rigor of psychopathology research. An emerging line of work centers on the possible benefits of mindfulness training in reducing vulnerability to emotional disorders. Alex received his Ph.D. from Northwestern University and completed his predoctoral internship at the VA Puget Sound, Seattle. To learn more about Alex, visit his website: alwilliams.io
Doctoral Students
Daniella Spencer-Laitt, M.A.
Danni Spencer-Laitt is a fifth-year clinical psychology doctoral student in the TREND-UP lab. She holds a BA and LLB from the University of Western Australia, an MSW from Columbia University, and an MA in psychology from Boston University. Her research focuses on emotion regulation, with particular emphasis on positive and mixed (or “bittersweet”) emotional experiences in the context of grief. She is particularly interested in how the coexistence of positive and negative emotions can facilitate adaptation to loss and other traumatic stressors, and how difficulties in accessing or sustaining such experiences may contribute to Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD). Ultimately, her goal is to refine and evaluate treatments for PGD that not only alleviate symptom burden but also foster psychological flourishing.
Julián D. Moreno-Villamizar, M.A.
Julián D. Moreno-Villamizar is a fourth-year clinical psychology doctoral student in the TREND-UP Lab. He received his B.A. in Psychology and M.Sc. in Clinical and Health Psychology from Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia. His research focuses on transdiagnostic treatments for emotional disorders, with particular interests in optimizing and disseminating evidence-based interventions across diverse clinical and cultural contexts. He is especially interested in implementation science, digital and telemedicine-delivered CBT, and technology-assisted tools to expand access to high-quality mental health care. His current work includes the implementation and evaluation of the Unified Protocol across community, international, and medical settings, with a broader goal of developing scalable and culturally responsive approaches to evidence-based mental health care.
Audrey Hey, M.A.
Audrey Hey is a third-year doctoral student in the TREND-UP Lab. She completed her undergraduate studies at Centre College, earning a BS in psychology in 2020. Prior to graduate school, Audrey worked as a senior youth counselor and then as a clinical research coordinator, and also earned an MA in psychology at BU in 2022.
Audrey’s primary research interests lie in transdiagnostic treatments for anxiety and mood disorders. Specifically, she is fascinated by positive psychology interventions that promote well-being, such as gratitude and savoring techniques. She is eager to investigate the effectiveness of these interventions across diverse cultures and contexts.
Daniel Teplow, M.A.
Daniel Teplow is a second-year doctoral student in the TREND-UP Lab and the Danielson Institute.
Research Coordinators
Camille Sandage, B.A.
Camille Sandage is a Research Coordinator in the TREND-UP and the STOP Study for Social Anxiety. She completed her undergraduate studies at Boston University, earning a B.A in psychology in 2025. She is currently most interested in positive psychology themes, such as: forgiveness, humility, and beliefs about emotions. Her current projects investigate the effects of these variables on Unified Protocol treatment outcomes, as well as social flourishing.
Collaborators
Laura J. Long, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Texas at San Antonio, and former member of the TREND-UP lab.
Masaya Ito, Ph.D.
National Center for Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Research, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry
Amelia Stanton, Ph.D
Assistant Professor at Boston University and Principal Investigator of the Sexual, Reproductive, and Mental Health Disparities Program.
Jeffrey S. Gonzalez, Ph.D
Director of the New York Regional Center for Diabetes Translational Research. Professor in the Department of Medicine and the Department of Epidemiology & Public Health at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Jorge Osma, Ph.D
Associate Professor and Coordinator of the General Health Psychologist Master at the Department of Psychology and Sociology at the University of Zaragoz. Vice-President of the Spanish Society or perinatal mental health.
Nina Reinholt, Ph.D
Senior Researcher at Mental Health Service West, Copenhagen University Hospital. Chairman for the coordination group in the Theme-Based Collaboration (TBS) in Region Zealand Psychiatry
Candice Powell, Ph.D
Chief Executive Officer of Mind HK in Hong Kong. Fellow of the Hong Kong Psychological Society. Honorary Lecturer at The University of Hong Kong.