Lab Members
We are currently recruiting Postdocs for the following projects/positions:
- Racism Burden, Cardiovascular Disease Risk, and Neurocognitive Aging
- Racism Burden, Mental Health, and Brain Function in Emerging Adults
Director:
Karin Schon, Ph.D. (email Prof. Schon)
Dr. Schon is an Associate Professor at the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine where she is the director of the Brain Plasticity and Neuroimaging Laboratory. She also holds appointments with the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, the Center for Memory and Brain, and the Undergraduate and Graduate Programs for Neuroscience. She received her Ph.D. in 2005 and did her postdoctoral research with Prof. Chantal Stern at the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and the Center for Memory and Brain. Her research focuses on brain plasticity, cognitive neuroscience of memory and aging and uses functional and structural MRI, exercise physiology, and behavioral methods, as well as biomarker assays.
Post-Doctoral Associates:
Tahlia Bragg, PhD (email Tahlia)
Dr. Tahlia Bragg (she/her pronouns in English and Spanish) is a Clinical Neuropsychology Postdoctoral Associate at Boston University Chobanian & Avedesian School of Medicine in the Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) Center. She completed her doctoral training in Clinical Psychology at Fielding Graduate University and her predoctoral internship at The Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology (CMTP) at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine & Boston Medical Center, where her clinical foci were providing behavioral and psychotherapeutic interventions in systems-based care for children and families. Dr. Bragg’s dissertation examined how childhood and adolescent stress exposure influenced the risk for accelerated cognitive aging and poorer physical and mental health outcomes in self-identifying Black people. Her postdoctoral research interests in Clinical Neuropsychology emphasize abolishing racial disparities in neuropsychology that may harm Black self-identified communities experiencing endemic rates of onset for Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias. Dr. Bragg is the recent recipient of an NIA Diversity Supplement investigating perceived racism and risk for cardiovascular disease and neurocognitive aging in older adults who self-identify as Black. Dr. Bragg is a scholar in the 2023-2025 Cohort of the Emerging Scholars Program on Black Men’s Brain Health in partnership with the NFL Alumni Association, Alzheimer’s Association, and the National Institute of Aging. She was awarded the 2022 Stuart C. Tentoni Outstanding Professional Development Program Award by the American Psychological Association (APA). In 2023, she was awarded the Foremother Award—Early Career Track from Division 35, Section 1 (Black Women in Psychology) of the APA for her commitment to mentorship and representation of Black womxn in psychology and academia.
Matthew Dunne, PhD (email Matt)
Graduate Students:
Lea Stith, B.S. (email Lea)
Lea is a 3rd-year PhD student in the Graduate Program for Neuroscience and is co-mentored by Dr. Chantal Stern in the Cognitive Neuroimaging Laboratory. Lea graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology (concentration in Cognitive Neuroscience) and a minor in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Irvine. In the Brain and Plasticity Neuroimaging Lab, her research primarily focuses on studying the effects of chronic stress derived from racism on the emerging adult population, and how exercise serves as a positive modulator on stress. Overall, she is interested in studying how psychosocial stressors affect brain health across all stages of development. Prior to beginning graduate studies at Boston University, Lea worked in the Laboratory for Translational Neuroscience led by Dr. Michael Yassa at UC Irvine and focused on studies centered on early life adversities, Alzheimer’s disease, and Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM). In her free time, Lea enjoys spending time with friends and family, exploring the outdoors and the city, figure skating, and reading.
Study Coordinators, Research Assistants, and Lab Managers:
Study Coordinator & Lab Manager- Lisa Wood
Lisa is the Study Coordinator for Racism and Brain health in Emerging Adults. Prior to joining the lab in January 2023, she spent ten years supporting the research efforts of the Black Women’s Health Study, which is also located at Boston University.
Study Coordinator – Niya Adlersberg
Niya obtained her degree in Psychological & Brain Sciences from Boston University in the spring of 2020. She joined the lab in 2023 as the Study Coordinator and Psychometrist for the Racism and Brain Aging Project examining the impact of stressors related to race, ethnicity, and skin color on physical and brain health in older, African-American adults. During her free time, Niya enjoys traveling, ceramics, and spending time with her cat, Luna. She is also a self-proclaimed movie/anime critic!
Post-Bac Students
Tatianna Parker
Tatianna graduated with her degree in Biochemistry from the University of Massachusetts Boston in May 2022. In her free time, she likes to spend time with her family and listen to music. She hopes to get into a Behavioral Neuroscience program in the future.
Undergraduate Students:
Rafiyat Adenlola
Rafiyat Adenlola is a fourth year undergraduate student in the College of Health and Rehabilitation: Sargent College majoring Human Physiology at Boston University. Her current interests include neurobiology, and the social and psychological effects of racism on marginalized groups. Beyond her academic pursuits, Rafiyat Adenlola is deeply involved in various campus activities. She proudly serves as the President of the Minority Association of Pre-Med/Pre-Health Students (MAPS), where she leads and supports fellow pre-medical students in their academic and professional journeys. In addition to her involvement with MAPS, Rafiyat is a member of Afrithms, an African dance group on campus, where she showcases her vibrant cultural heritage through dance and rhythm. After graduation, she hopes to continue her education in medical school.
Taylor Bolan
Taylor is in her 2nd year as an undergraduate at Boston University currently pursuing a major in Psychology on a pre-health track. She has aspirations of becoming a world renowned psychiatrist, or neuropsychiatrist, making the Schon Lab the perfect place to explore her interests. She has an interest in the relationship between the mind, brain, and body, how they all affect one another, and all things involving mental or neurological illness/impairments. In her free time, she enjoys reading psychological thrillers and suspense novels
Jackie Wang
I am a current undergraduate junior at Boston University studying health science on the pre-health track. When graduating, I strive to continue on the path of medicine and become a doctor one day, focusing on neuroscience and emergency medicine. During my free time, I love going to the gym and binge-watching TV shows.
Lab Alumni:
Michael Rosario, B.S., Ph.D. (email Michael)
Razan Alotaibi, M.B.B.S., Ph.D. (email Razan)
Samantha Davis
Arjun Batra (STaRS’22)
Shiraz Mumtaz
Stephanie Gonzalez-Gil
Shantalle Martinez (STaRS’21)
Reyna Gariepy (STaRS’20)
Rachel Nauer Wehr, Ph.D. (email Rachel; LinkIn with Rachel)
Kathryn Kern Jamison, Ph.D. (email Katie)
Andrew Whiteman, B.A.
Corey Kronman, M.S.
Natalie Cherry B.A.
Victoria Gomez B.A.
Benjamin Coleman B.A.
Alexander Delgado B.A.
José Romo Corrales B.A.
Natalia Lopez B.S.
Michelle Sibol
Diana Abbas
Andrea Heard, B.A.
Andrew Goss, B.S., M.S.
Andres Velez Lopez, B.S., M.S.
Yongho Christopher Jo, B.S., M.S.
Sarah Savoy
Olivia Lanman, B.A.
Natalia Torres, B.A., M.S.
Madeline Brendle
Samantha Muyalde
Reagan Katulege
Jan Stasinski, M.A.
Matthew Dunne, B.A.
Nicolle De Siqueira, M.S.
Zachary Croll-Nesbeth
Marina Richie, B.A., M.A.
Sheba Antony
Amara Ayoub, M.S.
Karim Hussain Ismat, M.S.
Last updated: 9/28/23