Gil Interns

Our Karen M. Gil Internship in Psychology and Neuroscience has accepted 12 Gil interns for Fall 2023! Learn more about our current class of Gil Interns and their placement sites below.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Banyas, Elizabeth
Class of 2025
Behavioral & Integrative Neuroscience Intern
RTI International
ebanyas@unc.edu

Elizabeth Banyas is a junior from Ellicott City, Maryland pursuing a double major in biology (B.S.) and neuroscience (B.S.) with a minor in chemistry. Her passion for neuroscience was ignited by witnessing how music performance could alleviate chronic pain, inspiring her to teach music to children to promote psychological well-being. Currently, she is a laboratory aide in the Koehler Lab at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, where she is developing pathophysiological measures to validate fluid biomarkers from traumatic brain injury (TBI) in rodent models. Elizabeth has also worked as a research assistant for the White Lab at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine Institute for Global Health and Infectious Disease, where she first authored a manuscript examining attitudes and beliefs regarding PrEP implementation in North Carolinian correctional facilities. After graduation, Elizabeth aspires to pursue a career as a neural engineer, focusing on developing brain-computer interfaces (BCI) to treat neurological disorders.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Engel, Lucas
Class of 2025
Behavioral & Integrative Neuroscience Intern
UNC Neurocognition and Imaging Research Lab
lmengel@unc.edu

Lucas Engel is a sophomore (with junior standing) double majoring in neuroscience and computer science with a minor in chemistry. He was raised in San Diego, California and moved to Anchorage, Alaska his junior year of high school. Luke’s interest in neuroscience started when he began personally researching the most effective ways to recover from a concussion in high school. Having recognized a disparity in the lack of research, Luke has set out to improve what we know regarding the diagnostics and treatments for concussions. His main interests lie in furthering the understanding of the impact of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) on dopaminergic transmission, the interruption of the glutamate and GABA homeostatic systems, epigenetic changes, and the connection between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and concussions. He is confident that understanding these mechanisms will provide insight into effective therapies to treat the “silent epidemic” of the lasting symptoms from a TBI. In addition to working with Dr. Raymond Anthony on a research project, Luke participated in a neuroscience club at the University of Alaska, Anchorage, and competed nationally in a neuroscience trivia competition. In his free time, he loves watching movies/tv, reading, playing chess or sports, and adventuring.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Forlemu, Stephanie
Class of 2024
Clinical Psychology Intern
NC Maternal Mental Health MATTERS
stdjoso@email.unc.edu

Stephanie Forlemu is a senior from Concord, North Carolina, majoring in neuroscience with a minor in women’s and gender studies. She is passionate about both clinical psychology and behavioral and integrative neuroscience, as they both inform the other in the pathology of psychological, neurocognitive, and neurodevelopmental disorders. Specifically, Stephanie wants to study this relationship through an intersectional lens to help conceptualize psychopathology in minority or systemically oppressed populations. She hopes to highlight their invisibility in mental health research, assessments, and psychological interventions. The opportunity to combine biology and the complexity of human behavior interests her because it exemplifies that neuroscience is more than the brain and the nervous system; it can impact one’s quality of life. Stephanie plans to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology to help improve mental health outcomes for clients by acknowledging how their identity shapes the way they interact with the world, and the world with them, on both neurological and psychological levels. Outside of academics, she enjoys reading, playing guitar, and watching movies with my friends.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Gerlach, Megan
Class of 2025
Quantitative Psychology Intern
UNC Neuro Image Research and Analysis Laboratories
mgerlach@unc.edu

Megan Gerlach is a junior from Cary, North Carolina majoring in neuroscience with minors in chemistry and data science. She is passionate about the intersection between neural circuitry and psychiatric conditions. Specifically, Megan is interested in how factors such as drugs of abuse may increase the risk for psychiatric and neurological condition progression, as well as the development of possible pharmaceutical treatments. This interest was reinforced through a neuropsychopharmacology course at UNC-Chapel Hill, as well as her work as an undergraduate research assistant in the Hantman Lab at the UNC Neuroscience Center. Through this lab, Megan researches the impact of motor cortex inhibition on skillful motor control in mice. She does so by implementing classical conditioning techniques in mice to enforce a reach-grab-eat task, analyzing electrophysiology recordings, performing optogenetic techniques, and utilizing computer aided design and 3-D printing to create parts for a developing fMRI machine. After she completes her undergraduate career, she hopes to obtain a Ph.D. in neuroscience, as she is motivated to contribute to research in this field to improve the diagnosis and treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders. In her free time, Megan enjoys cooking, thrifting, and spending time with her dog, Lucy.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Gray, Reese
Class of 2024
Clinical Psychology Intern
NC Department of Public Safety
reesemor@email.unc.edu

Reese Gray is a senior from Middletown, Delaware pursuing a B.S. in psychology as well as minors in philosophy and Spanish for the legal professions. At UNC, she works as an undergraduate research assistant in the Schiller Lab for Women’s Affective Neuroscience. She works primarily on the PEEPS Study, which is a neuroimaging based clinical trial focusing on the changes in mood that women experience during the menopause transition. She is also currently assisting on a systematic review paper evaluating the current molecular imaging literature regarding the effects of sex hormones on female brain neurochemistry. As a career, Reese is particularly interested in working with youth that are at higher risk for entering the criminal justice system due to untreated or under-treated mental illness. She is interested in finding ways to intervene early so that the child is less likely to serve prison time or develop maladaptive habits/coping mechanisms and can thrive into adulthood. After graduating, she hopes to be able to spend time in a Spanish-speaking country to hone her language skills, as well as pursue a Ph.D. in child clinical psychology. Outside of academics, Reese is heavily involved on campus. She is a member of the Marching Tar Heels (color guard), club boxing, Star Heels Dance Team, the Marching Tar Heel Volunteers, and volunteer tutoring. In her free time, she enjoys reading, going to concerts, watching shows, and listening to music.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Guirguis, Verina
Class of 2025
Clinical Psychology Intern
Threshold Clubhouse
vguirguis@unc.edu

Verina Guirguis is a junior pursuing a B.S. in neuroscience and a minor in chemistry. Since her freshman year, Verina has been a research assistant in the Carolina Center for Neurostimulation in UNC’s Department of Psychiatry. She first worked on a study exploring the potential link between neuroinflammation and mild cognitive impairment, which initially sparked her interest in the clinical applications of neuroscience research. More recently, Verina has been working on a neuro-cognitive experiment in healthy participants, focusing on the neurophysiological mechanism of belief updating. This experiment will soon be translated to an observational clinical trial investigating the influence of Esketamine treatment on depression and belief updating. Getting to explore unanswered questions within psychiatry through research has led her to develop a strong interest in understanding why current knowledge gaps exist, the efforts being made to address them, and the role that she can potentially play as both a student and aspiring psychiatrist. Verina’s experience as a Behavioral Health Companion at UNC Hospitals has also contributed to this interest, as she has been able to build one-on-one relationships with a broad range of psychiatric patients. She is also currently receiving training as a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) and will work this summer with children with autism spectrum disorder in hopes of learning more about Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy. Ultimately, Verina plans to attend medical school after graduation and continue to learn how evidence-based clinical practice is implemented in both psychiatry and other specialties.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Liu, Yinuo
Class of 2024
Clinical Psychology Intern
UNC Department of Psychology & Neuroscience Community Clinic
mayliu@ad.unc.edu

Yinuo Liu is a senior from Hangzhou, China double majoring in psychology and computer science. She has been a research assistant in the BEE Lab since summer 2022 and volunteered for the Brain and Early Experience Study as a data collector and analyzer. In Spring 2023, she joined the Jones Lab as an undergraduate volunteer and worked on video encoding for the Technology-Enhanced Helping Noncompliant Children Program. She is also a counselor for the Crisis Text Line and has helped more than one hundred texters cope with their crisis. In her free time, Yinuo enjoys reading, watching movies, and playing Nintendo Switch. After graduation, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and research family-based interventions.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Sodano, Christian
Class of 2025
Cognitive Psychology Intern
Pulvinar Neuro
csodano@unc.edu

Christian Sodano is a transfer junior from Holly Springs, North Carolina, pursuing a B.S. in neuroscience and a minor in computer science. He works in Dr. Flavio Frohlich’s lab, where he studies the role of neural oscillations in human cognition and psychopathology using non-invasive brain stimulation. His goal is to learn how to combine functional neuroimaging with brain stimulation to develop new treatments for severe mental illnesses which are targeted and personalized to the patient. Over the summer, he worked on a pilot trial that explored whether personalizing the settings of weak electrical brain stimulation (tACS) can improve the sleep and the memory of adults above the age of fifty. He hopes to see this pilot study expanded upon to a full-scale RCT testing brain stimulation as an intervention for Mild Cognitive Impairment, a symptomatic stage that is often the precursor to dementia. Beyond his work in Dr. Frohlich’s lab, Christian is dedicated to science communication and advocacy for people with mental illness. He works with the TEACH Initiative to develop educational curricula for high schoolers that focus on reducing the stigma and harm done to young people by the onset of mental illness.

______________________________________________________________________________________

St. Denis, Carson
Class of 2024
Clinical Psychology Intern
Duke Pain Prevention & Management Lab
carsonsd@ad.unc.edu

Carson St. Denis is a senior from Portland, Oregon double majoring in neuroscience and psychology. Since the fall of 2021, he has been a research assistant in the Carolina Affective Science Laboratory on the EPIC study, which attempts to study the effect that emotion has on physiology. He is interested in the neural networks of emotion, and how social interactions affect the brain and body as a whole. He is currently working on an honors thesis on measuring emotion granularity (differentiation) through different measures, hoping to find a way to accurately measure affect and genuine emotion that people feel throughout the day. He hopes to pursue a career in either pediatrics or affective neuroscience, both with a focus on promoting wellness through the ability to express emotions fluently. In his free time, he enjoys biking, traveling, reading about genetics, competing in Smash Ultimate, and playing with his cat, Sugarland.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Swain, Carson
Class of 2025
Cognitive Psychology Intern
CareYaya
cjswain@ad.unc.edu

Carson Swain is a junior from Burlington, North Carolina majoring in biology and neuroscience with a minor in chemistry. He has a passion to investigate neurodegenerative diseases, specifically Alzheimer’s disease, which has affected his family personally. Carson was a research assistant in the Batrakova Lab in the UNC Center for Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery, where he explored novel drug therapeutics to promote neuroprotection and reduce neuroinflammation. He is currently a research assistant in the UNC Aging Brain Clinic, which works in collaboration with Duke as a part of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers (ADRC). These opportunities have been instrumental in his path towards neurology, in which he aims to better the experience and health outcomes of patients with neurodegenerative diseases. At UNC, Carson is also a part of Alpha Epsilon Delta, the Pre-Health Honor Society, in which he serves as the Service Chair. Beyond his academic interests, he loves to thrift and upcycle clothes, bake, discover new music, and play volleyball.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Udaiyar, Kayal
Class of 2024
Clinical Psychology Intern
3-C Family Services
kayalru@ad.unc.edu

Kayal Udaiyar is a senior from Winston Salem, NC, double majoring in psychology and neuroscience with a minor in creative writing. She is a research assistant in the SHARP/NERD lab under Dr. Susan Girdler and Dr. Elizabeth Anderson, where they study how stress impacts adolescent females who have difficulties with depression, suicidal thoughts, self-harm, or related symptoms. Kayal also assists on a study investigated by Dr. Jose Rodriguez-Romaguera and Dr. Anthony Zannas which examines how healthcare workers react to stressful cues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. She is passionate about working with people, especially BIPOC women, and in the future she wants to pursue a career in healthcare or therapy. Outside of school, she loves playing ultimate frisbee, writing stories and taking pictures.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Vallebona, Camila
Class of 2024
Developmental Psychology Intern
UNC Early Brain Development Study
camilavv@email.unc.edu

Camila Vallebona is an international student from Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is a senior majoring in neuroscience and minoring in French. Her first research experience was in the Physical Activity Can Enhance Life Study at the Penn Lab, where the mission was to provide two weekly walking sessions to a group diagnosed with schizophrenia and to monitor their progress. That study showed her the compassionate side of research and taught her the value of interacting with participants. Starting in 2023, she started volunteering at the UNC Neurocognition and Imaging Research Lab to dive deeper into clinical neuroscience with Dr. Belger and her team. This remarkable lab invited her to join the ProNET Study, a global collaboration of 27 sites in the world that are gathering forces to identify a combination of biomarkers to diagnose schizophrenia in people at high risk for psychosis. The UNC site focuses on EEG biomarkers, giving Camila the opportunity to get her EEG certification and perform the paradigm on participants from 13 to 30 years old. Additionally, Camila started her research path on stress by writing a review paper on the interaction between stress dimensions and mood disorders. In summer 2023, she started an experiment to measure stress in college students experiencing anxiety symptoms using EEG. The next project she has in mind will be the subject of her honors thesis. She will analyze the resting-state fMRI data on participants at high risk for psychosis from a previous study and recruit them back for assessment. The objective will be to establish the relation between resting state network connectivity in adolescents and negative symptom domains of psychosis. In addition to her passion for neuroscience, Camila loves studying languages (especially French and Italian), grabbing coffee with friends, reading fiction, playing the drums, traveling around the globe, and boxing.