FANI AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE LAB
THE FANS FAM
DR. NEGAR FANI
Principal Investigator
Negar Fani, PhD is a clinical neuropsychologist whose clinical work and research is centered around people with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), particularly those who have experienced childhood maltreatment and other types of interpersonal trauma. She studies the intersection of emotion and cognition in individuals with this disorder.
Dr. Fani adopts a multi-method approach to examining the various cognitive and affective manifestations of post-traumatic stress, including attentional disruptions, dissociative responses and emotional reactivity. She uses novel cognitive tasks (adapted to the population under study), neuropsychological testing, functional MRI and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to assess the neural underpinnings of these phenomena, and ultimately, inform the selection of appropriate interventions. She also investigates genetic and immune factors that influence vulnerability for PTSD, and their interactions with childhood maltreatment. Her interest in research-based interventions is reflected in a current clinical trial for improving attention and interoception in dissociative traumatized people.
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ALLIE GUELFO
Research Coordinator
Allie Guelfo graduated from Georgia State University with a B.S. in psychology in August 2020. She joined the lab as an undergraduate research assistant in February 2019. As an undergraduate, Allie was a teaching assistant and a research assistant for the Complex Cognition Lab and Gesture, Language, and Learning Lab at GSU. Her research interests include trauma, emotion regulation, and cognition. She hopes to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology in the future.
DR. LEYLA EGHBALZAD
Leyla Eghbalzad, PhD is a developmental psychologist interested in the extent to which cognitive skills and environmental factors interact during typical development. As an undergraduate research assistant, she became interested in how individual differences play a role in language development. For her graduate work at Georgia State University, she focused on how cognitive skills and socioeconomic factors impact neurophysiological mechanisms underlying language development in children by using electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques. Leyla’s doctoral dissertation focused on examining individual differences in brain regions associated with statistical learning in children from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, using structural MRI measures. As a postdoctoral fellow, Leyla is interested in examining the influence of research-based interventions on learning in adults with environmentally deprived childhoods.
DR. EMMA LATHAN-POWELL
Postdoctoral Fellow
Emma Lathan, Ph.D., joined the FANs Lab as a clinical post-doctoral fellow in August 2021. Dr. Lathan completed her Ph.D. in Clinical and Counseling Psychology at University of South Alabama and her pre-doctoral clinical internship at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Dr. Lathan's program of research investigates how post-trauma interaction with the criminal justice and healthcare systems impact gender-based violence victims' physical and mental health and system engagement. She also brings a unique perspective through her focus on enhancing patient and professionals’ outcomes via system-wide adoption and evaluation of trauma-informed care. She has recently begun to consider how moral injury and its effects manifest among chronically trauma-exposed civilians.
AZIZ ELBASHEIR
Graduate Research Assistant
Aziz Elbasheir graduated from Hunter College with a B.A. in 2020 in psychology and a behavioral neuroscience concentration. He is currently a second year in the neuroscience graduate program at Emory University pursuing his PhD. His interests include, trauma, PTSD, cognition and neural mechanisms of racial discrimination. He hopes to continue the academic track in efforts to become a professor.
ONYE OKEKE
Medical Student Research Assistant
Onye Okeke graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2016 with a B.A. in Neuroscience. He is currently a fourth year medical student at Emory University. He joined the FANs Lab in the summer of 2021. His research interests include neural underpinnings of racial discrimination, emotion regulation, and neurorehabilitation. He plans to pursue a career in neurology after graduation.
MARIANA ROCHA
Graduate Research Assistant
Mariana Rocha graduated from Yale University 2020 with a B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology where she completed a neuroscience-based thesis studying the cognitive effects of Early Life Stress in mouse models. She is a first year in the neuroscience doctorate program at Emory University, currently completing lab rotations. Her scientific interests include identifying the psychiatric and psychological effects of environmental insults during childhood and adulthood.
VIJWALA YAKKANTI
Research Assistant
Vijwala Yakkanti is a fourth year undergraduate at Emory University studying Anthropology/Human Biology and Chemistry. She joined FANs Lab due to her interest in neuropsychology and the effects of mindfulness practices on people with symptoms of trauma exposure. She plans to pursue an MD-PhD in the future.
REBECCA GIBBONS
Research Assistant
Rebecca Gibbons is a fourth year undergraduate at Emory University studying Neuroscience & Behavioral Biology and Spanish. Her research interests include the impact of childhood and adolescent trauma exposure on neurological & psychological development, and cultural and linguistic factors affecting minority mental healthcare access. She plans to pursue an MPH and PhD in the future.
JENN HUO
Research Assistant
Jenn Huo is a fourth year undergraduate at Emory studying Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology.  Her research interests include the neural substrates of cognition and complex behavior—including how trauma, dissociation, and mindfulness affect the brain.  After Emory she hopes to pursue a PhD in Integrative/Systems Neuroscience.
AMANDA MIAO
Research Assistant
Amanda is a third year undergraduate at Emory University studying Biology and Human Health. She joined the Fans Lab due to her interests in neuropsychology, trauma exposure, and dissociation. She plans to pursue an MD in the future.
KAITLYN BAPPERT
Research Assistant
Kaitlyn Bappert is a fourth year undergraduate Psychology student at Georgia State University. Her work at the FANs Lab is preparing her for graduate school in clinical counseling, along with a future career in trauma therapy.
SARAH ABDUL-GHANI
Research Assistant
Sarah Abdul-Ghani is a third year undergraduate at Emory University majoring in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology. She joined FANs lab in November 2020 and is using this opportunity to explore her research interests particularly in the fields of Neuroscience and Clinical Psychology. Sarah plans on attending medical school after graduation.
ANNA KOTTAKIS
Research Assistant
Anna Kottakis is a third year undergraduate at Emory University studying Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology and Creative Writing. She joined the FANs Lab due to her interests in trauma exposure. She plans to pursue either a PhD in Neuroscience or a career in science communication and media.
LAB ALUMNI
Dominique LaBarrie - Post-Bac Research Assistant
Tiffany Tucker - Post-Bac Research Assistant
Cherita Clendinen - Research Study Coordinator
Sadiya Dhanani - Medical Student Research Assistant
Jenani Srijeyanthan - Undergraduate Research Assistant
Shannon Meyer - Research Assistant
Raven Hardy - Graduate Research Assistant
Sindhuja Surapaneni, MD - Research Interviewer
Amrita Kaimal - Research Assistant
Anusha Challa - Research Assistant
Nayan Tiwary - Research Assistant
Bianca Robinson - Research Assistant
Drew Teer, Ph.D. - Graduate Research Assistant
Madeleine Kloess - Research Assistant
Jahnvi Jain - Research Assistant
Akira Wang, MPH - Graduate Research Assistant
Leyla Karimzadeh- Research Assistant
Amanda Liew, MPH- Graduate Research Assistant