Michelle R. Madore, Ph.D., Director
Dr. Madore is multiracial, Filipina woman working as a Clinical Neuropsychologist at VA Palo Alto Healthcare System (VAPAHCS) in the Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC). Here she serves as the Director of the National Clinical Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Program whose mission is to: 1) increase the availability of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) for treatment-resistant depression in Veterans and (2) gain a greater understanding of the treatment efficacy of TMS in our complex Veteran population. She is also the Co-Director of the Sierra Pacific MIRECC Advanced Fellowship at VAPAHCS. Dr. Madore is the site PI on two multi-site funded studies looking at neuroimaging biomarkers of treatment response to TMS in treatment-resistant depression. Dr. Madore is also a Clinical Assistant Professor (Affiliated) at Stanford University School of Medicine’s Department in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.
She received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Cincinnati, where she received specialized training in neuropsychology. Dr. Madore completed her pre-doctoral internship at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System (VAPAHCS). She has completed postdoctoral training focused on clinical neuropsychology and neurorehabilitation research at VA Martinez, San Francisco VA Medical Center and VAPAHCS.
Dr. Madore is involved in several professional organizations and serves in several leadership positions. She is the Secretary for the Society of Clinical Neuropsychology.
 |  |  |
|---|
Meet the Team
Bo Dehm Wicklund
Research Practicum Student
Bo Dehm Wicklund received her B.A. in Psychology and minor in Cognitive Science from the University of Connecticut in 2023. Bo has experience leading study visits with families at UConn Health in the Family Adversity Resilience Research (FARR) Lab, collecting EEG/ERP and physiological data from violence-exposed and non-exposed children. Bo collected MRI data in the same group of participants at UConn’s Brain Imaging Research Center. In affiliation with this center, Bo was part of the brainLENS Lab’s BRAINCamp during the summer of 2022, where she administered neuropsychological assessments to second and third-graders. Data from this study was used in Bo’s Honors Thesis titled “The Relationship Between Reading Anxiety and General Anxiety in 7-10-year-old Children With Reading Difficulties”. She has clinical work experience as a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT), where for over a year, she administered Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy to children with ASD, ADHD, and other special needs. Bo plans to apply to Clinical Psychology Ph.D. programs to pursue a career in research.
LaRoman Chauncey Green, BA
Program Specialist
LaRoman Chauncey Green is a Program Specialist tasked with the coordination of the National Clinical TMS Pilot Program, under the direction of Michelle Madore Ph.D. Chauncey supports 50+ clinical sites throughout the Department of Veterans Affairs. He develops program-specific tools and resources and assists with program evaluation of TMS utilization and efficacy. Chauncey graduated from San Jose State University with a bachelor’s degree in Health Science and a concentration in Health Services Administration. Before joining the pilot program, he was a clinical research associate with Stanford University School of Medical, where he coordinated an education and skill-building, technology-based, caregiver intervention.
In his spare time, Chauncey is an avid musician, specializing in percussion instruments. He also owns and is currently restoring a classic 1967 Ford Mustang.
Robert Hickson
Practicum Student
Bobby Hickson is a doctoral student at Palo Alto University's clinical psychology program. He graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2012 with his bachelor's degree in psychology, and then he graduated from University College London in 2020 with his master's degree in Cognitive Neuroscience. Bobby has a strong interest in cognitive neuroscience, neuropsychology, and statistical methods in research. His current research interest is related to the durability of symptom reduction in depression and PTSD after TMS treatment.
Mia Gonzalez
Clinical Research Assistant
Mia Gonzalez graduated from San Jose State University with a B.S. in Justice Studies, concentrating in Criminology, and a minor in Psychology. Her background fuels her passion for understanding human behavior and the psychological factors that contribute to criminal actions and trauma. Mia gained valuable experience working at Elmwood Correctional Facility, which allowed her to support incarcerated individuals through counseling, life skills development classes, and career exploration, reinforcing her dedication to rehabilitation and reintegration. She is particularly invested in the rehabilitation of incarcerated and delinquent populations, aiming to not only understand their unique challenges, but also to equip them with prosocial skills that promote reintegration. With a focus on applying psychological principles in both clinical and forensic settings, Mia hopes to assess, diagnose, and provide expert testimony on criminal behavior and mental health. She is committed to bridging her knowledge from both fields to better understand how trauma and mental health disorders intersect with the justice system. In her free time, Mia enjoys playing and spending time with her dog Tater Tot
Jasmine Hargrove
Research Practicum Student
Jasmine Hargrove is a graduate student volunteer in the NEAT lab. She is an incoming master’s student at the University of Minnesota Duluth under Dr. Robert Lloyd. She graduated from the University of Tennessee at Martin in the Fall of 2022 with a B.S. in Psychology, where she studied the effects of parental divorce in childhood on adult attachment styles. Her interests are broad but include the effects of early childhood stress in individuals from diverse populations and the biopsychological differences that manifest and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Jasmine’s ultimate career goal is to become a neuropsychologist, and she plans on applying to PhD programs the fall of 2024.
Indira Galeeva
Research Practicum Student
Indira Galeeva is a graduate student volunteer in the NEAT lab. She is a second year Master of Experimental Psychology student at the University of Minnesota Duluth under Dr. Rebecca Gilbertson. She is also a graduate research assistant at Memory Keepers Medical Discovery team, which is a research center that is focused on collaborative research to improve dementia outcomes in Indigenous and rural communities. She graduated from the Saint Olaf College, Northfield, MN in the Spring of 2023 with a B.A. in Psychology and concentration in Neuroscience. Her interests are focused on addiction, specifically alcohol addiction. She is interested in how sociocultural factors can impact cognition. She is also passionate in learning how to ethically and compassionately work with marginalized communities by primarily focusing on protective factors as well as hoping to be able to uplift them with novel research. Her Master’s thesis is focused on Eastern European immigrants and how stereotypes on alcohol use might impact their inhibitory control. Indira is currently applying to PhD programs in clinical psychology (Fall 2024)
Sonia Rehman
Research Practicum Student
Sonia Syed Rehman is a doctoral candidate at Fielding Graduate University’s clinical psychology program and a neuropsychology extern at the Washington DC VA Medical Center. Her prior academic background includes a master’s degree in psychological counseling. Her academic and professional experiences have led her to explore the differences in disease presentation and treatment in culturally and linguistically diverse populations, especially understanding the bidirectional relationship between psychiatric and neurological conditions in South Asian communities within the US. Her current research project includes examining the cross-national differences in the interaction between vascular burden and depressive symptoms on cognitive outcomes in older adults.
Michelle Wong
Research Practicum Student
Michelle Wong graduated from the University of California, Davis with a B.S. in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior and a minor in Psychology. During her undergraduate career, Michelle conducted research on whether biobehavioral synchrony affects cognitive outcomes in children at the Social Environment and Stress Lab. She also served as a coordinator for the wellness program at Bayanihan Clinic in Sacramento. Michelle is interested in understanding the neurobiological basis of psychiatric disorders and utilizing this knowledge to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health conditions. She hopes to explore alternative treatment methods to medication — such as TMS — for depression and other mood disorders through clinical research. With the knowledge gained from her experience at the NEAT Lab, Michelle hopes to develop the ability to create treatment plans individualized for patients from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. She plans to pursue an MD and is interested in psychiatry.
Tim Lyons
Research Assistant
Tim joins our lab from Dr. Leanne Williams’ PanLab. He is a research engineer currently specializing in the development of neuroimaging data processing pipelines and data analysis. In his free time, Tim enjoys cooking, going to the gym, and exploring San Francisco with his friends.
Lauren Meier
Research Practicum Student
Lisa N. Cruz, PhD Fellow 2023-2025
Dr. Lisa N. Cruz is a Filipina-American woman, working as a first-year neuropsychology research fellow at Palo Alto VA Sierra Pacific MIRECC and Stanford School of Medicine. She earned her PhD in clinical psychology from Yeshiva University, Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She received her MA from Harvard University, and a BA from Stony Brook University. Research interests include utilizing digital tools to: identify biomarkers of neurocognitive disorders; streamline the process of measuring neurocognitive abilities; and identify intervention strategies for individuals with neurodegenerative disorders. Clinically, she is interested in assessing adults with cognitive impairment, psychiatric comorbidities, and neurodevelopmental disorders. Helping to reduce sociocultural health disparities and advocate for underrepresented groups is interwoven throughout her work. She was a Fellow of the APA Interdisciplinary Minority Fellowship Program (2020-2022), and has served on student/trainee executive boards for several professional organizations.
Nathan Merin
Research Practicum Student
Lauren received her B.S.'s in Clinical Neuroscience and Psychology from Virginia Tech in May 2023. During her time in undergraduate, she was a part of the Research for Alcohol and Couple's Health (REACH) Lab where she acted as a lab manager, project coordinator, and research assistant. This lab aimed to explore the co-occurrence of intimate partner violence (IPV) and alcohol use. Lauren took an interest in cyber dating violence, a form of IPV, and LGBTQ+ populations. In a grant she obtained herself, she explored how alcohol and drugs contributed to risky behaviors in LGBTQ+ hook-up experiences. Outside of lab, she obtained pediatric neuropsychological experience such as working as an ABA technician and also working in a private practice administering and scoring assessments. Her interests broadly are neurodevelopment and executive functioning among adolescents, substance use and risky behaviors, and LGBTQ+ populations. Lauren hopes to apply to clinical psychology PhD programs eventually with a focus in neuropsychology. Outside of her work and research, she loves cooking and going to aquariums.
Nathan Merin is an undergraduate student at Brandeis University studying Psychology and Computer Science. In the past, he was a part of the 2024 VA-PAVIR Summer Research Program, and worked at the NEAT Lab as a Research Intern. In his position, he shadowed Clinical Research Coordinators engaged in various research tasks and patient contact, and was trained to both administer rTMS, and conduct research projects using data from the rTMS clinical database. He also previously worked at the San Francisco District Attorneys’ Office’s Victim Services Division to support Victim Advocates as they guided underrepresented victims through their court appearances and the greater legal system. He currently works at the NEAT lab as a research volunteer assisting with research and administrative tasks concerning ongoing projects as needed. Additionally, he works as a research assistant in Dr. Margie Lachman’s Lifespan Lab at Brandeis University, primarily focused on working with MIDUS national data performing cognitive scoring, and assisting with scoring for telephone latency timing through the help of IBM Watson software. In the future, Nathan plans to pursue a higher education in psychology, and eventually start a career in psychological research or clinical work. He hopes to mitigate societal stigma towards seeking mental health assistance and to provide holistic support that acknowledges the intersecting life factors that can affect health outcomes.
Nicole Evangelista, PhD Fellow 2024-2026
Dr. Nicole (“Colee”) Evangelista is a first-year VISN 21 Sierra Pacific MIRECC neuropsychology
postdoctoral fellow at the VA Palo Alto. She earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology, with a focus in
Neuropsychology, from the University of Florida and completed her predoctoral residency at the VA Palo
Alto within the Clinical Neuropsychology track. She completed a MS in Psychology at the University of Florida and BS in Physiology & Neuroscience at the University of California San Diego. She aims to become a board-certified rehabilitation neuropsychologist within an interdisciplinary health care setting. Her research is focused on characterizing neural and sociocultural factors that may be targeted by non-
pharmacological interventions (e.g., neuromodulation, exercise, policy) to improve clinical and cognitive
outcomes in older age and risk for Alzheimer’s disease. She is committed to integrating advocacy and
social justice throughout her clinical, research, and professional activities to help increase access to
training opportunities and health care services for individuals of systemically marginalized backgrounds.
In her free time, she enjoys going to concerts, singing her heart out at karaoke or emo nights, playing
soccer, exploring new hiking or bike trails, and spending time with friends and family.