Meet the Team
Dr. April Thames
BWITS Investigator
Dr. Thames is Professor of Psychiatry and Chief Psychologist of the Adult Division of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the University of California Los Angeles. Her clinical and research expertise as a neuropsychologist focuses on the neurological, neurocognitive and functional consequences of infectious diseases and sociocultural factors, particularly in underrepresented populations. She is Principal Investigator on several grant supported studies targeting (1) The impact of lifetime stress and adversity on neurocognitive and functional outcomes in HIV (2) the impact of stereotype threat and perceived discrimination in neurocognitive performance in African Americans; (3) neurological and functional consequences of HIV in geriatric HIV adults; and (4) genetic predictors of cognitive impairment.
Dr. Marc Norman
BWITS Investigator
Dr. Norman’s primary research interest is in neuropsychological functioning in healthy normal adults and adults with neurological or psychiatric disorders. He is involved with ongoing studies in assessing cognitive and memory performance in healthy adults, especially Senior African Americans. Also, Dr. Norman is involved in research addressing the cognitive and affective implications of disease modifying therapies in Multiple Sclerosis as well as research in Epilepsy. Additionally, Dr. Norman has served as an ad hoc reviewer for Neuropsychiatry, Neuropsychology, and Behavioral Neurology.
Dr. Sarah Banks
BWITS Investigator
Dr. Sarah Banks is the Director of the Neuropsychology Program, Center for Memory Disorders and Brain Health. Her research uses multimodal imaging, cognitive testing and genetics to better understand sex differences in Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr. Erin Sundermann
BWITS Investigator
Dr. Erin Sundermann is a cognitive neuroscientist with a broad research scope in Alzheimer's disease and cognitive aging. Within that scope, she focuses on sex differences and the discovery of sex-specific biomarkers and risk factors for AD as well as the manifestation of Alzheimer's disease in the context of HIV.
Joy Stradford, M.S
Graduate Student Researcher
Joy Stradford graduated with a B.S. in Psychology from Howard University and a M.S. in Neuroimaging and Informatics from the University of Southern California. Joy is now a doctoral student in the SDSU/ UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology under the mentorship of Dr. Erin Sundermann and Dr. Sarah Banks. Joy is interested in identifying race and sex disparities in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD), and uncovering solutions to promote better health outcomes for minoritized communities. Joy also has a specific interest in the interaction between grief and health outcomes in older adults.
Nadine Heyworth, PhD
Program Manager
Dr. Nadine Heyworth is the Program Manager for the WITS/BWITS research groups at UCSD. She received her Ph.D. in Anatomy and Neurobiology at Boston University and completed post-doctoral fellowships at the Center for Translational Cognitive Neuroscience at the Boston VA Hospital, and in the Department of Psychiatry at UCSD. Her research interests focus on age-related cognitive function and the underlying neuronal processes involved in learning and memory in older adults and patients with Alzheimer's disease. She previously managed drug-intervention clinical trials at the UCSD Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and served as the liaison between the community, researchers, and sponsors interested in clinical research studies.
Sarah Moghaddam, B.S.
Research Coordinator
Sarah joined the UCLA Social Neuroscience in Health Psychology Lab in the spring of 2023. As one of the lab’s psychometrists, she conducts research participant visits and carries out the study’s neuroimaging and cognitive testing. She graduated from UCLA in 2022 with a bachelor’s in neuroscience and hopes to attend medical school. Her interests include studying neurodegenerative disorders and participating in community outreach through organizations like the Huntington’s Disease Society of America.
Michelle Jackson, PhD, MSN, ANP-BC, PMHNP-BC
Community Engagement Coordinator
Dr. Michelle Jackson is a dual board-certified Adult and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with over 14 years of clinical experience. Dr. Jackson received her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from UC San Diego and her Master of Science in Nursing and Post-Master’s Certificate from Yale University and UC San Francisco, respectively. In 2022, Dr. Jackson graduated from the University of San Diego with a PhD in nursing. Her research interests include mental health of older adults, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Alzheimer's Disease Related Dementias (ADRD), health equity, and cultural competency in healthcare.
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Seth Almaraz
Undergraduate Student Volunteer
Seth is an undergraduate Psychology student assisting researchers in the BWITS project. His engagement with BWITS inspires him to continue learning about and engaging in research that works with culturally diverse populations, and he aims to earn a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from a neuropsychology program. In his free time, Seth enjoys reading, exercising, and spending time with his family.
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Julia Talavera, B.S.
Research Coordinator
Julia joined the UCLA Social Neuroscience and Health Psychology Lab in the Spring of 2023. As one of the lab’s psychometrists, she conducts research participant visits and carries out the study’s neuroimaging and cognitive testing components. Before the SNIHP lab, Julia was a study coordinator at the UCLA Neuroimaging and Addiction Treatment Lab. Julia is interested in studying the intersection of neuroscience and the social determinants of health in communities. After graduating from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science, Julia began working with different diverse populations to understand how social factors affect lifestyles. Julia plans on attending graduate school and studying public health.