Our Team
Lab Director
Dr. Matthew Calamia
Associate Professor, Dept of Psychology, Louisiana State University
Email: mcalamia@lsu.edu
Clinical Psychology (PhD), Minor: Neuropsychology, University of Iowa, 2014
Clinical Psychology Internship, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2014
Psychology (MS), University of Iowa, 2009
Psychology (BS), Louisiana State University, 2007
Dr. Matthew Calamia joined the psychology faculty at LSU in 2014 after receiving his PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Iowa. He is also an adjunct faculty member at the Institute for Dementia Research and Prevention at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center. His main research interests involve the measurement of cognitive abilities and psychopathology in the context of neuropsychological assessment. Outside of work, he enjoys listening to podcasts as he tries to establish a running habit, cheering for the Jets (J-E-T-S, Jets!, Jets! Jets!), and going out to eat with friends.
Current Graduate Students
Luke Miller
Email: lmil149@lsu.edu
Clinical Psychology (MA), Louisiana State University
Psychology (BS), Drexel University
Luke is interested in the utility of technology (e.g., virtual reality) and positive neuropsychological factors in the assessment and cognitive rehabilitation of those with acquired brain injury and dementia. Recently, Luke has been working with therapists at a local outpatient rehab to implement a driving simulator program, a resilience intervention, and other initiatives to track treatment progress.
In his free time, Luke enjoys traveling, cooking (but mostly eating) Mexican cuisine, and obsessing over Pittsburgh professional sports.
Katrail Davis
Email: kdav285@lsu.edu
Psychology (BS), Wayne State University
Katrail is mainly interested in assessment with underrepresented populations. Particularly, she is interested in ways to improve neuropsychological measures to help improve health outcomes for aging adults.
Outside of school, Katrail enjoys running, knitting, crocheting, and binge-watching criminal minds (or any crime show).
Ashlyn Runk
Email: arunk1@lsu.edu
Psychology (BS), University of Mary Washington
Ashlyn is broadly interested in the assessment of everyday functional ability in older adults with neurodegenerative disorders. She is specifically interested in the development of brief technology based measures of functioning and the use of behavioral interventions to maintain or improve independent everyday functional ability in these populations.
Outside of school, she enjoys cooking, hanging out with her cat (Mitties) and her dog (Lincoln), and trying (only somewhat successfully) to keep her houseplants alive.
Hannah Lovato
Email: hlovat1@lsu.edu
General Psychology (MS), New Mexico Highlands University
Psychology (BS), Christopher Newport University
Hannah is interested broadly in neuropsychological assessment of Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive decline. Specifically how depression and anxiety play a role in early detection of cognitive decline to try and limit negative impacts on daily functioning. Outside of school Hannah likes playing video games, painting and sculpting, and playing with her dog Sasha.
Outside of school Hannah likes playing video games, painting and sculpting, and playing with her dog Sasha.
Michael Jaworski
Email: mjawor2@lsu.edu
Psychology (BA & MA), University at Buffalo
Michael's interests lie broadly within adult aging populations and neurodegenerative disorders. He is interested in the integration of technology into assessment and intervention, the effects of personality in everyday functioning, cognitive reserve, and generally the study of psychometrics. He enjoys everything Buffalo food and sports, traveling overseas, and in my very few free moments, playing on my ps5.
Michael enjoys everything Buffalo food and sports, traveling overseas, and in his very few free moments, playing on his PlayStation 5.
Alex Badillo Cabrera
Email: abadil4@lsu.edu
Psychology (BA), University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras
Alex is broadly interested in the risk factors for cognitive decline in older ethnoracially diverse groups. I intend to explore how psychosocial factors, such as socioeconomic status, education, and specific cultural characteristics, may play a mediating role in the risk of developing dementia.
In his free time, Alex enjoys cooking and creating art.
Nazareth Ortega
Email: norteg9@lsu.edu
Psychology (BA), California State University, Northridge
Nazareth's interests lie broadly in biopsychosocial mechanisms underlying aging disparities and dementia risk. Specifically, she's interested in how psychosocial risk and protective factors, along with vascular health, influence functional and cognitive outcomes, particularly in underserved communities.
Outside of school, you'll find her at a concert (la musica es vida), in a coffee shop, a run club (surviving), cooking for friends, or exploring the outdoors (when it's not 100 degrees)
Graduate Students on Predoctoral Internship
Ross Divers
Predoctoral Internship: The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center
Ross is broadly interested in neuropsychological consequences associated with late-life depression in healthy older adults and those with MCI and dementia. Specifically, he is interested in decline in everyday functioning and in the incorporation of technology into functional assessments and cognitive rehabilitation. Outside of school, Ross enjoys cooking, reading, and going to the movies.
Chris Reed
Predoctoral Internship: VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System
Chris is interested in the psychological factors associated with neurocognitive disorders, including dementia. Specifically, how they progress in order to develop ecologically valid tests utilizing technology such as virtual reality to better assess an individual's true functioning in the real world. He is also interested in how mood disorders affect results of neuropsychological assessment to better account for their impact.
In his free time, Chris enjoys writing, cooking any type of cuisine, and exploring new places!