I completed my PhD in Clinical Psychology at The University of Texas at Austin and my clinical internship at the VA San Diego Health Care System, where my research and clinical focus was on PTSD, anxiety, and substance use disorders. I received postdoctoral training in psychiatric genomics at UC San Diego and clinical informatics at Kaiser Permanente Northern California’s Division of Research. I then joined the Psychology Department at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa as an Assistant Professor in 2023. I am also the founder and director of the Targeted Interventions Lab, which focuses on developing targeted prevention and intervention strategies for mental health outcomes, including addiction, anxiety, and stress-related psychopathology.

I’m a doctoral student in the Clinical Science Program at UHM. I completed my BA in psychology at UCLA in 2018. I then spent 7 years working as a research associate and project coordinator at UCLA’s Integrated Substance Use and Addiction Program. During this time, I also conducted research exploring predictors of improvement on a digital intervention. My passion is developing targeted, transdiagnostic interventions that can be personalized to individual needs and characteristics. In line with this goal, I aim to integrate machine learning and technology (e.g., digital therapeutics, wearables) to facilitate the momentary measurement and examination of dynamic transdiagnostic mechanisms as potential treatment targets. I have a special interest in examining emotion regulation and related mechanisms that support adaptive regulation (e.g., cognitive appraisals, goal-directed behavior). Fun facts: I love cooking, working out, reading, swimming in the ocean, am a music lover, and a philosophy enthusiast (always open to conversations about the meaning of our existence and the purpose we hold as human beings. (Spoiler: I believe we do have one.) 

Hi, my name is Alana! I am a doctoral student in the Clinical Science Program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, working under the mentorship of Dr. Papini as well as Dr. Scott Sinnett in the Cognition, Neuroscience, and Social Program. Originally from Texas, I earned my B.S. in Neuroscience and Psychology with a minor in Spanish from Trinity University in December 2022. After graduating, I spent two years working as a Clinical Research Coordinator in the Psychiatry Neuroimaging Lab at Harvard Medical School/Mass General Brigham in Boston. There, I leveraged diffusion tensor imaging to investigate alterations in white matter microstructure following repetitive head impacts in former American football players. I am interested in integrating multimodal techniques to assess changes in cognition after traumatic brain injury, with the aim of informing neurorehabilitative care and individualized treatment as a clinical neuropsychologist in the future. Outside of research, I enjoy playing soccer, running, hiking, and making way too many overly specific playlists on Spotify. Fun facts: I have been to all 50 states and 37 national parks in the US! I also lived in Peru for 5 weeks this past summer, as I am trying to become fluent in Spanish.

Hi there, my name is Soph. I received a B.A in Justice and Peace Studies from Georgetown University, an MA in Elementary School Education from Johns Hopkins University and an MA in Counseling Psychology from UH Hilo. I previously taught elementary school special education in Washington DC, and now I work as a clinical mental health counselor on Oahu and Big Island serving both children and adults. My primary research interest is emotion regulation. I am interested in the relationship between social inequality and the development of emotion regulation skills, and what interventions best support the development of emotion regulation skills, especially in under-resourced or oppressed communities. As a researcher for the Targeted Interventions Lab, I am developing and testing a classroom based digital intervention designed to support the development of emotion regulation skills in elementary school students. I hope to expand upon my research in this area by applying to PhD programs in the future.

I studied Health Management and Policy at the University of Michigan School of Public Health where I earned a Master of Health Services Administration (MHSA). I also hold a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a Minor in Music. Before joining the Targeted Interventions Lab, I was the Lead Strategy Consultant for Kaiser Permanente Hawaii and a Project Manager for the Hawaii Health Partners Accountable Care Organization at Hawaii Pacific Health. My research experience includes community based participatory research on colorectal cancer in Filipinos and sexually transmitted infection prevention in Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Asian teen girls in Hawaii. I am currently preparing to apply for PhD programs in Clinical Psychology; my research interests include ADHD comorbidities related to chronic pain, ADHD diagnostic criteria for females, and ADHD management for Asian American and Pacific Islanders.

Hello my name is Grace! I was formerly a student at the Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa until I made my shift into economics and the social sciences. I am an economics major with a concentration in quantitative methods; I also hold a mathematics and English minor. My long-term goal is to obtain an academic doctorate in economics and become a policy researcher. I joined this lab since the nexus of my research interest resides in health economics and clinical psychology. More specifically, in the intersection of stress, anxiety and the economic costs of work intensity. 

I am a third year undergraduate psychology major studying at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. I transferred to UH in fall of 2024 from St  John's University, in Queens, New York. During my time at St. at John's university I worked as a research assistant on a study examining the mediating role of resilience and self esteem in the relationship between  psychological maltreatment and behavioral problems in adolescents.  At UH I am  conducting my own research through the honors program with my mentor Dr. Papini as well as gaining more research experience as an assistant as a lab assistant for Dr. Haapanen  whose work focuses on primary prevention for alcohol and substance abuse. My future goals include completing a graduate degree in speech and language pathology and continuing my language studies while traveling abroad.

I am an undergraduate psychology major at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa with a strong interest in how predictive modeling can improve outcomes for people with anxiety and depression, as well as exploring how social relationships influence individual responses to trauma. In my time at UH Mānoa, I joined the Targeted Interventions Lab with Dr. Papini to further my academic research and understanding of preventive strategies for mental health. Looking ahead, I aim to graduate from UH Mānoa spring of 2026 and begin a PhD program in psychology in the following fall semester. My long term career goal is to become a professor at an R1 university, conducting mental health research.