Alumni/ Graduados

Doctoral Alumni/ Graduados Doctorados

Christina (Tia) Albia, Ph.D. 

Clinical Psychology 

After receiving her B.S. in Biology and B.A. in Spanish at the College of Charleston, Dr. Albia began working as a case manager for immigrant populations in Charleston, South Carolina at the National Crime Victims Treatment and Research Center. There, her passion for delivering culturally-sensitive interventions and assessments for minority children and families, especially those who have suffered trauma(s), was ignited. Dr. Albia's dissertation was entitled "Trauma Exposure and Mental Health for Children and Adolescents in a Nationally Representative Sample." Previous clinical placements have included: Safe Shores DC Children’s Advocacy Center, Children’s National Health System Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders, and Medstar Georgetown University Hospital. She completed internship at the Virginia Treatment Center for Children in Richmond, VA


Celenia DeLapp, Ph.D.

Clinical Psychology 

 Dr. DeLapp received her undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. **Go HEELS!** Her research and clinical interests center around serving the needs and interests of the migrant and immigrant Latino communities in the United States.  She was part of the Child, Families, and Cultures focus  and will work with children and families throughout her career. Dr. DeLapp's dissertation was entitled "A Nationally Representative Study of Mental Health and Programmatic Factors Supporting Parental Engagement within Migrant And Seasonal Head Start."  Internship was completed at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine (Child and Adolescent Track), and Dr.  DeLapp will continue as a postdoctoral fellow in the Child Outpatient Psychiatry Department.



Vanessa Fuentes, Ph.D.

Clinical Psychology 

 Dr. Fuentes received a B.S. in Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University  2014 and her M.A. in General Psychology from CUA in 2016. She became involved in research after working with the local community in Richmond, VA.  From this point forward, she became dedicated to addressing disparities in mental health and education. Dr. Fuentes' dissertation examined migration patterns, child and family functioning, and program participation.  She completed internship at  Nemours/A.I. duPont Hospital for Children and a postdoctoral fellowship at Children's National, where she is now a  Faculty Psychologist in Primary Care Behavioral Health at Children's National and GWU School of Medicine's Pediatrics and Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. 


Sadaf Lotfalian, Ph.D.

Clinical Psychology 

Dr. Sadaf Lotfalian is a graduate of the Clinical Psychology PhD program at The Catholic University of America. Dr. Lotfalian completed her internship at the UCLA Counseling and Psychological Services and was a psychologist at the Arlington/DC Behavior Therapy Institute (ABTI). She works with individuals, couples, and groups from diverse backgrounds. In addition to her clinical practice, Dr. Lotfalian continues her scholarly and community work in mindfulness for marginalized populations.

Franssy Zablah, Ph.D. 

Clinical Psychology 

Dr. Zablah is a now an Assistant Professor at the University of Delaware. Dr. Zablah was a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Delaware, and she worked in the Center for Training, Evaluation, and Community Collaboration (C-TECC) and the Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up lab. Dr. Zablah’s research interests are guided by a prevention science framework. Specifically, she is interested in conducting research aimed at improving access and quality of evidence-based services in community settings for underserved, racially diverse families.  Her dissertation was entitled "Dr. Zablah is originally from Honduras and she is passionate about the promotion of culturally and linguistically relevant care for the Latino community.


Annie Davis Schoch, Ph.D.

Clinical Psychology

 Dr. Davis is a Research Scientist at Child Trends in the Early Childhood research area. She is also a licensed psychologist.  Dr. Davis completed internship at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and her dissertation was entitled "Role of Consultative Alliance in Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation." She was awarded a Doris Duke Fellowship for the Promotion of Child Well-Being.


Geraldine Fernández de la Rosa-Lopes, Ph.D.

Clinical Psychology 

Dr. de la Rosa-Lopes is a licensed psychologist at the Wake Kendall Group. She completed  internship at the Nemours/A.I. duPont Hospital for Children. Her disseration was entitled "A Group Intervention for Children who have Experienced Immigration-Related Family Separation: A Mixed-Methods Investigation."


Catalina Pérez, Ph.D.

Clinical Psychology


  Dr. Pérez is an International Psychologist. She completed her internship at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Her diissertation was entitled "The role of home visitor and maternal depression on parenting practices: The case of an early childhood stimulation program in rural Colombia." She received the American Psychological Foundation Elizabeth Munsterberg Koppitz Child Psychology Graduate Student Fellowship.

Wendy Bamatter, Ph.D.

Clinical Psychology

Dr. Bamatter is a psychologist at McLean Hospital & Clinical Fellow in Psychology, Harvard Medical School. She completed her internship in Clinical and Community Psychology at Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. Bamatter's dissertation was entitled "Mindfulness Interventions among Latina Immigrant Women: A Mixed Methods Investigation."


Emma Cardeli, Ph.D.

Clinical Psychology

Dr. Cardel is an attending Psychologist & Research Associate at Trauma & Community Resilience Center at Boston Children’s Hospital & Instructor of Psychology, Harvard Medical School. She completed her internship at Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School. Dr. Bamatter's dissertation was entitled "Characteristics and Functions of Suicide Attempts Versus Nonsuicidal Self-Injury in Juvenile Confinement."

Eileen Twohy, Ph.D.

Clinical Psychology


Dr. Twohy is a Psychologist in Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine & Behavioral Health Crisis Care Clinic at Seattle Children’s Hospital & Acting Assistant Professor at University of Washington School of Medicine. She completed internship at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles /University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. Dr. Twohy's dissertation was entited "Developmental Trajectories of Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Children: Profiles and Predictors."


Delia Raquel Cumba, Ph.D.

Clinical Psychology


Dr. Cumba is a  Psychologist at Union Square Practice. She completed her internship at Children’s Hospital of New York-Presbyterian/ Columbia Univ. Medical Center. Dr. Cumba's dissertation was entitled "Anxiety, Sleep, and Functional Impairment among Clinically Anxious Youth and Healthy Controls."


Corine Bell Crowley, Ph.D,

Clinical Psychology


Dr. Crowley is a Psychologist at Expressive Therapy Center. She completed internship at Central Regional Hospital-Butner, NC, Dr. Crowley's disssertation was entitled "The Role of Siblings in the Development of Young Children in Migrant and Seasonal Farm Worker Families."

Brieanne Kohrt, Ph.D.

Clinical Psychology


Dr. Kohrt is an Assistant Professor in the  Department of Child & Family Studies, California State University-LA. She also is the Director of PASEO International Training Program in Perú & Guatemala. She completedd internship at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center. Dr. Kohrt's dissertation was entitled "The Urbanization of Poverty in Latin America and Maternal Depression: Prevalence, Correlates, and Relationship to Child Development."

Ali Mattu, Ph.D.

Clinical Psychology

Dr. Mattu is the Director of The Psych  Show and Prior Director of Mental Health at Loop. He completed his internship at Bellevue Hospital Center, NYU Langone Medical Center, Child & Adol Psychiatry. Dr. Mattu's dissertation is entitled "The Development, Affect Regulation, and Style of Pulling of Trichotillomania."


Recent Master's and Bachelor's Alumni

Hayley Abernethy

Psychology Undergraduate 

I graduated with a B.A. in  Psychology with minors in Elementary Education and Latin American and Latino Studies. My research interests center mainly around childhood development. 



Maria Andronicou

Masters of Psychological Science

As a graduate student at CUA, I dedicated most of my studying and research papers examining and analyzing studies focusing on the factors behind criminal behavior. My plan for the future is to gain my PhD in Clinical Psychology



Alyssa Aguire

Psychology Undergraduate

I graduated with my Bachelor of Science in Psychological and Brain Sciences with a minor in Latin American and Latino Studies.. I worked in the Center for Cultural Engagement as Student Coordinator of the Take Flight first-generation peer mentorship program which I co-founded. I plan to attend law school. 

Adriana Sanjenis 

Psychology Undergraduate

I graduated Catholic University with a Psychological and Brain Sciences major, Latin American and Latino Studies minor, and a Spanish for Health Care Certificate with a pre-med track. I started medical school back home in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The journey into becoming a doctor has just started, and I am very excited to serve the Hispanic community in the near future. 

Catherine Sanchez

Psychology Undergraduate

I graduated with a BS in Psychological and Brain Sciences. Since then, I have been working as an emergency and ICU veterinarian technician assistant and Friendship Hospital for Animals in NE DC. My plan is to attend veterinarian school.

Isabel Nunez

Psychology Undergraduate

After graduating, I remained in the DC area researching COVID-19 vaccines and then plan to enter medical school.

Joanne Lim

Masters of Psychological Science

I received a B.S. in Psychology at Saint Louis University, where I worked in SLU's Collective Identity Lab and Child and Family Research Lab. After graduation, I joined the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, where I spent a year of service as a Jesuit Volunteer in Tucson, Arizona. There, I served as a case manager for homeless and runaway youth at Our Family Services' Reunion House Shelter.. My research interests include issues concerning vulnerable populations, discrimination, prejudice, structural oppression, PTSD, and ACEs.


Maria Morales

Masters of Psychological Science

I obtained my B.S. in Psychology at Nova Southeastern University with a minor in criminal justice. There I worked in the psychophysiology lab investigating executive functioning and bilingualism. Additionally, I worked at Mailman Segal Center for Human Development with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). After graduation, I continued working in the psychophysiology lab, analyzing data to prepare for manuscript writing. I also continued to work with children diagnosed with ASD as a caretaker, and shortly after, as a behavior therapist. My research interests include ASD, ethnic minorities, and multicultural issues in diagnosis and intervention.


Bepherly Turcios

Psychology Undergraduate

I was a Psychological and Brain Sciences major on the pre-veterinary track, with a minor in Entrepreneurship. She worked at a local general practice animal hospital, volunteering with my town fire department, and running a small, animal grooming services business on weekends.  

Marianny Calderon

Psychology Undergraduate

I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Brain Sciences, a minor in Latin American and Latino studies (LALS), and a Certificate in Spanish for Healthcare. I am interested in working with children and hope to become a pediatric nurse. 


Diana Chavez

Psychology Undergraduate

I was a psychology major with a double minor in Latin American and Latino Studies and Business Management. I interned with the TOGETHER Program at the University of Maryland.


Maria Flores

Psychology Undergraduate

I was a Psychology and Brain Science major, with a minor in Latin American and Latino Studies and a certificate in Spanish for Healthcare. I am interested in  service and obtaining a masters in Social Work. 


Sienna DeMaio 

Masters of Psychological Science

I received my undergraduate degree in Psychology with a minor in Criminology. My research interests are in prevention and interventions for child and adolescent populations with special considerations for social and cultural factors.



Former Master's Mentees in Psychological Sciences/ General Psychology 

Jean Agosto, Amal Alkahtani, Christina Baker, Thalia Bishop, Saleem Hue Penny, Joanna Melon, Anusha Natarajan, Sean Hayes, Saharnaz Saeed, Vanessa Fuentes, Fransisco Baralt, Kantoniony Rabemananjara, Maria Androicou, Sienna DeMaio, Joanne Lim, Maria Morales, Lindsey Truesdale


Dissertation Committee Members

Maya Coleman, Marisa Hilliard, Jessica Parrish, Catherine Rathman, Alicia Santana, Gary  Stone, Melissa Smith, Srishti Rau, Heather Rosen, Julia Schmidt, Blaire Schembari, Meagan Wills, Serene Habayeb, Verda Rana, Christopher Senior, Sheina Godovich, Bridget Lynn, Ashley Pallathra, Kristyn Donohue, Meredith Karam