Mentorship

One of my key priorities is to support students who are interested in pursuing a career in clinical science!

I believe that mentorship is a bi-directional process. I am grateful for the many things I learn from my more junior colleagues. My mentorship style is collaborative and aims to stimulate critical thinking that is rooted in the scientific method. I strive for discussions that emphasize the importance of scientific rigor and conscientiousness, keeping at the forefront the "so what" of science.

Supporting students on their path toward graduate school is also very important to me. My path toward my doctoral program was non-traditional and I wrestled with a number of obstacles. The challenges students from non-traditional backgrounds, who may not have support in their immediate environment, may face are close to my heart and I strive to provide support to students navigating this process.

Mentored publications and presentations

Underlined authors indicate mentored undergraduate, post-bacc, master’s, or junior doctoral students


Liuzzi, M.T.*, Kryza-Lacombe, M.*, Christian, I.R., Palumbo, D., Amir, N., & Wiggins, J.L. (2020). Neural and behavioral correlates of inhibitory control in youths with varying levels of irritability. Journal of Affective Disorders, 273, 567-575. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.04.049 *equal contribution


Pearson, N., Kryza-Lacombe, M., Stein, M.B., Taylor, C.T. (2021, March) Neural Predictors of Increased Social Connectedness following Amplification of Positivity for Depression and Anxiety: Preliminary Findings. Poster presentation to be presented for the 41st Annual Conference for the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA, virtual).

Robinson, M., Christian, I.R., Kryza-Lacombe, M., Riggins, T., Redcay, E., Dougherty, L.R., Wiggins, J.L. (2021, February). Cognitive Brain Network Connectivity Changes in Childhood. Poster presented at the 48th Annual Meeting of the International Neuropsychological Society (INS, virtual).

Yu, Q., Hodgdon, E., Kryza-Lacombe, M., Cordeiro Menacho, V., Ibarra Aspe, G., & Wiggins, J. (2020, May). Relations between trauma exposure and irritability-related amygdala connectivity. Poster presentation accepted for the 75th Annual Meeting of the Society for Biological Psychiatry (SOBP), New York, NY. [conference canceled]

Liuzzi, M.T., Schwartz, K.T.G., Kryza-Lacombe, M., Weersing, V.R., & Wiggins, J.L. (2020, March). Social and non-social reward: A preliminary examination of clinical improvement and neural reactivity in adolescents treated with behavioral therapy for anxiety and depression. Oral presentation accepted in symposium A. Kujawa (chair) Novel methods for advancing research on depression treatment and prevention, at the 40th Annual Conference for the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), San Antonio, TX. [conference canceled]; to be presented at ABCT November 2020.

Liuzzi, M., Kryza-Lacombe, M., Biglow, J., Amir, N. & Wiggins, J. L. (2019, November). Behavioral and neural correlates of response inhibition in youths with varying levels of irritability and depression. Poster presented at the 53rd Annual Convention of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT), Atlanta, GA. [poster won 1st place at the Neurocognitive Therapies/Translational Research Special Interest Group Poster Competition]

Christian, I., Liuzzi, M.T., Kryza-Lacombe, M., Owen, C., Hernandez, B., Wiggins, J.L. (2019, September). Understanding the mechanisms of irritability by comparing neural and behavioral measures of inhibitory control. Poster presented at the 3rd annual Congress on Pediatric Irritability and Dysregulation, Burlington, VT.

Yu, Q., Hodgdon, E., Kryza-Lacombe, M., Cordeiro Menacho, V., Ibarra Aspe, G., & Wiggins, J. (2020, May). Identifying and characterizing the developmental trajectories of irritability. Poster presented at the 3rd annual Congress on Pediatric Irritability and Dysregulation, Burlington, VT.

Hodgdon, E., Liuzzi, M.T., Yu, Q., Kryza-Lacombe, M., Bozzetto, L., Owen, C., Wiggins, J.L. (2019, September). A preliminary investigation of frustration-related neural correlates in adolescent irritability. Poster presented at the 3rd annual Congress on Pediatric Irritability and Dysregulation, Burlington, VT.

Liuzzi, M., Kryza-Lacombe, M., Biglow, J., Amir, N. & Wiggins, J. L. (2019, May). Response inhibition related neural correlates of irritability in adolescents. Poster presented at the 31st Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science (APS), Washington, DC.


Liuzzi, M., Biglow, J., Kryza-Lacombe, M., Amir, N. & Wiggins, J. L. (2019, March). Associations between irritability and neuropsychological norrelates of attention in adolescents. Poster presented at the 12th Annual SDSU Student Research Symposium, San Diego, CA.

Alsaigh, D., Gratalo, M., Kryza-Lacombe, M., Schwartz, K.T.G., Amir, N. & Wiggins, J. L. (2018, March). The relationship between executive functioning and anxiety in adolescents. Poster presented at the 11th Annual SDSU Student Research Symposium, San Diego, CA.

Cam, Y., Velasquez, D., Kiefer, C., Kryza-Lacombe, M., Amir, N. & Wiggins, J. L. (2018, March). Relation between threat bias, irritability, and anxiety in a community sample of adolescents. Poster presented at the 11th Annual SDSU Student Research Symposium, San Diego, CA.

Kiefer, C., Kryza-Lacombe, M., Cole, K., Lord, C., Monk, C. S., & Wiggins, J. L. (2017, March). Irritability and right amygdala connectivity in children with high functioning autism spectrum disorder. Poster presented at the SDSU Student Research Symposium, San Diego, CA.


Kiefer, C., Kryza-Lacombe, M., Cole, K., Lord, C., Monk, C. S., & Wiggins, J. L. (2017, March). Irritability relates to amygdala connectivity in children with and without high functioning autism spectrum disorder. Poster presented at 10th Annual Conference of the Social & Affective Neuroscience Society, Los Angeles, CA and at the 72nd Annual Meeting of the Society of Biological Psychiatry (SOBP), San Diego, CA.

Mentorship Experience

Graduate Student Research Mentor (2016-present)

San Diego State University, San Diego, CA

Mentees: 1 junior PhD student, 5 masters students, 3 post-bacc students, and 23 undergraduate research assistants

Mentee Accomplishments:

  • Masters student mentee received the 1st place poster prize at the Neurocognitive Therapies/Translational Research Special Interest Group Poster Competition in 2019 at the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies

  • Undergraduate student mentee was selected to participate in Yale Psychology 2020 Sneak Peek Program for underrepresented students


Graduate Student Research Mentor (2019-present)

University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA

Mentees: 2 undergraduate research assistants


Graduate Student Research Mentor (2014-2016)

The City College of New York, New York, NY

Mentees: 8 undergraduate research assistants

Interested in receiving mentorship in Translational Clinical Neuroscience?

In collaboration the with the Neurocognitive Therapies and Tranlational Research Special Interest Group (NTTR SIG) at the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT), I am coordinating a mentorship program for individuals at all career levels (from students to faculty). Go here for more info.