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Dr. Marybel R. Gonzalez
Dr. Marybel R. Gonzalez
Assistant Professor, Principal Investigator (PI)
Dr. Marybel R. Gonzalez is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. She is the director of the Substance Use and Neurocognition and Engagement (SUN-E) Lab, where her research focuses on understanding the complex interactions between psychological and social factors that influence adolescent health. Her work aims to identify both risk and resilience processes related to substance use and neurocognitive development to inform early intervention and prevention strategies.
Dr. Gonzalez employs interdisciplinary and community-engaged approaches to investigate how individual and environmental factors such as neurocognitive functioning, mental health, neighborhood conditions, and community shape youth development. She uses mixed methods, including neuroimaging and behavioral assessments, to study how these factors impact health outcomes. Her research is designed to produce meaningful findings that can support youth well-being and contribute to reducing the long-term consequences of substance use during critical developmental periods.
Research Interests: Adolescent neurocognition, substance use risk and resilience, mental health, community-engaged research, neighborhood effects on youth development
Dr. Erika Pugh
Dr. Erika Pugh
Postdoctoral Scholar
Dr. Erika Pugh is a clinical scientist specializing in clinical neuropsychology and a Health Enhancement Scientific Program (HESP) scholar. Her work centers on cognitive aging across the life course, with a particular focus on disparate outcomes related to reproductive health. She investigates how multilevel structural and social determinants of health influence cognitive trajectories and dementia risk, with an emphasis on identifying factors that may serve as potential intervention points. She is especially interested in developing structural interventions to mitigate dementia risk across the lifecourse. Dr. Pugh integrates cognitive neuroscience, mixed-methods, community engagement, life-course epidemiology, longitudinal modeling, and biomarker data to explore the complex pathways that shape brain health and resilience.
Research Interests: Cognitive aging and dementia risk across the life course, Reproductive health and cognitive aging, Social and structural determinants of health, Psychosocial resilience and protective factors in aging, Structural interventions, Longitudinal and geospatial modeling using large population datasets (e.g., ABCD, HABS-HD, HRS).
Dr. K. Priyanka Silmi
Dr. K. Priyanka Silmi
Postdoctoral Scholar
Kazi Priyanka Silmi, PhD, MPH is a public health scientist specializing on the multilevel mechanisms that influence well-being and help-seeking behaviors among individuals experiencing social and structural barriers related to substance use, mental health, and violence. Her current research examines neurocognitive mechanisms and social determinants of substance use among youth, drawing on community-based qualitative data and the longitudinal Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) dataset. She is particularly interested in using community-engaged mixed methods to explore how social determinants of health shape neurocognitive pathways that influence help-seeking and service utilization among youth navigating mental health and substance use challenges.
Priyanka brings over a decade of research and service experience in HIV, sexual assault, intimate partner violence, substance use, mental health, and digital health. Her research expertise spans both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, with projects conducted across the United States, Bangladesh, Uganda, Botswana, and Mexico. She is also deeply committed to mentoring and finds joy in supporting students who are passionate about using their education and training to imagine and build a more equitable world.
Research Interests: Help-seeking behavior, Substance Use, Mental Health, Violence, Social Determinants of Health, Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods.
Precious Peters
Precious Peters
Clinical Research Coordinator
Precious Peters is the Lab Coordinator for the Substance Use and Neurocognition Engagement (SUN-E) Lab. She oversees administrative operations, regulatory compliance, participant engagement, and research coordination across multiple projects. With a background in psychology and a strong interest in mental health and community-engaged research, Precious supports both qualitative and quantitative studies focused on youth development, substance use, and resilience.
Research Interests: Mental health literacy, resilience in youth and college populations, community-based research, substance use prevention, and equity in access to care.
GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANTS
GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANTS
UNDERGRADUATE & POSTBACCALAUREATE TEAM MEMBERS
UNDERGRADUATE & POSTBACCALAUREATE TEAM MEMBERS
Adriana Freitas
Adriana Freitas
Undergraduate Research Assistant - sophomore year, Pre-Med track. Double major in Biochemistry and Integrated Mathematics and English
Research interests: Social determinants of health, advocating for healthcare equity, and mental health causes and treatment.
Louis Weiss
Louis Weiss
Undergraduate Research Assistant - Junior year Biology with a Human Anatomy minor
Research Interests: Mental health research in substance use disorder, supporting underrepresented groups, and equal access to healthcare. Louis hopes to one day become a primary care physician and eventually work in substance use disorder treatment.
Lauren Fischer
Lauren Fischer
Undergraduate Research Assistant - Junior year Psychology, minoring in Human Development and Family Sciences
Research interests: adjustment disorders, attachment disorders, trauma responses and resilience, women's gender studies.
Career aspirations: Clinical Psychologist
Mackenzie Hoffman
Mackenzie Hoffman
Undergraduate Research Assistant - Junior year Biochemistry, Pre-Med (Social Psychology and Global Public Health Minors)
Future Goal: Obstetrician Gynecology
Alyssa Bryll
Alyssa Bryll
Undergraduate Research Assistant - Senior year Biomedical Engineering, Pre-Medical Track
Interests: Pediatrics/ OBGYN
ALUMNI
ALUMNI
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