Our Team

Adam Gonzalez, PhD, Faculty

Dr. Gonzalez (he/him/his) CV is a licensed clinical psychologist and the Founding Director of the Mind-Body Clinical Research Center. He received his PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Vermont, and he completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. He is an expert in cognitive behavioral treatment for mood and anxiety disorders, dialectical behavior therapy, relaxation/mindfulness-based treatments and behavioral medicine. His program of research focuses on understanding the interplay of cognitive, emotional and behavioral health factors that may affect physical and mental health, as well as disease management among chronically ill populations. In addition to his responsibilities with the Mind-Body Clinical Research Center, Dr. Gonzalez is also an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University. Dr. Gonzalez' research is funded currently by grants from NASA and NIOSH. He is also a recipient of an award from the NIH Loan Repayment Program (2014-2019).

Brittain Mahaffey, PhD, Faculty

Dr. Mahaffey (she/her/hers) CV is a licensed clinical psychologist and assistant professor at the Mind-Body Clinical Research Center. She received her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and completed a clinical internship at the Northport VA Medical Center. She serves as the Center’s Operations Manager and directs several of the clinical research studies. She has extensive training in cognitive behavioral therapy for mood and anxiety disorders, dialectical behavioral therapy, mindfulness and behavioral medicine. Dr. Mahaffey’s research interests are focused on understanding and treating obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and co-morbid physical health problems. She also specializes in women’s health and the treatment of mood and anxiety problems during and after pregnancy. She was recently awarded a K23 Mentored Patient-Oriented Career Development Award (2018-2023) from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development. She is also a recipient of an award from the NIH Loan Repayment Program (2017-2019).

Genna Hymowitz, PhD, Faculty

Dr. Hymowitz (she/her/hers) is a licensed clinical psychologist and assistant professor at the Mind-Body Clinical Research Center. She has extensive training and experience in behavioral medicine, cognitive behavioral therapy for mood and anxiety disorders, acceptance and commitment therapy, and relaxation/mindfulness-based treatments. Her research focuses on investigating biopsychosocial factors related to chronic medical conditions including obesity and gastrointestinal (GI) motility disorders.  In addition to her work at the Mind-Body Clinical Research Center, she is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Surgery at Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, and in the Department of Psychology of Stony Brook University. Dr. Hymowitz completed her doctoral training and a post-doctoral fellowship at Stony Brook University and completed a clinical internship at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago, IL.

Cynthia Cervoni, PhD, Faculty

Dr. Cervoni (she/her/hers) is a Psychologist at the Stony Brook University KPC-MBCRC Consortium Program. She graduated from the Clinical Psychology, Health Emphasis program at the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology at Yeshiva University. Her clinical training focuses on cognitive behavioral therapy for mood and anxiety disorders and behavioral medicine. She also completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the MBCRC in consultation liaison psychology. Her research interests include health behavior decision making, the impact of overweight and obesity on quality of life, and biopsychosocial factors related to obesity and other chronic illnesses.

William Calabrese, PhD, Faculty

Dr. Calabrese (he/him/his) CV received his PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University at Buffalo, SUNY and completed his pre-doctoral clinical internship at Pacific University in Oregon. He completed post-doctoral training at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai in the Mood and Personality Disorder Research Program and practiced as a Licensed Psychologist for Therapists of NY. His research interests primarily focus on improving models and measures of personality disorder and psychosocial functioning. Clinically, Dr. Calabrese works with adults and couples with a variety of internalizing and externalizing problems, including maladaptive personality patterns, anger, substance use, anxiety, and depression. He is also passionate about extending care to underserved populations, and LGBTQ+ individuals and those with non-conforming identities. He integrates across various evidence-based practices, including cognitive-behavioral and mindfulness-based therapies like CBT, DBT, ACT, Schema Therapy, and Behavioral Activation. He also has experience with integrating spiritual practices, as well as, transpersonal and internal family systems approaches into psychotherapy. Personally, he is passionate about music, playing his djembe and cajon drums, and fostering dogs and neo-natal kittens.

Amanda Levinson, PhD, Faculty

Dr. Levinson (she/her/hers) CV is a licensed clinical psychologist at the Mind-Body Clinical Research Center and a clinical assistant professor in the Stony Brook Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health. In her clinical work, Dr. Levinson employs cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), mindfulness/relaxation strategies, and attachment-based parenting therapy. Her research focuses on investigating biopsychosocial factors related to mood and anxiety disorder and parenting behavior, particularly in pregnancy and the postpartum period. Dr. Levinson completed her doctoral training and a post-doctoral fellowship at Stony Brook University.

Benjamin Warach, PhD, Faculty

Dr. Warach (he/him/his) is a licensed clinical psychologist at the Mind-Body Clinical Research Center and a clinical assistant professor in the Stony Brook Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health.  He has extensive training and clinical experience in cognitive behavioral therapy for mood and anxiety disorders, acceptance and commitment therapy, and mindfulness-based treatments.  His research focuses on romantic relationship functioning. Dr. Warach majored in psychology at Cornell University and earned his doctorate at Adelphi University.  He completed his pre-doctoral internship at Columbia University Medical Center and his post-doctoral fellowship at Stony Brook University.

Dr. Oliva (she/her/hers) is a licensed clinical psychologist who graduated with her Psy.D. from Long Island University – Post. She received dual orientation training in both CBT and psychodynamic therapy, with clinical concentrations in DBT and serious mental illness. She completed her post-doctoral fellowship through Stony Brook's Consortium program, splitting her time between the DBT program and the adult psychiatric inpatient unit (10N). She also completed pre-doctoral training at Stony Brook and at Zucker Hillside's OCD and Bipolar Disorder specialty clinics. Clinically, Dr. Oliva works with adults presenting with chronic suicidality, emotion dysregulation, anxiety, complex trauma, perfectionism and neurodiversity. Dr. Oliva provides evidence-based therapy, integrating elements of behavioral treatments (DBT, CBT) and relational styles of therapy (narrative and attachment-focused). Her research focuses on existential themes of grief and mortality. Additionally, she seeks to increase access to quality outpatient care for low-income individuals, minority groups and patients in acute care settings to reduce hospital readmission rates. Personally, she enjoys writing, tie dying, and the ocean.

Anastasia Philippopoulos, B.A., Research Lab Coordinator

Anastasia (she/they) is the Research Lab Coordinator for the Mind-Body Clinical Research Center. She graduated as the valedictorian of her class from Stony Brook University in May 2022, and her research interests include reproductive & perinatal health, health disparities, and human sexuality. She is also pursuing her MA in Marriage in Family Therapy through Falk College at Syracuse University. In her free time, Anastasia practices aerial silks and lyra, and likes to dance, draw, knit, and make jewelry.

Alexis Ivans, B.S., Administrative Assistant

Alexis (she/her/hers) is the Administrative Assistant for the Mind-Body Clinical Research Center. She graduated from Stony Brook University in May 2021 earning a BS in Health Science with a concentration in Health Care Management and minor in Health and Wellness.  She is looking to pursue higher education by getting an MBA or MPH to help improve efficiency and quality care within healthcare facilities. Alexis's personal interests include traveling, blogging, exploring nature, and spending time with friends and family.

Carla Cardenas, Clinical Support Assistant

Jennifer Wilson, B.A., Clinical Support Assistant

Jennifer (she/her/hers) is a Clinical Support Assistant for the Mind-Body Clinical Research Center. She graduated from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in 2018 with a B.A in Sociology with minors in Anthropology and History. She served in Ukraine as a Community Youth Worker for the United States Peace Corps from 2018-2020. Jennifer's hobbies include dancing, hiking, and traveling.

Teresa Presti, MSW

Caitlyn Strauss, LCSW

Caitlyn (she/her/hers) is a licensed clinical social worker and social work resident at the Mind-Body Clinical Research Center. She works with adolescents and adults, with a special interest in borderline personality disorder, emotion dysregulation, and trauma- and stressor-related disorders. Personally, she enjoys reading science fiction novels and exercising.

Kierra Law, B.A., Masters Student

Kierra (she/her/hers) graduated from Wake Forest University with her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Sociology with a concentration in Crime and Criminal Justice. She has spent time educating communities about sexual assault and consent and advocating for better policies and services for survivors of sexual assault. She has also worked as a mentor and teacher for students in grades K-12 with learning and developmental disabilities. She is a Psychology Masters student at Stony Brook University and an intern at the Mind-Body Clinical Research Center. She is interested in researching racial and ethnic disparities in mental health care. She hopes to become a clinical psychologist and develop more culturally sensitive and effective interventions for people living with mental illnesses.

Liz Aubin, B.S., Masters Student

Liz (she/her/hers) is a Psychology Masters student at Stony Brook University. She is interning at the Mind-Body Clinical Research Center and the Mental Healthcare for All Lab. She is interested in DBT, recovery trajectories, the neuroscience of addiction, psychology of spirituality, and high-risk behavior in adolescents. 

Akshita Arora, Undergraduate Student Researcher

Carl Bruening, Undergraduate Student Researcher

Carl (he/him/his) is a psychology major pursuing a BS at Stony Brook University. Carl is interested in working with people with various personality disorders and studying how these develop and how to treat them. After graduating, Carl would like to go to graduate school and potentially become a therapist while also conducting research. In his free time, Carl enjoys playing basketball, running, ukulele, and spending time with friends and family.

Mashrika Khan, Undergraduate Student Researcher

Nicoletta Starzynski, Undergraduate Student Researcher