Research Assistants & Students
Anne received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Florida State University in 1999. She earned a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Kentucky in 2002. Anne became interested in neuropsychology during a graduate school practicum as a psychometrist at University of Kentucky Medical Center. After graduate school she was hired as Neuropsychology Coordinator in the University of Kentucky Department of Neurology, where she gained experience testing adults and children with a wide variety of neurological and psychological disorders. Anne joined the MAC in 2006 as a research coordinator working primarily on a project studying attention and executive functioning. Her duties at the MAC include administering neuropsychological measures for a number of research projects, testing patients in the MAC clinic, using the Brains2 program to map out regions of interest in structural MRI scans, and screening new patients for studies of healthy aging. In her free time she enjoys walking her dog, hiking, and eating her husband’s gourmet cooking. UP
Rich joined the Memory and Kelly Creighton completed her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a concentration in Health Science at Stony Brook University in 2005. Kelly was involved in behavioral medicine research in New York, first on a project examining the coping patterns in chronic pain patients and later with a longitudinal study of the physiological and psychological risk factors of masked hypertension. To pursue her interest in aging studies and end-of-life care, Kelly moved to the west coast to join the dynamic team at the Memory & Aging Center in July of 2007. As coordinator of the Brain Autopsy Program, she educates patients and families involved in the MAC clinic and various research projects. Kelly helps families plan for autopsy and coordinates the autopsy process at the time of passing. She maintains a profound respect for families who choose to make this invaluable contribution to advance research of the mechanisms of healthy aging and neurodegenerative disease. In her time away from the MAC, Kelly is a classically trained pianist, experimental cook and beach lover. UP Jon Gooblar graduated from McGill University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, and minors in Political Science and Behavioral Science. As an undergraduate, he was a research assistant investigating the vulnerability to depression among adolescents in Montreal, Canada. Before joining the Memory and Aging Center in March 2008, Jon coordinated a study examining stress and depression among high school students in Beijing, China. Jon currently coordinates the SIVD project, and enjoys direct contact with patients. In his spare time, he enjoys cooking and exploring the Bay Area for great restaurants. UP Matthew Growdon graduated from Harvard University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Literature. While at Harvard, he coupled his interest in medical history and modernist literature with coursework in the life sciences and social epidemiology. Matthew joined the Memory and Aging Center in September 2007. His position involves coordinating visits for the longitudinal program project grant investigating frontotemporal dementia, Frontotemporal Dementia: Genes, Images, and Emotions, and conducting neuropsychological testing with research subjects. He is especially fascinated by the unique creativity seen in the FTLD population and hopes to bring his longtime interests in the humanities to bear on his work at the MAC. Matthew is a classically trained singer and enjoys exploring San Francisco and hiking in the greater Bay Area. UP
Mira Guzijan graduated from UC San Diego, Revelle College in 1997 with a BS in Animal Physiology & Neuroscience and a BA in Psychology. She received her Masters in Physiological Psychology Research from San Francisco State University in 2003. During graduate school, Mira taught an Introduction to Psychology course at a local San Francisco high school, and also was a behavior modification therapist for children with autism. Mira came to the Memory and Aging Center to pursue her desire to be involved with research in a medical environment. Her primary role at MAC is coordinating research for the Huntington’s disease projects as well as administering cognitive tests to research participants and clinic patients. She especially enjoys having direct daily contact with patients, neurologists, nurses and neuropsychologists. UP
Cathra Halabi received her Bachelor
of Science in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology
with a minor in Music History from UCLA in 2003. She
worked at the
Kari
Haws graduated from UC Berkeley in 2005 with a Bachelor
of Arts in Psychology. Prior to completing her
education, she worked in the Robertson Cognitive Neuropsychology
lab at Kari
joined the Memory and
David Johnson received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois in 2005. During college, he was involved in research on Parkinson's disease patients at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. David joined the Memory and Aging Center in March 2006. His primary role is coordinating the quinacrine treatment trial on Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. David also conducts cognitive testing for research participants and works closely with the MAC’s genetic prion disease patients. UP Anna Karydas received her Bachelor of Arts in Conceptual Information Arts from She joined the Memory and Victor Laluz graduated from UC Davis in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychobiology and a minor in Japanese. While at UC Davis, he worked at the UC Davis Medical Center's MIND Institute, analyzing MRI scans to study morphological changes to the limbic and ventricular systems in children with velocardiofacial syndrome. Victor joined the Memory and Aging Center in November 2007 to continue work in neuroimaging. His primary role is to coordinate the analysis of MRI scans across several projects at the MAC by developing the procedures required to study specific brain regions, training other research coordinators in these procedures, and managing the data generated by these analyses. Victor also has a deep interest in Japanese culture and enjoys translating Japanese fiction and music into English. UP
Hilary graduated from UC Berkeley in May 2005 with a double degree in Asian Studies and Nutritional Sciences. She then went to Sichuan, China for a full year on a Fulbright Fellowship to conduct a research project. She is bilingual in Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin) and English She joined the Memory and Aging Center in Spring of 2007 as a research assistant. In her free time, she likes to listen to music and to search for all the good restaurants that the Bay Area offers. Alefiyah Pishori graduated from Claremont McKenna college in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and Government. During college she worked on behavioral research studies with autistic children and minority women. Alefiyah joined the Memory and Aging Center in 2007 as a research coordinator to pursue her interest in neuropsychology. Her primary role is coordinating the Healthy Aging/Hillblom Aging Network research study, which follows healthy individuals for five years to better understand the healthy development of the brain. In addition, she conducts cognitive testing with research participants and clinic patients. UP
Benjamin Raudabaugh received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology and Marketing from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri in 2002. Prior to joining the Memory and Aging Center in January 2005, Benjamin worked in a variety of fields, including pharmaceuticals public relations, international marketing and trade development, and retail financial analysis. Benjamin’s primary role is coordinating the quinacrine treatment trial for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Benjamin conducts neuropsychological testing with research and clinical patients. Benjamin also coordinates the MAC volunteer program, organizing the recruitment of volunteers interested in research at the MAC. Benjamin has presented research results at the American Academy of Neurology and International Neuropsychological Society Annual Meetings. UP Marian Tse joined the Memory and Aging Center in 2006 as a Clinical Research Coordinator. Her primary role is administering cognitive tests to Chinese patients at different outreach sites and in the MAC clinic. Prior to joining the MAC, she worked for various research labs at UCSF. In her free time, Marian enjoys hiking, cooking, and singing. Michael Turken graduated from Amherst college in 2003 with a B.A. in Biology and English. Michael followed his interest in neuropsychology and neurodegenerative disorders to the Memory and Aging Center. In 2007, he joined the MAC as a clinical research coordinator. His primary research aim is to better understand the relationship between insulin resistance and cognitive decline in healthy and HIV+ patients. As part of this research and other associated projects, he administers neuropsychological measures, tests patients in clinic, and uses ROI tracing to map out regions of interest in structural MRI scans. In his free time he enjoys playing classical piano and keyboard in his rock band, The Urban Vagabonds, yoga, and rock-climbing. UP
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