UCSF’s innovative, collaborative approach to patient care, research and education spans disciplines across the life sciences, making it a world leader in scientific discovery and its translation to improving health.
Heather Murphy Elgin, EdM, is a research coordinator for the UCSF Dyslexia Center’s Multitudes project. Prior to UCSF, she worked in educational research as an instructional coach, reading specialist, special educator, and classroom teacher in Cambridge, New York City, Washington, DC, and San Francisco.
Alissa joined the Seeley Selective Vulnerability Research Laboratory in 2011 as a postdoctoral fellow. Her background is in neurodegeneration research. Alissa completed a BSc degree with honors in biomedical science in 2004 and a PhD degree in anatomy in 2009 from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, where she investigated the variable pattern of cortical neuronal loss in Huntington’s disease.
Kris is a research lab supervisor at the Memory and Aging Center with 11 years of progressive experience in clinical research. She is currently focused on laboratory operations. Her education is in laboratory sciences and allied health.
Alexis is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Data Science and a concentration in Urban Science. As an Undergraduate Research Assistant, Alexis studied the impact of the technology industry on housing in the Bay Area. Her specialities include data mapping and data visualization, and she is deeply interested in the intersections of neurology, data science, and social justice.
Emily Paolillo, PhD, is an Assistant Professor and neuropsychologist at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center. She obtained her PhD degree in Clinical Psychology (emphasis in Neuropsychology) from the SDSU/UCSD Joint Doctoral Program in 2021, which included a predoctoral clinical internship at VA Palo Alto Health Care System. Her program of research focuses on advancing real-world assessment of cognitive and everyday functioning in older adults in naturalistic settings, with the goal of improving early and sensitive detection of change in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
Jessica Pasqua, MD, completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical-Biology at the University of California, Berkeley. There she was part of an advocacy and support group for former foster youth which inspired her to pursue a career in medicine with a focus on serving those with limited access to medical care due to poverty and social inequity. She then completed her Medical Degree (MD), her Adult Neurology residency, and her Epilepsy fellowship at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Bettina Pedemonte completed a PhD degree in mathematics in Italy at Genoa University and a PhD degree in mathematics education in France at Grenoble University. She has experience in teaching mathematics, in particular to students with learning disorders. She designed technological environments to support mathematical learning. Her research interests include understanding cognitive processes involved in solving mathematical problems and finding new teaching methods to support mathematical learning. Bettina joined UCSF in March 2018, specializing in designing a battery for dyscalculia.
