Investigators

Kathryn Cullen, M.D. 

Dr. Cullen (she/her) is a Professor and Director of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis. She received a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Chicago. She completed medical school, residency training, and child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship training at the University of Minnesota. She also completed a research training fellowship in Neurobehavioral Development at the University of Minnesota. She has been on the faculty in the Department of Psychiatry since 2008. Dr. Cullen's research focuses on adolescent depression, self-injury, and suicide risk in young people. Her research methods include brain imaging and longitudinal studies, including clinical trials. Her scope of work has recently expanded to include a focus on creativity, mental health, and the brain in young people. Dr. Cullen's current work is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Minnesota Arts Board.

Bonnie Klimes-Dougan, Ph.D, LP

Dr. Klimes-Dougan (she/her) is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Minnesota. She received a bachelor of science from Loma Linda University. She completed doctoral training in clinical psychology at Florida State University, completed her internship at Duke University and postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Mental Health. She was a faculty at the Catholic University of America before being hired by the University of Minnesota in 2004. Dr. Klimes-Dougan's research focuses on the stress system, considering risk and protective factors for distress, depression and despair in adolescents. 

Co-Investigators

Kristina Reigstad, PsyD, LP

Dr. Reigstad is a licensed child and adolescent psychologist and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, at the University of Minnesota Medical School. She completed her doctoral degree at the University of St. Thomas, and completed her postdoctoral fellowship in clinical psychology and research in the Child and Adolescent Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program at the University of Minnesota Medical School. She has been on the faculty in the Department of Psychiatry since 2014. She has dedicated her career to team science and bridging the research to practice gap by improving clinical care and outcomes for adolescent depression and self-injurious behavior, maternal mental health, and for parents and families experiencing mental illness. She has focused on the development and evaluation of interventions for adolescent depression and self-injury, and improvement of the delivery of services for maternal mental health treatment, to ultimately aid in ameliorating the multigenerational impact of mental health disorders during sensitive periods of development (e.g., adolescence, during pregnancy/in-utero), and across the lifespan.

Mario Bertogliat

Mario Bertogliat (he/him/his) is a psychiatry resident at the University of Minnesota. He earned his BS in Genetics and Genomics as well as Stem Cell Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and went on to Medical School at the University of Minnesota. Mario is interested in treatment-resistant depression, suicidality, catatonia, first episode psychosis, and epigenetics. He plans to pursue a fellowship in either neuromodulation or child and adolescent psychiatry. Working with Dr. Kathryn Cullen and Dr. Bonnie Klimes-Dougan in the RAD lab he has contributed to clinical evaluations for Imagination Studio, Creativity Camp, and HEART-P studies. 

Kirsten McKone

Kirsten McKone (she/her) is a postdoctoral fellow in the RAD Lab supported by a T32 training grant in developmental psychopathology at the Institute of Child Development. She completed her PhD in the joint clinical and developmental psychology program at the University of Pittsburgh, and her clinical internship on the child and adolescent track at Hennepin Healthcare in downtown Minneapolis. She is interested in dynamic emotion and regulatory processes in the development of psychopathology in adolescence. Long term, her goal is to build a career in developmental psychopathology research, teaching, and clinical practice that supports and harmonizes with a rich and fulfilling personal life with her husband, children, and extended family in the Twin Cities region.

Tori Papke

Tori (she/hers) a graduate student in the Clinical Science and Psychopathology Research Doctoral Program. She started in the lab as an undergraduate volunteer in 2019 and has since graduated from the University of Minnesota with a B.S. in 2021 and worked as a project coordinator for the NAC Study. She is particularly interested in studying stress in relation to development and psychopathological outcomes, such as suicidality and self-harm. 

Marvin Yan

Marvin is a graduate student in the Clinical Science and Psychopathology Research Doctoral Program. Prior to joining the RAD Lab, he completed a BA in cognitive science at the University of California, Berkeley and a MA in psychology at San Diego State University. Broadly, Marvin's program of research is focused on understanding the neural mechanisms underlying suicidality using a variety of tools and techniques including neuroimaging, neuromodulation, casual modeling, and wearable devices. Outside of research, he spends most of his free time training for ultramarathons. 

Aparna Nair

Zeynep Başgöze, Ph.D.

Zeynep (she/her/hers) is a Neuroimaging Research Professional in the RAD Lab, working with Dr. Kathryn Cullen & Dr. Bonnie Klimes-Dougan. She earned her BA in Philosophy from Boğaziçi University, Istanbul, Türkiye, and completed her MSc and PhD in Cognitive Sciences at Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Türkiye. She was a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Emily Cooper at Dartmouth College and UC Berkeley, where she worked on brain plasticity, binocular vision, and designing experiments for AI development projects in collaboration with Google. She then started as a Postdoctoral Associate with Katie Cullen at the University of Minnesota and was later promoted to senior researcher. Dr. Başgöze’s current research focuses on adolescent non-suicidal self-injury, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and adolescent and adult Major Depressive Disorder. She specializes in designing and analyzing fMRI experiments.

Shanze (Zay) Hayee

Shanze (Zay) Hayee is a study coordinator in the lab for the Imagination Central, Creativity Camp, SMARTMind, and Imagination Studio studies. She earned her B.S. in Psychology in Spring of 2024 and will be applying to graduate school in Fall of 2026. Zay is interested in systemic factors impacting youth mental health as well as community engaged research on intervention development, implementation, and access for underserved communities.

Biiwaabik Hunt

Biiwaabik Hunt (they/them) is Ho-Chunk, Ojibwe, and Oglala Lakota. They are a first year Minnesota Inclusive Neuroscience Development Scholar in the RAD Lab. They received a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Art History from Warren Wilson College. Their interests in neuroscience came about from learning about epigenetics and the resulting implications on health and wellbeing for Native communities. Their research interests include culturally-specific therapies and treatments for Native Americans and centering communities in research and healing processes. In their free time, they enjoy going to art galleries and walking around the lakes.

Spencer Burris-Brown

Spencer Burris-Brown (he/him) is a current fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in developmental psychology. In his work with the RAD Lab, he assists with administering cognitive tests, as well as with scoring tasks and questionnaires in RStudio. Aligning with his clinical interest in working with sexual and gender minority youth, he also conducts data analyses for the SGM and BRIDGES studies. After graduation, he plans on going into medical school and specializing in pediatric psychiatry. Outside of the lab, Spencer enjoys music, nature, spending time with his dog, and coaching debate. 

Annika Horne

Annika (she/her) is currently a senior undergraduate honors student pursuing a B.A. in Psychology and minors in Spanish Studies and Political Science. Working as a research assistant at the RAD Lab allows her to pursue her interests in how distal and proximal social factors affect mental health, as well as creative interventions for mental illness. After undergrad, she plans to obtain either a PhD in Psychology or a JD in Law. Outside the lab, she serves as advocacy chair for National Alliance on Mental Illness On-Campus, a program dedicated to furthering mental health awareness among students. Additionally, she enjoys being music director for her a cappella group, reading, finding new coffee shops, and spending time with friends.

Mitch Mueller

Mitch Mueller (he/him) is an incoming fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in Biology (B.S.) currently on a pre-medical track with a strong inclination toward research. As part of the RADLab, Mitch is primarily focused on cognitive profiling and analyzing white matter tracts within the BRIDGES dataset, with aims to uncover the neurobiological mechanisms underlying NSSI and contribute to the development of targeted interventions. Long-term, Mitch aspires to pursue a career in medicine with a focus on psychiatry or neurology, integrating clinical practice with ongoing research to improve mental health outcomes. In his free time, Mitch serves as the president for NAMI On-Campus, an affiliate of the non-profit national organization (National Alliance on Mental Illness) dedicated to furthering mental health awareness among students.

Riddhi Suresh

Riddhi (she/her) is a sophomore studying psychology and computer science on the honors and pre-med track. Her interests include learning about the biology behind mental disorders as well as the influence of external factors on mental health. In her free time she enjoys music, cooking, and spending time with friends and family. After undergrad, she aims to attend medical school.

Trevor Swanson

Trevor (he/him) is a junior undergraduate pre-medical student majoring in psychology and working as a research assistant in the RAD lab. After he earns his bachelor’s degree, he plans on attending medical school and specializing in psychiatry. Through his work in the RAD lab, he aims to further the understanding of alternative treatments for teen depression. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, reading, meditating, playing the guitar, and spending time with loved ones.

Payton White

Payton (She/Her) is a second-year undergraduate honors student pursuing a BS in Psychology with a neuroscience minor. In the future, she wants to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology. Drawn to the clinical research done by RAD lab, she hopes to learn the neurobiological processes and long-term effects of anxiety and depression to find new ways of prevention in adolescence, as well as among the LGBTQIA+ community. Outside of RAD lab, she loves music, playing guitar, thrifting, trying new foods, and cheering on the Golden Gophers as a Gopher Football student assistant.

Lily Altmann

Addy Hartway

Kaela Reisdorf

Kaela Reisdorf (she/they) is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of Minnesota majoring in Psychology (B.S.) with a minor in Integrative Neuroscience. She is a research assistant in the RAD Lab, where she explores her interests in neuropsychology, adolescent mental health, and creative targeted interventions. Kaela plans to continue her education after graduation by pursuing a Master’s or PhD in Clinical Psychology. Beyond research, they enjoy practicing yoga, reading, and spending time with loved ones.