Welcome!
We hope that this page gives you a sense of the kind of work that we are doing in our lab here, the PTSD Treatment and Research Program – and the opportunities for students that are available. Our work is focused on intervention studies, primarily in the area of PTSD, but also in mood disorders. We are a busy, productive group. Below are the names of everyone currently working in the lab, with introductions from some of the lab members.
Our Current Team
Norah Feeny, Ph.D., Professor, Director, PTSD Treatment & Research Program
Dr. Norah Feeny is a licensed clinical psychologist and Professor at Case Western Reserve University in the Department of Psychological Sciences. She specializes in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and is the Director of the PTSD Treatment and Research Program. Norah has concentrated her research program on evaluating treatments for PTSD, optimizing treatments for PTSD, and understanding processes that underlie treatment efficacy.
Kathy Shekhtman (Benhamou), MA, 6th year student, Intern at VA Maryland Healthcare
I graduated from Binghamton University in 2016 with a B.A. in Psychology. Before coming to Case for graduate school, I worked as a research assistant at the Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety (CTSA) at the University of Pennsylvania. At CTSA, I worked on a multisite military trial on the implementation of prolonged exposure therapy (PE), an on-site PE treatment study, and a naturalistic treatment outcome study through the clinic. My research interests include investigating empirically supported treatments for PTSD, specifically, understanding for whom these treatments work best and studying underlying mechanisms of improvement. Additionally, I am interested in the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based practices for PTSD. I am also recently interested in first-responder mental health and exposure to trauma. In my short time here, the PTSD Treatment and Research Program has given me the opportunity to dive into a wide array of research that is in line with my interests. I am so excited to be a part of such a supportive and brilliant team!
Elsa Mattson, MA, 4th year student
I earned a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Minnesota in 2017. After graduating, I worked as a study coordinator in the Cognition and Brain in Psychopathology (CAB) Lab at the Minneapolis VA. During my time in the CAB Lab, I worked on studies detailing the inter-relationship of brain abnormalities that result from mild traumatic brain injury and combat-related stress conditions utilizing neuroimaging and neuropsychological approaches. My research interests are primarily focused on the role executive processes (e.g., working memory, sustained attention) play in conferring risk for stressor-related psychopathology following trauma exposure. I am also interested in how these processes impact response to evidence-based treatments for PTSD and recovery trajectories. I am very grateful to be part of a supportive and collaborative team in the PTSD Treatment and Research Program!
Jenna Bagley, MA,4th year student
I graduated from Santa Clara University in 2017 with a B.S. in Psychology and a B.A. in Spanish and Women’s and Gender Studies. Prior to starting my graduate studies at Case, I worked as a clinical research assistant and later became the research coordinator for the Road Home Program (RHP) at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. In my role at RHP, I coordinated various research studies aimed at evaluating and enhancing the effectiveness of intensively-delivered, evidence-based PTSD treatment for veterans. My research interests are primarily focused on improving treatment access, engagement, and efficacy for PTSD, depression, and related mental health disorders, particularly among survivors of sexual trauma. I am interested in discovering what treatments work best for whom, so as to better inform treatment selection and ways to tailor treatment strategies. During my time as a member of the PTSD Treatment and Research Program, I have had the opportunity to co-lead our #MeToo study on campus sexual assault, serve as an assessor and study therapist in our ongoing clinical trial (PATH), and pursue several independent research projects. I am thrilled to be on a team of such supportive and talented individuals!
Daniella Levine, MA, 3rd year student
I graduated from New York University with a B.A. in Psychology with Honors. Before beginning at CWRU, I worked at Massachusetts General Hospital on projects spanning process and outcome in treatments for anxiety and traumatic stress disorders. I also examined the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based interventions in community settings. My research interests include PTSD risk and resilience factors among refugees and other displaced persons, predictors of PTSD treatment response and dropout, and the dissemination/implementation of evidence-based treatments into low-resource settings across the globe. My goal is to increase access to empirically-supported care for diverse individuals across the lifespan who struggle with PTSD and related disorders. I am so excited to be a graduate student with the PTSD Treatment and Research Program!
Sarah Rutter, MA, 2nd year student
I graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Psychology and French, and from New York University with an M.A. in Psychology. Before coming to CWRU, I worked at the Depression and Anxiety Center for Discovery and Treatment at Mount Sinai, where I explored the relationship between trauma exposure and systemic inflammation, and worked on clinical trials of ketamine and Written Exposure Therapy (WET) for PTSD. In my own research, I am interested in the etiology and treatment of trauma- and stressor-related disorders, especially PTSD and MDD. Specifically, I’m interested in exploring patterns of symptom change over the course of treatment, and how PTSD and depressive symptoms may interact during and after treatment. I am thrilled to be a graduate student in the PTSD Treatment and Research Program!
Samantha Martin, BS, 2nd year student
I graduated from the University of Washington (UW) with a B.S. in Psychology in 2019. Before joining Case Western as a graduate student, I worked at the Evidence Based Treatment Centers of Seattle as a program coordinator and a member in their practice based research program. In this role, I explored the application and efficacy of evidence based treatments (e.g., Family Based Therapy for anorexia) in their intended clinical settings. At this time, I simultaneously worked with Dr. Fainsilber Katz at UW investigating familial coping to a diagnosis of pediatric cancer and with Dr. Lengua at UW examining the efficacy of perinatal mindfulness-based programs in addressing parental mental health and improving infant neurobiological development. In my own research, I am interested in factors that contribute to stress and anxiety in marginalized populations, particularly in sexual and gender minority youth and parents, and leveraging coping and resilience factors in mental health interventions to mitigate mental health risks. I am honored to be a graduate student with the PTSD Research and Treatment program and am excited to work with incredibly bright and supportive team members!
Sinan Payat, BA, Research Coordinator, 1st year student
I am the research coordinator for the PTSD Treatment and Research Program. I graduated from the University of Southern California in May 2021 with a B.A. in Psychology. During my undergraduate career, I served as a research assistant at the Race, Disparities, and Intervention Laboratory for a study on the feasibility of biomarker research as part of the greater Resilience Against Depression Disparities (RADD) study. I joined the PTSD Lab in Fall 2021 and am looking forward to the opportunity to work with and learn from a brilliant and supportive team!
Cailan Splaine, B.S., 1st year student
I graduated from the University of Washington in 2021 with a B.S. in Psychology and a B.A. in Sociology. Before beginning at CWRU, I was a clinical research assistant at the Road Home Program (RHP) and TREAT Lab at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. At RHP, I worked on multiple research studies that investigate the effectiveness of Cognitive Processing Therapy-based intensive treatments for PTSD in veterans with combat or military sexual trauma history and in civilians. My research interests include identifying avenues for PTSD prevention and early intervention, specifically in survivors of sexual trauma. I am also interested in researching methods of PTSD treatment personalization. I feel so lucky to be a graduate student in the PTSD Treatment and Research Program!
Current Undergraduate Research Assistants:
Hana Thamer
Halle Deericks
Talya Waxenberg
Anna Isberg
Carsten Torgeson
Ashleigh Bahadur
Previous case graduate students and postdoctoral fellows that we have worked/published with:
Allison Baier, PhD
Alexandra Klein, PhD
Alice Coyne, PhD
Alex Rothbaum, PhD, MPH
Alexander Kline, PhD
Mark Burton, PhD
Hannah Bergman, PhD
Andrew Cooper, PhD
Erin Clifton, PhD
Stephanie Keller, PhD
Loren Post, PhD
Shoshana Kahana, PhD
Carla Kmett Danielson, PhD
Teresa Linares, PhD
Victoria Miller, PhD
Lisa Schwartz, PhD
AnnaMaria Aguirre, PhD
Jeannie Duax, PhD
Are you interested in working with our group? We have positions available for interested, enthusiastic students who would like to work as research assistants in our lab for credit or as volunteers. Research assistants in the PTSD Treatment & Research Program are involved in many aspects of the day-to-day functioning of the ongoing treatment studies, assist with writing and editing manuscripts, conduct literature reviews, and participate in our bi-weekly PTSD Journal Club meetings during the academic year.
If you are interested, please contact Dr. Norah Feeny or Sinan Payat.
2018-2019 Research Team
L-R: Kathy Benhamou, Allison Baier, Norah Feeny, Alex Rothbaum, Alexandra Klein, Alexandra Bowling
2017-2018 Research Team
L-R: Alexandra Klein, Mark Burton, Norah Feeny, Alexander Klein, Alex Rothbaum, Allison Baier
Not Pictured: Vincent Pugliese