Dr. Yulia Golland is an Assistant Professor in the Sagol Center for Brain and Mind, at Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, IDC, Herzliya. Her research is broadly focused on the physiological substrates of interpersonal interaction, and combines physiological measures (fMRI, ANS) and real-life social set-ups. In particular, she is interested in the role of the physiological and behavioral interpersonal synchrony in social interactions. Her work has been published in distinguished journals in the field of neuroscience and biological psychology and presented in neuroscience conferences. Past and current research projects in the lab include synchronization of autonomic signals between individuals in social emotional contexts, neural attunement to interpersonal emotional feedback, interpersonal synchrony in autistic individuals, physiological mechanisms of emotional transmissions, the physiological effects of the mere co-presence, and physiological markers of togetherness.
Emiliana Rodríguez is a co-founder and Research Director at AtentaMente – a Mexican organization dedicated to the development and implementation of contemplative based social and emotional learning curricula for children, adolescents and adults. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Physics and a Master’s in Mind Brain and Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. For more than 12 years she has studied and practiced Buddhism. Her interest in bridging scientific research, contemplative practices and education led her to contribute in research projects at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, the University of Wisconsin, and Research Schools at Harvard University. Her current projects include a longitudinal study to understand the effects of a contemplative based training for adolescents; curriculum development, creation of an app for mobile phones to foster contemplative practice; and a research initiative to understand the learning pathways of compassion in children.
Angelina Polsinelli is a 6th year Clinical Psychology doctoral candidate with a specialization in Neuropsychology at the University of Arizona. She is conducting her dissertation work in the Aging and Cognition laboratory directed by Dr. Elizabeth Glisky with advising and consultation from Drs. Alfred Kaszniak, Matthias Mehl, and Mary-Frances O’Connor. Her research interests encompass a variety of topics in the fields of aging, cognition, mindfulness, and measurement/methods. Broadly, she aims to use behavioral-based measures of everyday functioning to assess factors that contribute to well-being, such as mindfulness, with the goal of using these findings to develop life-style-based interventions for enhancing quality of life in older adults. Projects that she is currently conducting include a validation of the FFMQ in an older adult population, assessment of the cognitive, emotional, and functional associations of trait mindfulness, and the cognitive, emotional, and daily functioning benefits of 6-week mindfulness induction in older adults.
Marcel O. Bonn-Miller is a Research Health Science Specialist at the Center of Excellence in Substance Abuse Treatment and Education, Center for Innovation to Implementation, and National Center for PTSD at VA Palo Alto Health Care System. He is also Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. Dr. Bonn-Miller’s research involves the investigation of factors associated with the development and maintenance of PTSD and substance use disorders, including their co-occurrence, for the purpose of developing, refining, and implementing improved treatments for individuals with these common conditions. Dr. Bonn-Miller serves on the editorial board of 3 substance abuse journals, has 9 active grants, and is a mentor on an additional 2 grants, each of which aim to improve care for veterans with PTSD and/or substance use disorders.
David’s research explores how people adapt and thrive under stress, with a focus on the mind-body connection and pathways to resilience. He conducts community-based intervention trials, laboratory experiments, and neuroimaging studies to uncover how different stress management strategies, such as mindfulness meditation, self-affirmation, and cognitive reappraisal, can enhance coping, reduce stress, and improve health outcomes. Currently, David is leading studies that examine how digital mindfulness training influences brain function, physiological stress responses, and disease outcomes in at-risk populations. His work also investigates how simple behavioral strategies, like engaging in meaningful activities or reflecting on personal values, can enhance performance under pressure. His research bridges psychology, neuroscience, and public health to design evidence-based tools for improving mental and physical well-being.
Dr. Alexandra J. Fiocco is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Ryerson University and is Director of the Stress and Healthy Aging Research Laboratory in Toronto. She obtained a PhD in Neuroscience at McGill University in 2008, followed by four years of postdoctoral training in clinical and epidemiological research at the University of California, San Francisco and at Baycrest in Toronto. Dr. Fiocco has published 26 peer-reviewed articles, 10 of which are first-author papers. Her research program is two-pronged: the first investigating biopsychosocial predictors of cognitive aging and the second investigating prevention strategies that may maintain or augment cognitive function and well-being in late life. The study of mindfulness-based training has become a central focus in Dr. Fiocco’s prevention research stream.
Jordan Kohn received his B.A. in biology from Reed College and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Neuroscience Graduate Program at Emory University and the Yerkes National Primate Research Center. His research interests are 1) to elucidate the biological mechanisms by which social adversity affects human health and well being, and 2) to investigate the extent to which positive changes in the social environment, specifically psychosocial interventions like meditation, can mitigate the deleterious effects of adversity. Kohn also explore how early-life maltreatment alters immune development and its health consequences later in life. Concurrent with his graduate work, he teaches Cognitively-Based Compassion Training at Emory and has had the privilege of introducing CBCT to adolescents in foster care, children, undergraduates, physicians, and prisoners.
