Allan L. Reiss, MD

Principal Investigator         

Howard C. Robbins Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and Professor of Radiology
Director, Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research (CIBSR)

Dr. Allan Reiss is the Robbins Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Radiology and Pediatrics at Stanford University and Principal Investigator for the BGAP Study. Dr. Reiss has dedicated his career to investigating how genetic, biological and environmental factors affect brain and behavioral development. As a practicing child and adolescent psychiatrist, a particularly important part of this work has been to develop more specific and effective interventions for persons with developmental disorders. Dr. Reiss has received numerous major honors and awards in his field including the Spirit of Excellence Award for Lifetime Achievements from the National Fragile X Foundation and election to the National Academy of Medicine of the National Academies of Sciences.

Lara Foland-Ross, PhD

Senior Research Scholar

Dr. Lara Foland-Ross is a Research Scholar at the Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research. Dr. Foland-Ross received her PhD in Neuroscience from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2010, and was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Stanford Neurodevelopment, Affect, and Psychopathology Laboratory from 2010-2015 through the support of an NIMH F32 Grant and a NARSAD Young Investigator Grant. Dr. Foland-Ross' work focuses on brain and behavioral development in children and adolescents using a multi-method approach (neuroimaging, behavioral paradigms, genes and hormones). She is particularly interested in the effects of pubertal hormones on brain circuits underlying mood and executive function, and how hormone-based changes in these circuits may influence everyday behaviors in the developing teen.

Andrea Joan Funtila, B.S.

Clinical Research Coordinator

Andrea serves as the Clinical Research Coordinator at the Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research. She earned her B.S. in Biology from University of California, Riverside and has completed the Postbaccalaureate Premedical Certificate program at Keck Graduate Institute. While at Riverside, Andrea worked closely with K-12 students and served as a mentor and resource for STEM students. Andrea strives to take on every opportunity and grow from it as a life-long learner. At Stanford, she hopes to expand her passion in creating a warm environment within her team and in clinical settings while expanding her knowledge on neuropsychological testing.  Her current interests revolve around the relationship of hormones and behavior, adolescent development, and trauma-related anxiety disorders. 

Tracy Jordon, PhD

Postdoctoral Scholar

Dr. Tracy Jordan is a licensed Clinical Psychologist at Stanford Children's Health, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford and a research scholar at the Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research. Dr. Jordan received her PhD in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Pediatric Neuropsychology from Palo Alto University. She completed her pre-doctoral internship in Pediatric Psychology and Neuropsychology at the University of Minnesota Medical School/Masonic Children's Hospital and her post-doctoral fellowship in Clinical Neuropsychology at Stanford University. For her graduate dissertation research project, she investigated X-chromosome dosage effects on visuospatial skills in pre-puberal girls with Turner Syndrome. Dr. Jordan's previous work has also focused on neurodevelopment and treatment outcomes in children with Hurler Syndrome (MPS Type 1). Currently, Dr. Jordan is particularly interested in genetic and hormonal influences on neuropsychological functioning (learning, memory, visuospatial skills, executive functioning, and social cognition) in children and adolescents.  

Matthew Marzelli, MS

Research Data Analyst

Matthew Marzelli is a Research Data Analyst at the Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research. He received his M.S. in Bioengineering from Stanford University and was an NSF Graduate Research Fellow in the Department of Radiology. His past research focused on the development of novel brain imaging methods using ultra high-field (7 Tesla) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). His current research interests include the development of robust image acquisition and processing tools for both MRI and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) as a means to better investigate links between brain structure, function, cognition, and behavior.

Jennifer Wahleithner, B.S.

Jen (she/her) is a doctoral candidate researcher and a doctoral student in Clinical Psychology at the PGSP-Stanford PsyD Consortium. She received her B.S. cum laude in Psychology with a minor in International Studies: Comparative Religion from the University of Washington in 2016, where she was a Mary Gates Research Scholar. After graduation, Jen explored the healthcare field by working in a number of different roles, such as a Pediatric Mental Health Specialist on a children’s inpatient psychiatric and behavioral medicine unit and as a Medical Scribe for emergency department physicians. Prior to matriculating into the PGSP-Stanford PsyD Consortium in 2019, Jen was working as a Data Analyst in the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies within UCSF’s School of Medicine, assisting on studies related to wellness and smoking cessation in residential substance use disorder treatment settings. Jen’s research and clinical interests include anxiety and trauma-related disorders, the impact of discrimination on mental health, and eliminating healthcare disparities.

Yelena Markiv, M.S.

Yelena is a doctoral candidate researcher at the Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research. She received her M.S. in Psychology from Palo Alto University. She is currently a PhD candidate in Clinical Psycholog pursuing an emphasis in Neuropsychology at Palo Alto University. Within her doctoral program, Yelena is involved in research exploring the long-term neurocognitive effects of sport-related concussion in children and adolescents as well as the neurocognitive effects. Her previous work in research includes working with girls and women with Turner syndrome in efforts to further understand their brain functioning on number and math processing through the use of near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Yelena is primarily interested in research and clinical work in pediatric and adult populations with developmental or acquired neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions.

Yi-Hua Lin, B.A.

Yi-Hua is a doctoral candidate researcher in the Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research. Yi-Hua earned her B.A. in Psychology and Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley. After graduating, Yi-Hua worked as a behavioral specialist at the Bay Area Clinical Association, Oakland, in their Adolescent Intensive Outpatient Program. Currently, she is a doctoral candidate at the PGSP-Stanford Psy.D. Consortium. Her interests include working with marginalized communities and adolescents struggling with mood disorders and suicidality.  

Judith Ross, MD

Principal Investigator         

Professor, Department of Pediatrics
Thomas Jefferson University

Dr. Judith Ross is the Director of the Nemours/AIDHC EXtraordinarY Kids Clinic (for children with X and Y chromosome variations). Nemours/ AIDHC in Wilmington, Delaware is one of the largest pediatric network/research organizations in the country. Her qualifications include board certification in Pediatrics and Pediatric Endocrinology. She has over 25 years of NIH-funded pediatric research experience, focused on endocrine and neurodevelopmental outcomes in children with X and Y chromosome disorders (XYY syndrome, Klinefelter syndrome, Turner syndrome). Results of this research has elucidated neurophysiological, pathological, and molecular genotype-phenotype relationships, and the role of selected X and Y genes in children in health and disease. As an active clinical researcher, she has partnered with patients and families, and other stakeholders, have spoken at national meeting, and serve on advisory boards of the advocacy organizations (AXYS [Klinefelter syndrome, XYY syndrome]). She currently serves as a member of the AXYS Clinic and Research Consortium.

Karen Kowal, PA-C

Physician Assistant and Study Coordinator

Karen Kowal is the Physician Assistant and Study Coordinator for the eXtraordinarY Kids Clinic at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children. She obtained her title as a Physician Assistant from Rutgers University, College of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. She is also a certified Diabetes Educator and has more than 25 years of experience working with families of children with X or Y chromosome variations. Her research involvement has focused on the endocrine, genetic, cognitive and behavioral phenotypes of children with chromosome disorders.

Nicole DiVirgilio, BS

Clinical Research Coordinator

Nicole DiVirgilio is a Clinical Research Coordinator for the eXtraordinarY Kids Clinic at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children. She received her M.S. in Health Promotion from the University of Delaware. Her past research experience includes physical activity and nutrition policies within child care centers and fruit and vegetable prescription programs for families. Her current research interests include the outcomes of sex chromosome variations within childhood development, especially the social and reproductive aspects.