Rachel Jespersen
Rachel Jespersen is the coordinator of the CBT for the Treatment and Prevention of Psychosis clinical and research program. She manages administrative aspects and recruitment for the program’s research studies and coordinates referrals and intakes for the CBT for Psychosis clinical program. Rachel graduated with honors from Baruch College, CUNY with a BA in Psychology and has a Master’s degree in Social Work from the Silver School of Social Work of New York University. She is a licensed social worker in both New York (LMSW) and New Jersey (LSW).
Alex Fietzer, Ph.D.
Alex Fietzer is a postdoctoral fellow in clinical psychology at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill-Cornell Medical College where he is specializing in the treatment of psychotic disorders in adults. He received his doctorate in counseling psychology from Fordham University and has trained in community mental health, hospital, neuropsychological, and college counseling settings. Dr. Fietzer is working in the research lab of Dr. Yulia Landa investigating treatment and diagnosis of individuals with schizophrenia and at risk for psychosis. His research interests include the cognitive sequelae of psychosis, the impact of cultural variables on treatment, the phenomenology of schizophrenia, and social justice. He holds an M.A. in counseling psychology from the University of Minnesota and has published papers in peer-reviewed journals, a book chapter, and presented numerous papers at professional conferences.
Shaynna Herrera, Ph.D.
Shaynna Herrera, Ph.D. is an Advanced Psychology Fellow at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and James J. Peters VA Medical Center. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology of Yeshiva University and completed her doctoral internship at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior in Adolescent Serious Mental Illness. Dr. Herrera’s clinical interests are providing evidenced-based treatments and comprehensive clinical care to individuals with psychosis and at high-risk for psychosis. She has extensive training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis, cognitive remediation, and family interventions for serious mental illness, as well as in delivering diagnostic and symptom assessments. Dr. Herrera’s research interests are improving outcomes and access to care for people with schizophrenia, first episode psychosis, and youth at-risk for psychosis. She is interested in the development, implementation, and evaluation of psychosocial interventions for psychosis that are specific to the developmental course of the illness and unique needs of sub-populations, and that can be widely implemented throughout systems of care.
Kalpana Nidhi Kapil-Pair, Ph.D.
Kalpana Nidhi Kapil-Pair, Ph.D. is currently a clinical research fellow at James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Mental Illness Research & Clinical Center, and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Her clinical research studies are aimed at Veterans with high-risk suicidality, severe mental illness, post-traumatic stress and/or personality disorders. She completed her internship at the James J. Peters VAMC, and received her doctorate in clinical psychology from Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus. Her research interests include developing and integrating empirically-based cognitive behavioral protocols targeting individuals with both psychotic disorders and high-risk suicidality, delivered individually and via group psychotherapy treatments. In addition, Dr. Kapil-Pair is interested in understanding the interplay of trauma-related symptomology with severe mental illness and development of novel interventions in this area.
Michael Alan Jacobs
Michael is an actor with broad experience. He holds a BFA in Musical Theater from Ithaca College, and has performed worldwide. He has been working for Memorial Sloane Kettering as an actor in the COMSKIL program since 2006, and was featured as part of an NBC news report about the program. Since 2009, he has been working with Dr. Landa as both an actor and a co-developer of the CBT for Psychosis role play stratagem. Michael has experience working with therapists, patients and family members in a wide range of training programs and studies. Michael is a member of Actor's Equity Association.
Aeriell Mansell
Aeriell Mansell is an undergraduate Psychology student at the City College of New York. She works collaboratively with a mentor at CCNY and with Dr. Landa to combine her passions for dance and psychology through her undergraduate thesis: Salsa for Schizophrenia. Within the CBT for the Treatment and Prevention of Psychosis Program, some of Aeriell’s responsibilities include: administrative duties for both the clinic and research studies; patient assessments; transcribing, scoring, and organizing data; and coordinating study procedures for multi-site research projects. Aeriell will receive a B.A. in Psychology in May 2018, and she hopes to continue on to a Clinical Psychology PhD program.
Alexander Robateau
Alexander Robateau is an undergraduate student at the Macaulay Honors College, CCNY campus. As a double major in Asian Studies and Psychology, he synthesizes his two specialties with an interest in treating serious mental illness in first generation and low income Asian American communities. Alex assists the team through data entry and analysis, drafting manuscripts based on clinician training modules and research activities, transcribing patient and clinician interviews for use in studies, conducting literature searches and reviews, preparing and editing audio-visual media for use in training and lectures, and performing general administrative duties for the clinic. Alex will graduate in 2018 with a BA in Psychology and Asian Studies, after which he hopes to enter a Clinical Psychology PhD program.
Lisa Lavoie
Lisa Lavoie is an illustrator who focuses on educational illustration. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Kansas City Art Institute. Her whimsical yet bold illustration style helps make reading fun. She loves to draw, and especially loves to draw people and animals. She has been working with Dr. Landa since 2010, illustrating Cognitive Behavioral Therapy workbooks for both adolescents and adults. Currently, she is illustrating a parent skills book with Dr. Landa. Her other clients have included The New York Times, Women's Day, Unicef and The Seaman's Church Institute.
Her work can be seen at www.lisalavoie.com
Emily Roh
Emily Roh is an actress for Dr. Yulia Landa, aspiring to become a doctor. Though not an actress by profession, she had had done some work in voice acting that eventually grew into small-scale experiences in a local film and a health care commercial that she did while working in the public health field. She received her Masters in Public Health from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health after moving to New York from Bogota, Colombia in South America. After being raised in Philadelphia, going to college in Boston, and living in Bogota, her interest in big cities and people brought her NYC and, eventually, to a position at Weill Cornell. The research for Dr. Landa's study appealed most to Emily because it was "medical treatment with a twist."