People

Aoife O'Donovan, Ph.D.

Director

THRIVE Lab Director Dr. O’Donovan completed undergraduate and graduate programs at University College Cork, the National University of Ireland, Galway, and University College Dublin in her native Ireland before coming to UCSF for graduate and postdoctoral training. In her current role as Professor In Residence in the UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Weill Institute for Neurosciences and Research Psychologist in the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, she runs a laboratory dedicated to uncovering the mechanisms linking psychological stress exposure with ill health. Her lab conducts studies that determine both the effects of psychological stressors on the immune system, and the health consequences of stressor-related immune dysfunction. Many of their findings converge on altered inflammatory activity as a central mechanism linking stressor exposure with increased risk for mental and physical health problems. The lab is particularly focused on traumatic stressors, which are stressors involving threat of death, serious injury, or sexual violence, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The ultimate goal is to identify and develop interventions that can reduce the long-term negative impact of psychological stressors. Studies in the lab are currently investigating the potential of both digital app-based and pharmacological interventions. Outside of the lab, Aoife enjoys hiking, biking and skiing in the Bay Area and trips to Ireland.

Kristen Nishimi, Ph.D., MPH

Associate Director

Dr. Nishimi completed her MPH in Social and Behavioral Sciences in 2016 and PhD in Population Health Sciences in 2020 at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. Her graduate training in social and psychiatric epidemiology focused on the social determinants of health, psychosocial stress and development, and quantitative research methods for causal inference. Her research examines the impact of trauma and adversity exposure on both mental and physical health outcomes across the life course. Specifically, she aims to use rigorous epidemiological and data science methods to uncover biological mechanisms linking trauma to chronic health outcomes and to understand multilevel processes of psychological resilience.

Check out Dr. Nishimi Google Scholar profile here.

Justin is a Data Science Fellow in the Advanced Fellowship Program in Mental Illness Research and Treatment at the San Francisco VA, where his research focuses on the neurobiological impacts of stress and trauma. He takes an integrative approach to understanding stress, combining immune functioning, neuroimaging, and psychological assessment to examine how the body and brain respond to stress and why those responses sometimes go awry.

Justin completed his Ph.D. in Psychology at Stanford, where his dissertation research examined how early life stress shapes the relationship between inflammation and brain function and structure in adolescents. Along the way, he also studied how the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns were associated with widespread changes in immune, hormonal, and neural functioning in youth, and how reward-related brain circuitry may protect against inflammation-related depression.

He is now extending this line of work into adulthood, with a particular interest in linking peripheral inflammatory markers to neuroimaging outcomes in trauma-exposed adults. This underexplored area could help explain how the immune system shapes the brain's trajectory following traumatic stress, leading to conditions like PTSD. Ultimately, Justin is motivated by the hope that understanding the biology of stress-related illness will open doors to better, more personalized treatments for the people who need them.

Justin Yuan, Ph.D.

Post-doctoral Scholar/Investigator

Lucy Knudsen

Lab Manager, Study Coordinator

Lucy graduated from Willamette University with a B.A. in Psychology. She is currently working at the THRIVE lab to better understand how trauma and psychological stress affect individual health and well-being. Her research interests include exploring the neural mechanisms and health correlates of trauma and PTSD, as well as the development of culture-informed interventions for PTSD. She intends to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. In her free time, Lucy enjoys reading, baking, and hiking in the Bay Area.

Michael Srouji

Study Coordinator

Michael earned a B.A. in both Psychology and Communication from UCLA. His research interests focus on the neural mechanisms underlying trauma and PTSD. Michael aspires to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.

Vanessa Anaya

Study Coordinator

Vanessa graduated with a B.S. in Psychology and a Spanish Certificate from Yale. Her research interests lie at the intersection of clinical and health psychology, with a focus on psychophysiology, emotion regulation, and the mental health of underserved communities. She is interested in exploring how stress becomes biologically embedded and its influence on mental health outcomes like PTSD and depression. Vanessa plans on pursuing a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. In her free time, Vanessa enjoys trying iced vanilla lattes around the city, taking workout classes, and cooking.

Sanya is a 4th year undergraduate student at UC Berkeley studying Molecular and Cellular Biology, with a concentration in Medical Biology and Physiology. She is currently an emergency medical technician and aspires to pursue an M.D. where she can provide medical care and advocate for underserved communities. In her free time, she enjoys weightlifting, cafe hopping, and thrifting.

Sanya Singh

Research Assistant

Anikha is an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley studying Cognitive Science, Data Science, and Public Health. She intends to pursue an M.D. with a specific focus in addiction medicine, aiming to bridge the gap between physiological and psychological aspects of substance dependence syndromes. In her free time, Anikha enjoys reading, playing tennis, and spending time in nature.

Anikha Kemshetti

Research Assistant