Meet Our Research Team
Meet Our Research Team
Paulo Lizano, MD, PhD
Director
Dr. Paulo Lizano is a neuropsychiatrist, physician-scientist, and Associate Professor in Psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical School (URMC) with expertise in translational neuroscience. He is the Chief of Academic Affairs, Community Division Associate, Director of Research Education, and is the Director of Early Psychosis Research Program at URMC.
His research laboratory focuses on understanding the inflammatory and microvascular basis of psychosis, as well as vision science and neuromodulation. Dr. Lizano is particularly interested in the use of complementary translational approaches to study inflammation and microvascular features from different perspectives.He combines retinal and brain imaging techniques to identify novel biomarkers and examine factors contributing to the cellular-molecular deficits in psychosis by examining patient-specific cellular models of microvascular function. A long-term goal of the laboratory is to identify both diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers and novel tractable treatment targets for patients living with psychosis, particularly those in the early psychosis period.
Clinical Research Assistants
Nicolas Raymond
Data Scientist
Nick holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts. His primary work is related to developing a toolbox for accurate segmentation of the choroid plexus in addition to the transcranial electrical stimulation projects ongoing in the lab. His research interests include modulating the brain’s electrophysiology properties to better understand and treat the symptomatology of psychotic disorders. Outside of the lab, Nick enjoys riding motorcycles, reading, and hanging out with friends.
Brendan Stiltner
Clinical Research Assistant
Brendan received his undergraduate degree in Psychology from Connecticut College. In the Lizano Lab, he works on the retinal trial. He is deeply interested in novel functional magnetic resonance imaging techniques and study designs that can advance our understanding of heterogeneity and improve clinical outcomes in psychiatry. When he’s not in the lab, Brendan likes cooking, listening to music, and spending time with friends playing board games.
Victor Zeng
Data Scientist
Victor has a B.S in Applied Physics from Northeastern University. He is the data scientist who originally worked on FreeSurfer and ASL datasets and manages that for the Retinal project. His main responsibility is managing the Fastplex choroid plexus segmentation project. In his free time, he volunteers and serves refugees.
Jennifer Nicholson
Clinical Research Assistant
Jennifer completed her BS in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Central Florida and her MS in Immunology at the University of Rochester, where her research focused on cellular senescence in autoimmunity. In the Lizano lab, she applies her wet lab experience to exploring the inflammatory and cellular-molecular basis of psychosis.
Post Doctoral Fellows
Rebekah Trotti, MS, PhD
Post Doctoral Fellow
Rebekah received her BS, MS, and PhD in Psychology at the University of Georgia and training in clinical science at Emory University. Her research primarily investigates the neurophysiology of psychosis and mood disorders using electroencephalography and transcranial electrical stimulation technologies. Outside of work, Rebekah likes to run and entertain her dog Ruthie.
Deniz Altunsu, MSc, PhD
Post Doctoral Fellow
Deniz completed her BS in Genetics and Bioinformatics and MSc in Neuroscience at Bahçeşehir University in Turkey, followed by a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Medicine at Koç University. Her research focuses on blood–brain barrier and choroid plexus dysfunction in early-course psychosis, with an emphasis on patient-derived stem cell models and the identification of translational biomarkers.
Ling-Yu (Beryl) Huang, PhD
Post Doctoral Fellow
Beryl received her BS in Neurobiology from Purdue University and PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Georgia. She is studying brain signatures underlying cognitive flexibility and using the findings to aid treatment development in mental disorders where mental rigidity is prominent, like depression and psychosis. Her other research interest lies in the morphological changes of the choroid plexus across age and psychiatric diagnoses. When not at work, Beryl likes to spend time on yoga, outdoors, crafting, and reading history-based fiction.
Cemal Demirlek, MD, PhD
Post Doctoral Fellow
Cemal earned both his MD and PhD in Neuroscience in Turkey. His research focuses on understanding severe mental illness using multi-modal data collection techniques.
Iwona Grzela-Juskiewicz, MD, MPH
Senior Health Project Coordinator.
Iwona attended medical school at Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Poland, and remained in Szczecin for her residency in internal medicine. Upon moving to Rochester, NY, and joining the University of Rochester, she worked initially as a Clinical Research Coordinator. After conducting clinical trials across a wide range of specialties, she became a Senior Health Project Coordinator, where her work has primarily focused on severe mental illness and health care for marginalized groups. In 2015, she completed a Masters in Public
Health degree program at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. Her current interests include mental health for underserved populations, patient-centered approaches in research and clinical care, and psychosis research.
Research Collaborators
Steven M. Silverstein Professor of Psychiatry, Neuroscience, and Ophthalmology at the University of Rochester Medical Center and a member of the Center for Visual Science.
Matcheri Keshavan
Stanley Cobb Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
Robert MG. Reinhart
Associate Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Boston University
Roscoe Brady
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center