People

Julia graduated with a Bachelor of Social Work from Olivet Nazarene University in 2019 before completing a Master of Social Work with a focus in Mental Health from Washington University in St. Louis in 2020. During her graduate work, Julia completed a practicum at St. Louis Play Therapy Institute and was a Research Assistant for the Center for Mental Health Services Research. Julia has experience in clinical work with children and families effected by serious mental illness, trauma, and adverse life events. At the EEDP, Julia works on the THRIVE project with Dr. Luby and NOA project with Dr. Gilbert. During her free time, Julia can be found with family and friends at a park, getting coffee, or catching up on the latest book club read!

Kirsten Gilbert is a licensed clinical psychologist. She completed her undergraduate at Stanford University, her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Yale University, and a postdoctoral fellowship at Northwestern University and Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Gilbert’s research examines how ‘too much self-control,’ in the form of heightened performance monitoring and ‘overcontrol’ develop in young children. She is interested in understanding when overcontrol may be adaptive or may contribute to psychopathology, (e.g., anxiety) in young children and adolescents. Kirsten also studies the development of reward processing/positive emotional functioning in young children exhibiting overcontrolled tendencies. Kirsten uses behavioral, EEG/ERP techniques, and parent-child observational data in her research.

Mary is a Clinical Research Supervisor in the Department of Psychiatry. She oversees developmental testing for young children in several studies, coordinates the eLABE study and manages staff administering assessments and MRIs. Mary graduated from the University of Iowa and as a Biologist, focused on both basic and product-oriented research projects in Immunology and Infectious Disease at The University of Chicago and several pharmaceutical companies. She is an avid runner, mother of five and has her Early Childhood Credential from the American Montessori Society/Maryville University.

Hailey completed their PhD in Experimental Psychology with an emphasis in Social Psychology from Saint Louis University. Broadly, Hailey’s research interests are within intergroup relations and morality as well as attitudes toward and experiences of those from underrepresented and marginalized backgrounds (e.g., LGBTQ+ individuals; first-generation college students). They are also interested in social identity development and how these identities influence overall wellbeing. She is deeply committed to DEIA initiatives and projects that drive policy changes to improve accessibility (e.g., in healthcare and higher education) and enhance physical and mental health outcomes.

Brittany received her Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology from Missouri State University and is a Licensed Professional Counselor. Brittany has over 5 years of clinical experience working with children and families in residential and outpatient settings. In the EEDP, she coordinates the PDS-Personality Study.

Laura Hennefield is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine.   She completed her Ph.D. in Psychology at Washington University in St Louis in 2015. Dr. Hennefield’s research focuses on knowledge acquisition in preschool-aged children, with an emphasis on social and cognitive constraints that affect the learning process. Her current projects focus on the development of optimism in preschoolers, including how optimism affects how children learn from and about the world around them, and how a lack of optimism may contribute to psychopathology in early childhood.

Dr. Hoyniak is a licensed clinical psychologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine. She completed her Ph.D. at Indiana University, her clinical internship at Western Psychiatric Hospital at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and her postdoctoral fellowship at Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Hoyniak’s research focuses on the development of sleep and circadian rhythm disturbances in early childhood, exploring the role of early sleep and circadian rhythm disturbances in the etiology of psychopathology. Dr. Hoyniak’s research also examines the role of maternal sleep disturbances during pregnancy in contributing to offspring risk for psychopathology. In her research, she uses a combination of physiological (e.g., actigraphy, polysomnography, EEG/ERP) and observational (both in-lab and in-home) data collection.

Jenny received a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from the University of Missouri – Rolla in 2004. She has worked in the Washington University psychiatry department as a statistical data analyst since 2009. She is responsible for database management in the EEDP.

Alison Huckenpahler is a psychiatrist and instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University in St. Louis. Her research focuses on how sleep shapes large-scale brain network function in mood disorders. Using multimodal neuroimaging, sleep EEG, and computational approaches to brain dynamics, she develops biomarkers to better understand and treat affective disorders.

Charlie Huntington is a post-doctoral research scholar in the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine and is co-mentored by Diana Whalen, Ph.D., and Kirsten Gilbert, Ph.D. He received his undergraduate degree in English literature and linguistics at Swarthmore College and completed an M.A. in clinical psychology and a Ph.D. in social psychology at the University of Denver. Dr. Huntington conducts research on sexual health and interpersonal skills across developmental periods; he is particularly interested in how studying psychopathology assessed across childhood and adolescence may predict interpersonal functioning and sexual health in emerging adults. Dr. Huntington draws on neuroimaging, observational, and survey data in his research.