Lab News

January 2024

Jennifer Somers, a postdoctoral research fellow at UCLA, is currently recruiting parents and daughters (6-11 yrs) to participate in a study on parenting and girls’ emotional development. Study participants will be asked to complete two brief discussions about everyday emotional experiences and answer questions afterward. Participants’ heart rate will also be monitored during the study. All procedures will take place in participants’ home; the study lasts 1.5 hrs and families will be compensated $50 for their time. For more information, you can email the PI or visit our website The Girls MESH Study

Paul Savoca’s Interoceptive Sensations of Motherhood (iSoM) project is continuing to recruit first-time pregnant women in their second trimester.

Naomi Gancz will be speaking at the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center SCORE symposium on April 4th

Dr. Callaghan presented her talk on the Intergenerational Impacts of Adversity on Mind and Body Health at the Winter Meeting in Turtle Bay, Oahu, Hawaii

A publication detailing the oral microbiome results from wave 1 of Mind, Brain, Body will soon be submitted to Brain Behavior & Immunity journal

Mind Brain Body study is in its final year. This has been an ongoing effort since 2019, that has persisted throughout the pandemic, and has already revealed critical insights into the mechanisms underlying health in children and teens.

The SALivA (Stress, Adversity, Living Microorganisms, and Autonomic Reactivity) study is online and data collection is proceeding well


December 2023

Dr. Callaghan presented at the Australasian Neuroscience Society in Brisbane Australia on December 4th-7th

Dr. Callaghan gave a Plenary Address at the Australasian Human Microbiome Research Network on December 8th

November 2023

BAB Lab had a joint meeting with Dr. Silvers’ SAND Lab on November 16!

Paul Savoca’s Interoceptive Sensations of Motherhood (iSoM) project is currently recruiting pregnant women in the second trimester of their first pregnancy.

Paul Savoca delivered a talk on “Alteration of Maternal Perinatal Interoception after Early Childhood Trauma Exposure: Links with Depression” at the Society for Neuroscience Conference in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Callaghan will be presenting research at the Australasian Neuroscience Society in December in Brisbane Australia. Her talk is entitled “Unveiling the Complexity of Gut-Brain Interactions: Microbiome-Brain Communication and Internalizing Symptoms in Youth”

Dr. Callaghan will be giving an invited presentation at the Australasian Human Microbiome Research Network in December in Brisbane Australia.

Dr. Callaghan will be giving a colloquium presentation at the University of New South Wales, Psychology Department in Sydney Australia.

Dr. Callaghan will be giving an invited talk at the International Society for Developmental Psychobiology Winter Meeting in Oahu, Hawaii in January 2024.


October 2023

Paul Savoca’s iSoM Pilot study just launched and we’re actively recruiting! Find more information here.

Dr. Callaghan delivered a talk on the Intergenerational impacts of adversity on mind-body health: pathways through interoception and the gut-brain axis at the Behavior Evolution and Culture Seminar Series within the Anthropology Department. Watch the recording here!

Congratulations to Paul Savoca and the rest of the BAB Lab team for presenting their research at FLUX!

BAB Lab had our Fall Quarter Social at the Botanical Gardens – it was so much fun! Thanks to Naomi Gancz for organizing the picnic!


August 2023

Fran Querdasi’s recent paper was featured in the Washington Post! Assistant Professor Bridget Callaghan was also quoted in the article, titled “A mother’s stress may change the makeup of her child’s microbiome.” The article is available at https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/08/24/stress-microbiome-intergenerational-trauma/

Congratulations to Naomi Gancz and Fran Querdasi for receiving the Goodman-Ludlum Microbiome Center Seed Fellowship Award 2023! This grant was awarded for their research on early adversity and internalizing in middle childhood to adolescence: Gut microbiome and inflammatory mechanisms.


July 2023

Assistant Professor Bridget Callaghan was interviewed by KTLA about her recent paper (joint with Professor Craig Enders, graduate student and lead author Francesca Querdasi, and external colleagues) titled “Multigenerational adversity impacts on human gut microbiome composition and socioemotional functioning in early childhood.” The interview is available at https://ucla.box.com/s/0gz1sjpp6a6n5vqcdy076krei8re7sru

Dr. Callaghan was interviewed by Dr. Harvey Schwartz on the Mind, Body and Soul Podcast – Episode 44: The Mommy (and Daddy) Brain Controversies: Adaptation not Deficit with Bridget Callaghan. https://harveyschwartzmd.com/2023/07/21/ep-44-the-mommy-and-daddy-brain-controversies-adaption-not-deficit-with-bridget-callaghan-phd/


June 2023

A BABLab paper on the transgenerational impacts of maternal childhood adversity on second generation children’s brain and behavior, written by former postdoc Dr. Jessica Uy (now at Stanford University) and Dr. Callaghan, along with collaborators from the GUSTO team was featured in the NIH Spotlight! https://www.nimh.nih.gov/news/science-news/2023/mothers-difficult-childhoods-impact-their-childrens-mental-health

Along with colleagues, Dr. Callaghan published a communication paper on the topic of translational research in Biological Psychiatry: Global Open Science. We made the cover art for the journal too! https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667174322000167

Congratulations to Bridget Callaghan, who will receive a UCLA Psychology Board of Advisors Faculty Grant!


May 2023

Naomi GanczJordan Levinson, and Bridget Callaghan‘s paper, Sex and Gender as Critical and Distinct Contributors to the Human Brain Gut Microbiome Axis, was accepted for publication. Read it here!

Congratulations to Fran Querdasi for her 251 paper being accepted in the  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). 

Congratulations to Assistant Professor Bridget Callaghan (co-PI) and Postdoctoral Scholar Jennifer Sommers (co-PI) on their newly awarded grant from the Mental Research Institute for their project titled “Does Positive Parenting Improve Emotion.”


April 2023

Dr. Callaghan was interviewed by doula Naomi Chrisoulakis on the podcast Cocoon – Tales from the Fourth Trimester. https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/02-the-truth-about-baby-brain-with-dr-bridget-callaghan/id1460569533?i=1000609142958

Congratulations to Naomi Gancz for receiving the Graduate Summer Research Mentorship! Thirty-eight graduate students received the Graduate Division Graduate Summer Research Mentorship, which provides financial support for conducting research under the close mentorship of a faculty member this summer.

Congratulations to Naomi Gancz, who received an honorable mention accolade for the 2023 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program!

Congratulations to Fran Querdasi, who received the NIMH T32 “Biobehavioral Issues in Physical and Mental Health” Award, a fellowship providing $27,144 of funding for 1-2 years!

Fran Querdasi, Sarah Vogel, Bridget Callaghan, and Natalie Brito submitted the manuscript, “A Comparison of the Infant Gut Microbiome Before vs. After the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic,” to Scientific Reports, and the preprint was posted on PsyArXiv.


March 2023

Dr. Callaghan gave a talk to the UCLA Brain Injury Center and UCLA Brain Sports on how maternal and child stress affect children’s brain development and their microbiome.
The BABLab escaped the room!

Bridget Callaghan received continued media coverage on her recent research. She was quoted in a Salon article titled “It’s time to rethink the narrative behind ‘mommy brain,’ scientists say.” The article is available at https://www.salon.com/2023/03/17/mommy-brain-sexist/

Dr. Callaghan gave a talk on Cognitive Changes During Pregnancy at the biannual Society for Research in Child Development Conference in Salt Lake City.

Research by Bridget Callaghan was cited in a Washington Post article titled “‘Momnesia’ is real, but it’s not what you think.” The article is available at https://www.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2023/02/23/mommy-brain-symptoms-benefits/

Naomi Gancz, Paul Savoca, and Bridget Callaghan presented the poster “A Gut Feeling: Examining Electrogastrography as a Biomarker of Affective Responses” at SAS.

Paul Savoca, Rory Simpson, Elena Chan, Siyan Nussbaum, and Bridget Callaghan presented the poster “Temporal Concordance of Subjective and Objective Arousal” at SAS.


February 2023

Dr. Callaghan and colleagues Dr. Clare McCormack (NYU) and Dr. Jodi Pawluski (University Rennes) published a viewpoint titled ‘It’s Time to Rebrand “Mommy Brain”’ in JAMA Neurology. It was most read paper in the journal two weeks running!

The Washington Post wrote a story about Dr. Callaghan and colleagues new paper on ‘Rebranding Mommy Brain’ https://www.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2023/02/23/mommy-brain-symptoms-benefits/

Bridget Callaghan was quoted in a Good Morning America article titled “Experts say the term ‘mommy brain’ needs a rebrand. Here’s why.” The article is available at https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/wellness/story/experts-term-mommy-brain-rebrand-97009557

BAB Lab had our Winter Quarter Lab Picnic – it was so much fun! Thanks to Naomi Gancz for organizing the picnic.


January 2023

Dr. Callaghan published a review paper with colleagues (lead author Amy Finlay Jones) on maternal and infant immune and microbiome associations with early developmental outcomes in the journal Developmental Psychology. https://t.co/kptyFWMBCt

BAB Lab went to watch The Invisible Extinction. For more information, please visit: https://www.theinvisibleextinction.com/ 


December 2022

Genesis Flores, Fran Querdasi, and Bridget Callaghan submitted the poster abstract for presentation on “Testing a three dimensional model of early life adversity and relations to alexithymia in young adulthood” at the 2023 SANS Conference in Santa Barbara, CA.


November 2022

Congratulations to Naomi Gancz and co-author Jordan for submitting their review paper to Brain Research Bulletin!!!

Fran Querdasi, Kristen Chu, Genesis Flores, Naomi Gancz, Emily Towner, Eason Taylor, Siyan Nussbaum, and Bridget Callaghan presented the poster, “Alexithymia Mediates the Relation Between Caregiving Adversity and Health Symptoms In Childhood and Young Adulthood,” at the 2022 annual meeting of the International Society for Developmental Psychobiology.


October 2022

BAB Lab had our Study Hall on October 27th and it was a lot of fun! Thanks to Naomi Gancz for organizing this great event.

Vi Nguyen and Christine Nguyen have joined the lab. Welcome!

Congratulations to Fran Querdasi who just launched her independent ECHOES study! A special thanks to Genesis Flores for getting the study ready for data collection.

Naomi Gancz’s Second Brain study just launched! A special thanks to Meredith Faivre, Paul Savoca, and Siyan Nussbaum for their support in launching this project.


September 2022

Congratulations to Jenn Somers for getting her paper using linguistic word count software on PUP data accepted in the journal Anxiety, Stress, & Coping! And Jessica Uy for her GUSTO brain imaging paper that was recently accepted by the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry!

James Liam, our visiting graduate student from Sydney, Australia has arrived at UCLA! We look forward to a wonderful year with you, James.

Judy Zhang, our visiting graduate student from China, has left the lab. We truly enjoyed having you, Judy!

Paul Savoca, our first-year graduate student, has joined us! Welcome, Paul!


August 2022

Fran Querdasi and Bridget Callaghan submitted the manuscript, “Multigenerational adversity impacts on gut microbiome composition and socioemotional functioning in early childhood,” to PNAS on August 6th, and the preprint was posted on PsyArXiv.

Congratulations to Bridget Callaghan for being selected as a 2022-23 UCLA Society of Hellman Fellow. The program provides support and encouragement for the research of promising Assistant Professors who show capacity for great distinction in their research.

Yash Mehta and Daniel Huang have graduated and left the lab. Good luck to Yash and Daniel in their future endeavors!


July 2022

Siyan Nussbaum has joined us and will be the new lab manager here at the BAB Lab.

Kristen Chu has left the lab and will start her new role as a Ph.D. student at UCLA working with Dr. Michelle Craske. We will miss you, Kristen!

Andrew Hanna has graduated and left the lab. Good luck to Andrew on his future endeavors!


June 2022

Bridget Callaghan gave a keynote address at the Australasian Society for Social and Affective Neuroscience (AS4SAN)!

We hosted our annual BABLab Welcome Summer Picnic! We are so excited to have you all!

Bridget Callaghan was highlighted by the UCLA Department of Psychology for her research and team here at the Brain and Body Lab. To learn more about the BAB Lab and Dr. Callaghan, check out this article!


May 2022

Andre Galenchick-Chan has been accepted to medical school and will be departing the lab. Congratulations Andre – we will miss you!


April 2022

Fran Querdasi was awarded the Graduate Research Mentorship Award (GRM), a fellowship for $20,000 of funding for academic year 2022-2023.

Kristen Chu has accepted an offer from UCLA’s Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program, to join the Anxiety and Depression Research Center (ADRC) under Dr. Michelle Craske. She was also awarded the prestigious Summer Mentored Research Fellowship of $6,000, which will support one of Kristen’s summer stipends. She starts in Fall, 2022. Congratulations Kristen – we will miss you!

Congratulations to Naomi Gancz and Fran Querdasi who were both awarded the Graduate Research Mentorship (GRM) which will fund them for the next school year!

Madelyn Robinson has been promoted in the BABLab to Senior Research Assistant! Congratulations Madelyn!

Lorena Gonzalez has been promoted in the BABLab to Senior Research Assistant! Congratulations Lorena!

Alice Deng has joined the BABLab as a Research Assistant! Welcome to the team Alice – we are so excited to work with you!

Naomi Gancz and Fran Querdasi both received the Graduate Summer Research Mentorship (GSRM) Fellowship of $6,000 to fund our research over the summer and free health insurance! Congratulations!

Sienna Osadon has been accepted to Pepperdine’s Masters of Arts in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis on Marriage and Family therapy. Hard work pays off! Congratulations – we will miss you!

Deborah Banner will be leaving the BAB Lab. Thank you for your hard work – you will be missed! Wishing you the best of luck with your future endeavors!


March 2022

Bridget Callaghan did a podcast alongside Dr. Jodi Pawluski titled “Mommy Brain Revisited.” Podcast

Bridget Callaghan published her paper “Being the third wheel: Toddlers use bystander learning to acquire cue-specific valence knowledge” PDF

Jessica Uy, Bridget Callaghan, and Kristen Chu published their paper ” Parenting under pressure: Parental transmission and buffering of child fear during the COVID-19 pandemic” PDF.

Kristen Chu presented at the Society for Affective Science Conference 2022 online. Her poster was related to the role of Parent-Child Interactions in Child Alexithymia and emotional processing.

Keegan Bunch has accepted a position as a Research Assistant at Dr. Lara Ray’s UCLA Addictions Lab. Congratulations Keegan – we will miss you!

Bridget Callaghan was invited to the preconference for the Society for Affective Science Conference 2022 online as a part of the early career spotlight session. Congratulations Bridget!


February 2022

Jennifer Somers, Kristen Chu, Chloe Schwartz, Emily Towner, and Bridget Callaghan had the manuscript, “Sometimes “We” can help: Parents’ pronoun use buffers fear and anxiety transmission” published in Anxiety, Stress, & Coping.

Kristen Chu has accepted an offer from UCLA’s Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program, with Dr. Michelle Craske. She starts in Fall, 2022. Congratulations Kristen – we will miss you!


January 2022

Dr. Bridget Callaghan had a paper accepted titled “Evidence for cognitive plasticity during pregnancy via enhanced learning and memory.” You can access a PDF of the paper on our ‘publications‘ page!

Kristen Chu had an abstract accepted for the 2022 meeting of the Society for Affective Science taking place online this year in March. Kristen will be presenting work related to the role of Parent-Child Interactions in Child Alexithymia and emotional processing. Congratulations Kristen!


December 2021

Our BABLab members Kristen and Naomi attended Winter Wonderland hosted by our community partner Fostering Unity LA. They handed out fun goodie bags, spoke to over a hundred families about our research, and spread holiday cheer!


November 2021

Kristen Chu, Fran Querdasi, Emily Towner, and Eason Taylor presented a poster at SRCD 2022 titled, “The Role of Parent-Child Interaction in Emotional Processing, Alexithymia, and Internalizing Symptoms.”

Dr. Bridget Callaghan presented a poster at ISDP conference titled “Evidence for Cognitive Plasticity During Pregnancy Via Enhanced Learning and Memory.”

Kristen Chu presented a poster at the ISDP conference on the role of parent-child interactions in emotional processing, child alexithymia, and mental health.

Fran Querdasi presented a poster at ISDP on her most recent work looking at associations between adversity exposure, the composition of the gut microbiome, and (somatic and emotional) health symptoms in early childhood.

Fran Querdasi won a conference abstract/travel award to ISDP!

Fran Querdasi ‘s first first-authored paper, a review of suicidal behaviors among Latina youth, was accepted for publication in the Journal of Adolescence!

Anna Bretz has joined the BABLab as Senior Research Assistant! Welcome to the team Anna– we are so excited to work with you!


October 2021

Fran Querdasi’s paper she co-authored from her work at Stanford on microstructural brain development in early infancy was published in Nature Communications Biology.

Dr. Bridget Callaghan gave a talk at Boys Town on brain-body interactions in mental health.

Andrew Hanna has joined the BABLab as Senior Research Assistant! Welcome to the team Andrew– we are so excited to work with you!


September 2021

Daniel Huang, Megan Ngai, and Madelyn Robinson have joined the BABLab as Undergraduate Research Assistants! Welcome to the team Daniel, Megan, and Madelyn – we are so excited to work with you!

Dr. Bridget Callaghan did a parenting workshop with over 50 caregivers hosted by Fostering Unity with the mission to provide caregivers with a new “Service Delivery Model” of support, education, and resources.


August 2021

Kristen Chu gave a poster presentation from her undergraduate research related to racial Microaggressions and emotional reactions in college students at the American Psychological Association (APA) 2021 Convention. Congratulations Kristen!

Leticia Herrerra was awarded the Chancellor’s Docotoral Incentive Program (CDIP), an award for future doctoral students of up to $30,000. Leticia was also awarded the Sally Casanova Award 2020 to conduct undergraduate research at a lab at UCLA.

Dr. Jennifer Somers has joined the BABLab as a Postdoctoral Fellow in UCLA’s T32 Program on Biobehavioral Issues in Mental and Physical Health. Welcome Jennifer- we are so excited to have you!


July 2021

Liz Harty and Lorena Gonzalez have joined the BABLab as Undergraduate Research Assistants! Welcome to the team Liz and Lorena – we are so excited to work with you!

Dr. Bridget Callaghan did two parenting workshops with Dillion International who is actively involved in establishing intercountry adoption standards and policies both in the United States and abroad.

Dr. Bridget Callaghan did a podcast with Candice Lepin for the Ladder Method with a mission to help each person that works with us achieve their highest potential.


June 2021

Yash Mehta has been promoted in the BABLab to Senior Research Assistant! Congratulations Yash!

Maria Calderon has accepted a new position as a Lab Manager at the UCI School of Education. She will be working on the Next Generation Undergraduate Success Measurement Project under Dr. Richard Arum. Congratulations Maria – we will miss you!

Charis Stanek, Emily Towner, and Kristen Chu presented the paper “I Grieve the Loss of Normality’: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Mental Health in Young Adults during COVID-19” at the Equip qualitative research conference.

Nicole Fonacier was honored in her graduation ceremony as part of the Psychology Research Opportunities Program (PROPs) at UCLA. Congratulations Nicole!

Kristen Chu, Chloe Schwartz, Emily Towner, and Dr. Bridget Callaghan had a paper accepted in the Journal of Affective Disorders Reports. You can view the paper here.

Dr. Bridget Callaghan did a parenting workshop with Dillion International and is actively involved in establishing intercountry adoption standards and policies both in the United States and abroad.


May 2021

Nicole Fonacier showcased a poster to display her research on Alexithymia and parental warmth for UCLA’s Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference (PURC).  Congratulations Nicole!

Nicole Fonacier presented her research on Alexithymia as a and parental warmth during the Undergraduate Research Week at UCLA. Congratulations Nicole!

Fran Querdasi received the Faculty Women’s Club Scholarship, to be awarded next academic year (2021-2022). Congratulations Fran- we are so happy for you!

Dr. Bridget Callaghan discussed the psychological impact of COVID-19 on parents and children, and provided advice to parents, in an article for the UCLA Newsroom. The article titled “As optimism returns, a reminder that life after COVID-19 will be stressful for many” is available at https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/advice-parents-life-after-covid19

Deborah Banner has joined the BABLab as Senior Research Assistant! Welcome to the team Deborah- we are so excited to work with you!


April 2021

Michael To was selected as a 2021-2022 Fulbright Fellow, ETA to Vietnam. Michael was selected by the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, composed of 12 educational and public leaders appointed directly by the President of the United States.

Charis Stanek has accepted a new position as a Researcher with Dr. Nahata at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, OH. Congratulations Charis- we will miss you!

Nicole Fonacier has been accepted into UCLA’s Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference (PURC) as well as UCLA’s Undergraduate Research Showcase (UGRW), UCLA’s largest undergraduate research symposium. She will be presenting her research project next month at both events – Congratulations Nicole!

Leticia Herrera has accepted an offer from Idaho State University’s Ph.D. program in Experimental Psychology. She starts in Fall, 2021. Congratulations Leticia – we will miss you!

Naomi Gancz has accepted an offer from UCLA to join the Brain and Body Lab as a student in the Ph.D. Graduate program. She will be joining us in Fall 2021. Welcome, Naomi!

Alyssa Ortega has accepted a new position as a Behavior Technician at Behavior Frontiers. Congratulations Alyssa!

Keegan Buch was accepted into the Summer Research Internship Program with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). We are so excited for you Keegan!

Kristen Chu, Chloe Schwartz, and Emily Towner presented the posters, “Parenting Under Pressure: A Mixed Methods Investigation of the Impact of COVID-19 on Family Life,” and “Inducing and Buffering Pathways of Familial Distress During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” at SRCD.

Chloe Schwartz, Genesis Flores, and Kristen Chu presented their work in poster format at the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) Virtual Biennial Meeting. Congratulations Chloe, Genesis, and Kristen!

Dr. Bridget Callaghan gave a talk related to our study, Parenting Under Pressure: A mixed-methods study on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on parent-child fear regulation and family life at the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) Virtual Biennial Meeting.


March 2021

Genesis Flores was accepted into the Summer Research Internship Program with the Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience at Boston Children’s Hospital. We are so excited for you Genesis!

Andre Galenchik-ChanRory Simpson, and Yash Mehta have joined the BABLab as Undergraduate Research Assistants! Welcome to the team Yash, Rory, and Andre- we are so excited to work with you!

Kristen Chu had an abstract accepted with the Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity and Race (Division 45) programming for the 2021 meeting of the APA taking place online this year in August. Kristen will be presenting work from her undergraduate research related to racial Microaggressions and emotional reactions in college students.

Sienna Osadon has joined the BABLab as a Senior Research Assistant! Welcome to the team Sienna- we are so happy to have you on board!

Emily Towner gave a talk at a Gates Cambridge Symposium about her work on Virtual Social Interaction, Loneliness, and Well-Being among emerging adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic. You can view the talk here: https://youtu.be/FNcUIMiqB2I


February 2021

Maria Calderon has accepted a research assistant position at the Santa Fe Institute. Congratulations Maria!

Dr. Jennifer Somers will be joining our lab this Fall as a Postdoctoral Fellow on UCLA’s T32 Program on Biobehavioral Issues in Mental and Physical Health. Welcome Jennifer- we are so excited to have you!

Fran Querdasi gave a talk on “Stress & Gut Microbiome Development in Early Childhood” at the Social Affective Neuroscience area meeting, UCLA Psychology PhD Prospective Students’ Weekend.

Dr. Bridget Callaghan and her UCLA Psychology colleague Dr. Jennifer Silvers spoke to the UCLA Anderson Parents Group about the impact of COVID-19 on children and families and how parents can support their children and look after themselves during this challenging time. You can watch the recording here.

Dr. Bridget Callaghan was interviewed about the microbiome and its role in child development for The Mind, Body & Soul in Healing podcast. You can listen to the whole podcast here: https://harveyschwartzmd.com/2021/02/11/ep-1-microbiome-child-development/


January 2021

Dr. Bridget Callaghan was interviewed about brain and gut health for the Curious Neuron podcast. You can listen to the whole podcast here: https://www.curiousneuron.com/podcast/2021/1/5/ep-19

Dr. Jessica Uy has joined the BABLab as a Postdoctoral Researcher! Welcome to the team Jessica- we are so happy to have you on board!

Kristen Chu, Chloe Schwartz, Emily Towner, and Dr. Bridget Callaghan had an abstract accepted at the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) Biennial Meeting, taking place in April. Kristen will be presenting mixed-methods research on the emotional and behavioral reactions to COVID-19 among parents and children.

Chloe Schwartz, Kristen Chu, Emily Towner, and Dr. Bridget Callaghan had an abstract accepted at the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) Biennial Meeting, taking place in April. Chloe will be presenting research on the inducing and buffering pathways of familial distress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Genesis Flores had an abstract accepted at the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) Biennial Meeting, taking place in April. Genesis will be presenting her research project titled “What’s in the Box? The Effect of Negation on Children’s Belief in Misinformation.”

Charis Stanek, Emily Towner, Kristen Chu, and Dr. Bridget Callaghan had an abstract accepted at the Equip qualitative research conference, taking place in June. Charis will be presenting research on mixed-methods analysis of mental health in young adults during COVID-19.


December 2020

Dr. Bridget Callaghan joined UCLA’s Center for Scholars & Storytelling, Pearl Studio and CAPE for ANIMATION NATION for a YouTube Live conversation on ‘Finding Hope After Loss in Children’s Media’.  You can watch the recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASGkdNpxmk0


November 2020

Nicole Fonacier was accepted into the UCLA Psychology Research Program (PROPS) for her work in the BABLab. Congratulations Nicole!

Dr. Bridget Callaghan gave a research talk to the Department of Psychology at Northeastern University.

Dr. Bridget Callaghan gave a research talk to the Psychology Department at California State University, Northridge.

Reese Wix has accepted an offer at the UCLA Hammer Museum. Congratulations Reese – we will miss you!


October 2020

Dr. Bridget Callaghan gave a talk to the faculty and students at the Center for Brain, Behavior, and Cognition at Penn State.

Mikey To joined Nicole Fonacier on her @whycommunitycollege platform, sharing his story with other Transfer mentees and providing them with insight on navigating the research world as a Transfer. Click here to connect with @whycommunitycollege, and visit our Gallery for photos of this event!

Nicole Fonacier continues to advocate for, mentor, and connect transfer students through her @whycommunitycollege platform. Click here to learn more about her digital platform and join her network or read an article abut her work in the Daily Bruin here! Congratulations Nicole for your continually incredible work!

Emily Towner presented the poster “Distress Amid COVID-19 Among Those Exposed to Early Life Stress” at  the 53rd annual meeting of the International Society for Developmental Psychobiology.

Chloe Schwartz, Emily Towner, and Kristen Chu presented their work in poster format at the International Society for Developmental Psychobiology. Congratulations Chloe, Emily, and Kristen! See the Gallery for pictures from the virtual conference.

Dr. Bridget Callaghan shared her insights on a panel related to promoting racial justice and equity through revisions to scientific practice/inclusion in academia at the International Society for Developmental Psychobiology virtual conference.

The Brain and Body Lab released its very first Newsletter, which you can access here! Here, we share some findings from our most recent studies, some updates from the BABLAB Team, and some activities for children/teens!

Tiffany Nassirian joined the BABLab as a senior research assistant. Welcome Tiffany!


September 2020

Charis Stanek received a scholarship from the Institute for the Development of Human Arts to study their course on healing systems: models, tools, and strategies to transform mental health practice. Congratulations Charis!

Kristen Chu, Chloe Schwartz, Emily Towner, and Dr. Bridget Callaghan released the Brain and Body Lab’s first preprint detailing our mixed-methods research aimed at understanding the impact that COVID-19 on parents and children/teens. Read our preprint here!

Michael To was awarded the following scholarships: UCLA: Undergraduate Research Scholars Scholarship; Academic Advancement Program Discresionary Scholarship; Margaret J. Sweeny Scholarship; Eugene & Maxine Rosenfeld Scholarship; Jessie Ingram Research Scholars Scholarship; Thayer Eschelbach Annuity Scholarship. Scholarships were applied to through the Undergraduate Scholarship Portal, AAP, and URSP.

Kristen Chu, Chloe Schwartz, Emily Towner, and Dr. Bridget Callaghan had an abstract accepted at the International Society for Developmental Psychobiology (ISDP) virtual conference, taking place in October. Kristen will be presenting mixed-methods research on the emotional and behavioral reactions to COVID-19 among parents and children.

Chloe Schwartz, Kristen Chu, Emily Towner, and Dr. Bridget Callaghan had an abstract accepted at the International Society for Developmental Psychobiology (ISDP) virtual conference, taking place in October. Chloe will be presenting research on the inducing and buffering pathways of familial distress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Emily Towner and Dr. Bridget Callaghan had an abstract accepted at the International Society for Developmental Psychobiology (ISDP) virtual conference, taking place in October. Emily will be presenting research on distress amid COVID-19 among those exposed to early life stress.

Alyssa Wieand has accepted an offer at the USC Imaging Genetics Center. Congratulations Alyssa – we will miss you!


August 2020

Michael To received a Fellowship from UCLA’s Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) to help fund his independent research. Congratulations Mikey!

Leti Herrera presented to the UCLA SPUR Sally Casanova Fellowship Program about investigating the effects of diet on autism-related behaviors. You can watch the presentation by clicking here.

Dr. Bridget Callaghan is presenting in an American Psychological Association Webinar for students on the topic of keeping your research on track during COVID-19.

Dr. Bridget Callaghan was interviewed on the podcast: Who You Needed, hosted by Helen Garcia. You can listen to the interview by clicking here.

Genesis Flores joined the BABLab as a research assistant. Welcome, Genesis!

Keegan Buch joined the BABLab as a research assistant. Welcome, Keegan!

Maria Calderon joined the BABLab as a senior research assistant. Welcome, Maria!

Charis Stanek joined the BABLab as a senior research assistant. Welcome, Charis!


July 2020

Dr. Bridget Callaghan had a paper accepted in the journal Current Opinions in Behavioral Sciences! You can access a PDF of the paper on our ‘publications‘ page.

Dr. Bridget Callaghan received a Faculty Career Development Grant from UCLA!

Chloe Schwartz has accepted an offer at the Jeste Lab at the UCLA Semel Institute. Congratulations Chloe – we will miss you!

Leti Herrera  joined the BABLab as a research assistant. She will be conducting research with our lab as a part of the UCLA Sally Casanova Pre-Doctoral Summer Program. Welcome Leti!

Michael To was awarded the 2020-2021 Academic Advancement Program Scholarship on the basis of his personal commitment to scholarly excellence in the face of persistent barriers to his education, and for his demonstrated interest in serving and advocating for my community – especially those underrepresented populations whom he represents – both currently and in his future endeavors. Congratulations Michael!

Sapir Yona joined the BABLab as a research intern. Welcome Sapir!

Shir Atias joined the BABLab as a research intern. Welcome Shir!

Nicole Fonacier developed a social media page to support Community College Students and provide resources for those looking to transfer to a 4-year University.  Her exceptional work with @whycommunitycollege has been written about by the Daily Bruin – congratulations Nicole! You may view the article here.


June 2020

Michael To was accepted into the Departmental Honors Program at UCLA, working in the Brain and Body Lab! Congratulations Michael!

Grant Grech has been accepted into the UCLA Pritzker Center’s Summer Child Welfare Academy program! Congratulations Grant! You may view more information here.

Fran Querdasi has been accepted into the UCLA Pritzker Center’s Summer Child Welfare Academy program! Congratulations Fran! You may view more information here.

Daisy Ramirez has been accepted into the UCLA Pritzker Center’s Summer Child Welfare Academy program! Congratulations Daisy! You may view more information here.

Aileen Gozali has accepted an offer from UCSF’s School of Medicine to become a doctor. She will start in Fall, 2020. Congratulations Aileen – we will miss you!

Alyssa Wieand showcased a poster to display her research on the impact of early life adversity on threat memory retention in children and adolescents for UCLA’s Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference (PURC). You may view the poster here. Congratulations Alyssa W.!

Alyssa Ortega was honored in her graduation ceremony as part of the Psychology Research Opportunities Program (PROPs) at UCLA. Congratulations Alyssa O.!

Alyssa Wieand was honored in her graduation ceremony as part of the Psychology Research Opportunities Program (PROPs) at UCLA. Congratulations Alyssa O.!


May 2020

Daisy Ramirez joined the BABLab as a research assistant. Welcome Daisy!

Chloe Schwartz, Aileen Gozali, Grant Grech, and Kristen Chu led two virtual Psychology Classes (grades K-3 and 4+) for students at the Creative Learning Place- a community of homeschooled families learning together.

Alyssa Ortega presented her research on a comparative mental health analysis between transfer and traditional students during the Undergraduate Research Week at UCLA. Congratulations Alyssa O.!

Alyssa Wieand presented her research on the impact of early life adversity on retention of differentially valences memories in youth during the Undergraduate Research week at UCLA. Congratulations Alyssa W.!

Nicole Fonacier presented her research on Alexithymia as a mediator of Anxiety and Depression in early life stress during the Undergraduate Research Week at UCLA. Congratulations Nicole!

Michael To presented his research on Health Anxiety and media usage during COVID-19 during the Undergraduate Research Week, Undergraduate Research Showcase, and Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference at UCLA. Congratulations Mikey!


April 2020

Fran Querdasi has accepted an offer from UCLA to join the Brain and Body Lab as a student in the Ph.D. Graduate program. She will be joining us in Fall 2020. Welcome Fran!

Fran Querdasi won the Dean’s Scholar Award from UCLA! The award will support Fran’s Summer stipend for Year 2 and 3 of her training as well as additional start funding in Fall of Year 1. Congratulations Fran!

Emily Towner has accepted an offer from Cambridge University’s Ph.D. program, on full scholarship from the Gates Foundation (Gates-Cambridge Fellowship). She starts in Fall, 2020. Congratulations Emily – we will miss you!

Emily Towner was awarded the SARMAC Student Caucus Research Grant grant to present her research at Society for Applied Research in Memory And Cognition (SARMAC) XIV in Nagoya, Japan! Her upcoming PhD research focuses on learning in adolescence and how individual differences in the neural and cognitive mechanisms that underlie learning might influence mental health across the lifespan. Congratulations Emily!

Alyssa Wieand has been accepted into UCLA’s Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference (PURC). She will be presenting her research project next month – Congratulations Alyssa!

Alyssa Ortega has been accepted to present next month at the Undergraduate Research Showcase, UCLA’s largest undergraduate research symposium. Congratulations Alyssa O.!

Alyssa Wieand has been accepted to present next month at the Undergraduate Research Showcase, UCLA’s largest undergraduate research symposium. Congratulations Alyssa W.!

Nicole Fonacier has been accepted to present next month at the Undergraduate Research Showcase, UCLA’s largest undergraduate research symposium. Congratulations Nicole!

Michael To has been accepted to present next month at the Undergraduate Research Showcase, UCLA’s largest undergraduate research symposium. Congratulations Michael!


March 2020

Chloe Schwartz joined the BABLab as a Senior research assistant. Welcome to the team Chloe!

Grant Grech joined the BABLab as a research assistant. Welcome to the team Grant!

Alyssa Ortega presented her developing research project at the URSP Colloquium! Congratulations Alyssa O.!


February 2020

Kristen Chu has joined the BABLab as a full-time Lab Manager! Welcome to the team Kristen! Kristen joins our other full-time Lab Manager Emily Towner in leading the BABLab team – we are so happy to have her on board!

Alyssa Ortega presented “Sink or swim: Analyzing key differences between traditional and transfer first-year college students”  at the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program Winter Colloquium.

Paul Bloom (graduate student at Columbia University) is visiting BABLab to work on some collaborative projects. Paul will be in town for a week in February. We are excited to get some great science done while he is here!

Katelyn Phillips joins BABLab as a graduate student. Kate will be co-mentored by Dr. Callaghan. Her primary mentor is Dr. Nadine Kasparian of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and The University of New South Wales. Kate lives in Australia but will be visiting BABLab in March. Welcome to the team Kate!

Dr. Bridget Callaghan had a paper accepted by the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. See ‘publications’ page of the website to access a PDF of the paper.


January 2020

Dr. Bridget Callaghan has been chosen for an Early Career Impact Award from the Federation of Associations in Brain and Behavioral Sciences (FABBS). This award is presented to early career scientists of FABBS member societies during the first 10 years post-PhD and recognizes scientists who have made major contributions to the sciences of mind, brain, and behavior. Read more here and here.

Eason Taylor had his undergraduate research published in the 2019 Psi Chi Journal. Congratulations Eason! You can access the article here.

Michael To joined the lab in the position of research assistant for his Biomedical Major program. Welcome Mikey!


November 2019

BABLab Collaborator Dr. Amy Finlay Jones from Telethon Kids in Australia was awarded the Raine Foundation Bright Spark award to collaborate with the BABLab and to come and visit us here in the USA. Congratulations Amy!

Alyssa Ortega received a UCLA Psychology Research Program (PROPS) fellowship for her work in the BABLab. Congratulations Alyssa. O!

Alyssa Wieand received a UCLA Psychology Research Program (PROPS) fellowship to join the BABLab. Now we have two Alyssa’s! Congratulations Alyssa W!

Nicole Fonacier joined the BABLab as a research assistant. Welcome Nicole!

Reese Wix joined the BABLab as a research assistant. Welcome Reese!

Ananya Eeraveni joined the BABLab as a research assistant. Welcome Ananya!


October 2019

Emily Towner presented her work in poster format at the International Society for Developmental Psychobiology. See the Gallery for a pic!

Dr. Bridget Callaghan presented her work in talk format at the International Society for Developmental Psychobiology and accepted an award for her work (the Kurcharski Young Investigator Award). See the Gallery for a pic!

Dr. Bridget Callaghan was elected to the board for the International Society for Developmental Psychobiology. This is a 3-year term.

Dr. Bridget Callaghan presented a talk at the California State Foster Parent Association 43rd Annual Conference.

Aileen Gozali joined the BABLab team as a research assistant. Welcome Aileen!

Danielle Ladensack joined the BABLab team as a research assistant. Welcome Danielle!

Alyssa Ortega joined the BABLab team as a research intern. Welcome Alyssa!


September 2019

Dr. Bridget Callaghan was awarded the Kucharski Young Investigator Award from the International Society for Developmental Psychobiology. The Kucharski award honors the memory of David Kucharski, a promising young investigator in the field of developmental psychobiology. Callaghan was honored for her academic accomplishments and contributions to the field. Read the UCLA newsroom report on here.

Dr. Bridget Callaghan presented her work at the Conte Center @UCI, headed by Professor Tallie Baram.


August 2019

Eason Taylor had a research paper accepted for publication in the Psi Chi journal . The paper is titled: “Examining the Effects of Exercise on Frustration-induced Anxiety-like Behavior in Rats”. Congratulations Eason!

Alyssa Ortega was accepted to the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program.

Dr. Bridget Callaghan was awarded her grant (R00 – Pathway to Independence Award from the National Institutes of Mental Health) to fund the Mind, Brain, Body study in the BABLab! We will use this money to look at how early experiences influence interactions between the gastrointestinal microbiome and the developing memory system.


July 2019

Emily Towner had an abstract accepted at the International Society for Developmental Psychobiology (ISDP), taking place in October in Chicago. She will be presenting her masters research from her time in the SAND Lab at UCLA.

Dr. Bridget Callaghan presented research at the Telethon Kids Institute in Perth, Australia.

Emily Towner joined the lab in the position of Research Associate. Welcome Emily – we are so pleased to have you join us!

Eason Taylor joined the lab in the position of Lab Manager. Welcome Eason – we are so pleased to have you join us!