TARA PERIS, PHD
SITE PRINCIPLE INVESTIGATOR
Dr. Tara Peris is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior and Associate Director for Research and Academic Affairs within the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She is the Co-Director of the UCLA Child OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Program, where her work has focused on understanding developmental trajectories of anxiety disorder, and on developing novel intervention approaches for youth who fail to respond to current treatment options. Dr. Peris is the recipient of awards from the Brain and Behavior Foundation, the International Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Foundation, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the Society for Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology.
JOHN PIACENTINI, PHD ABPP
SITE CO-PI
Dr. Piacentini is a board-certified clinical child and adolescent psychologist whose works focuses on the development and testing of effective treatments for childhood anxiety and related disorders. Dr. Piacentini has played a lead role in several major treatment studies for these disorders and has published over 240 research papers, many in leading medical journals, chapters and books. He is the Director of the UCLA Child OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Program and Co-Director of the UCLA Center for Child Anxiety Resilience Education and Support (CARES).
JAMES T. MCCRACKEN, MD
CO-INVESTIGATOR; PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY LEAD
Dr. McCracken is a child and adult psychiatrist who is widely recognized as a national leader in developing and testing medical treatments for individuals with anxiety and related disorders. He is the Joseph Campbell Professor of Child Psychiatry in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and directs the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences. For nearly three decades he has collaborated in some of seminal work in the field related to testing the safety, tolerability, and effectiveness of medication treatments for youth anxiety and related conditions.
JESSICA JEFFREY, MD MBA MPH
CO-INVESTIGATOR; COLLABORATIVE CARE LEAD
Dr. Jeffrey is a child and adolescent psychiatrist at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. She is the Associate Director of Ambulatory Services within the UCLA Department of Psychiatry and she also serves as the Associate Director of the Division of Population Behavioral Health at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior.. Dr. Jeffrey is a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a Distinguished Fellow of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She is interested in systems of health care delivery, quality improvement and family resilience. She also has a strong interest in advocacy for improved child mental health access. Dr. Jeffrey serves on the Psychoharmacologic Drug Advisory Committee for the FDA.
ANNA-BARBARA MOSCICKI, MD
CO-INVESTIGATOR; PEDIATRICS
Dr. Moscicki is a Pediatrician, Board Certified in Adolescent Medicine. She is the current Division Chief of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine with clinical expertise in reproductive health care for menstrual irregularities, sexual health, and sexually transmitted diseases. Dr. Moscicki has expertise in HPV -related disease including diagnosis of cervical dysplasia and treatment. She also offers medical care for women with eating disorders. Dr. Moscicki's 35-year research career has focused on STD epidemiology.
CARLOS LERNER, MD
CO-INVESTIGATOR; PEDIATRICS
Carlos Lerner, MD, MPhil is Professor of Clinical Pediatrics and Jack H. Skirball Endowed Chair in Pediatrics. Dr. Lerner practices pediatrics and complex care pediatrics at the Children's Health Center. He is board certified in pediatrics and clinical informatics. In addition to his clinical responsibilities, he has leadership roles in health care administration, health care quality, medical education and informatics. He serves as the Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs in the Department of Pediatrics and well as a Senior Quality Officer and Physician Informaticist for UCLA Health. He is the medical director of the Pediatric Medical Home program at UCLA, which provides comprehensive primary care for children with medical complexity. He is a two-time recipient of the Robert C. Neerhout faculty award for contributions to pediatric resident education. Dr. Lerner's research interests include health care delivery and health system redesign, with a focus on children with medical complexity, and the use of clinical informatics to advance population health.
Claire Waller, BA
Research Coordinator
Claire Waller graduated from UCLA in 2021 with a B.A. in Psychology and minors in Global Health and Applied Developmental Psychology. Claire has worked at the UCLA Childhood OCD, Anxiety & Tic Disorders Program since the summer of 2021, where she coordinates the program's neurodevelopmental study of anxiety along with PCAY. Through her independent research, Claire examines risk factors for depression and anxiety following early life stress. Claire plans to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology, and ultimately hopes to develop evidence-based systemic reforms promoting mental health in youth facing adversity.
Nancy Le, BS
Research Coordinator
Nancy Le graduated from UCLA in 2021 with a B.S. in Psychobiology. Nancy has worked as an undergraduate research assistant for the UCLA Childhood OCD, Anxiety & Tic Disorders Program for 2 years before taking on the role as the co-coordinator for the DAYS project, where she manages the longitudinal neuroimaging study of anxiety in addition to PCAY. With a passion for working with children and adolescents, Nancy hopes to pursue a career in child psychiatry, which would allow her to bridge mental health disparities and to provide more accessible care to underserved communities.
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