Lab Team

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Wayne State Members

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Marjorie “Marisa” Heule started our clinical psychology PhD program in 2021. She completed her bachelor’s degree in Political Science, French, and Spanish at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She subsequently obtained a Master’s in Clinical Research Methods from Fordham University in New York. While completing her Master’s, Marisa worked at Columbia Irving Medical Center assisting on research studies investigating the neurodevelopmental correlates of chronic pain, such as attachment. Marisa has strong interests in trauma, emotions, and physical symptoms, particularly chronic pain. She is currently working with Dr. Lumley on projects investigating sexual abuse and women’s sexual functioning and anger expression and chronic pain. She is conducting her doctoral dissertation, which compares the effects of three therapies presented as single-session interventions to people with musculoskeletal pain: CBT, Pain Reprocessing Therapy, and Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy. In the future, she hopes to find creative ways to implement and disseminate effective, mind-body treatments for somatic symptoms. Marisa enjoys spending time with her husband and her son, trying new foods and going for walks around town (probably while talking on the phone with one of her four sisters).

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Sabrina Blank graduated from Hope College in Michigan in 2022 with a major in psychology and a minor in neuroscience. She joined the clinical psychology PhD program at Wayne State in 2022. Her research interests include the relationship between emotion and physiological functioning, with particular interests in gastrointestinal health and pain. She has also worked in the lab of faculty member Dr. Rodlescia Sneed, studying health of people who have been incarcerated, and she is conducting therapy on a research trial for adolescents with cancer. In the future, she hopes to work with children and adolescents in a medical hospital setting and continue conducting research.

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Jacob Blank is a clinical psychology PhD student at Wayne State University working with Dr. Mark Lumley. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Temple University, where he also studied youth anxiety treatment and worked as a diagnostician at the Child & Adolescent Anxiety Disorders Clinic. Jacob then joined McLean Hospital’s Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research, where he studied the relationship between stress and decision-making in adult depression. He is currently interested in studying patient and therapist factors that may influence psychotherapy outcomes.

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Roberto Gonzalez-Prado began the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at Wayne State University in 2024. He graduated from San Diego State University with honors with a bachelor’s in psychology. As a first-generation college student raised by a Mexican mother, he was inspired by her and other mentors to pursue doctoral studies. Roberto is interested in the development of novel psychotherapy techniques to treat disorders/conditions with poor treatment outcomes, such as fibromyalgia and other nociplastic pain conditions, with a focus on adapting them for diverse cultural contexts. Roberto aspires to serve both Spanish- and English-speaking populations while working in academia, serving as a teacher and mentor of minority students, as his Roberto’s mentors and professors were for him. In his spare time, Roberto loves to marathon Lord of the Rings (Extended Edition), practice Yoga, and play RPG and RTS games on his PC.  

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Britney R. Abro is a first-year Clinical Psychology Ph.D. student at Wayne State University. She is currently the study coordinator for an NIH-funded (R01) clinical trial on psychological treatments for chronic neck and back pain, working with PI Dr. Mark Lumley and PI Dr. John Burns from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Britney graduated from Wayne State University in 2023 with a B.S. in Psychology, a co-major in University Honors, and a minor in Biological Sciences. Her research interests focus on psychological and health interventions that optimize brain health and contribute to overall well-being, with a particular interest in mind-body interactions. Britney aspires to become a licensed psychologist who conducts clinical therapy, studies the brain, and promotes holistic lifestyle changes to improve health. She also hopes to share her work with the public through podcasts, books, and other media platforms.

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Rebecca De La Garza is a recent graduate from the University of Detroit Mercy, where she received her bachelor’s degree in psychology with honors and a minor in leadership. She recently joined the lab as a research assistant on a clinical trial led by Dr. Lumley and is eager to continue developing her skills and experience as a researcher. Rebecca is interested in the connection between emotion and health, and how interventions rooted in emotion disclosure can positively impact various aspects of well-being and improve outcomes for individuals with psychosomatic conditions. She is also interested in exploring how emotion-focused therapies may benefit communities where cultural stigma often surrounds mental health, particularly Latino populations. Rebecca aspires to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology, with the goal of conducting research on emotion-based interventions and applying this work in clinical practice. She also hopes to share her research through creative platforms—such as a book or podcast—to inspire others to take a proactive role in cultivating mind-body health. 

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NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS

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Valentina Barrios is a master’s-level clinical psychologist who has been in clinical practice for several years in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She also coordinates a special interest group focused on chronic primary pain in the Argentine Association for the Study of Pain, which is a chapter of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP). In addition to her clinical work, Valentina is on the teaching faculty at the University of Buenos Aires, and she is in the PhD program there. The research team that she is collaborating with studies maladaptive perfectionism, and her PhD research is on the association between PTSD and chronic primary pain. Dr. Mark Lumley of Wayne State is one of the directors of her doctoral research. Valentina aspires to continue doing research about chronic pain and trauma and to teach psychologists evidence-based approaches for chronic primary pain. She is passionate about helping people who suffer from chronic pain and believes that a combination of clinical care and research is essential to improving the lives of those affected by this condition.