mentorship
Brooke is committed to providing supportive and personalized mentorship to students and trainees pursuing careers in psychology and academia. She has mentored students at all levels of training, from high school to PhD programs.
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Check out the amazing work currently being pursued by these trainees:
current mentees
Caitlyn Arnold, BS
Clinical Research Coordinator
Depression Clinical and Research Program
Massachusetts General Hospital
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Caitlyn graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2025 with a degree in Biosociology and Medical Ethics. Her research interests lie in how epigenetic changes are affected by social factors which, in turn, influence psychopathology risk and outcomes. In the future, Caitlyn hopes to become a physician-scientist to work in both clinical practice and epigenetic research. In her work with Brooke, she is leading a paper examining how early childhood exposure to community and domestic violence influences DNA methylation in a South African birth cohort.
Emya Upshaw
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Purdue University
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Emya is a senior pursuing a double major in Psychology and Sociology. Her research interests include how social factors such as racism and sexism affect epigenetic changes, and how this plays a role in behavioral psychology. In the future, Emya hopes to become a research sociologist, studying the impact of social factors and raising awareness for social problems. In her work with Brooke, she is assisting with a literature review related to positive childhood experiences and the development of depression during adolescence.
Eden Davis
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Purdue University
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Eden is a junior majoring in Brain and Behavioral Science with a premedical concentration. Their research interests include exploring the plasticity of the nervous system in response to adverse experiences, and the multitude of ways in which scientists and healthcare specialists can curate preventative and promotive treatments to mitigate it's impact. Eden is interested in pursuing an MD-PhD with a specialization in neuroscience. In their work with Brooke, they are assisting with a literature review related to the biological embedding of positive childhood experiences.
former mentees
Sherief Eldeeb
PhD Student
Population Health Science Program
Weill Cornell Medicine
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Sherief worked with Brooke in the Dunn Lab from 2023-2025, where he led projects examining the influence of adverse and positive childhood experiences on risk for psychopathology. Sherief recently transitioned to graduate school, where he is continuing his training in psychiatric epidemiology. His research interests center around bringing a precision medicine approach to psychopathology, with a particular focus on culture and global health.
Shayari Peiris, MA
Senior Quantitative Research Analyst
Lumanity
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Shayari worked with Brooke in the Dunn Lab from 2023-2024, where she contributed to the operationalization of positive childhood experiences using pre-existing birth cohort data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). Shayari recently transitioned to industry research, where she applies statistical methods to patient data to evaluate therapeutic efficacy, optimize care strategies, and demonstrate the value of medicines.​
Addison Gaddy
Undergraduate Student
Harvard University
Founder of The Liberty Project
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Addison worked with Brooke as a high school student from 2021-2022 as she developed a free online program for adolescents wishing to learn about and address racial trauma. Addison is now a sophomore at Harvard University, where she is studying Government and Romance Languages and Literature. She currently serves as the Director General of Harvard’s competitive Model United Nations team.
Joanne Choi
M.D. Candidate
Medical College of Georgia
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Joanne worked with Brooke in the BUILD Lab from 2019-2021, where she studied the intergenerational transmission of trauma and co-authored a paper examining the influence of maternal adversity and biological aging on emotion dysregulation in children. Joanne graduated from Emory University in 2021 with a degree in Psychology and Pre-Medicine. She is currently a second year medical student and recently completed an internship in Neurosurgery at NYU Langone Health.
Seima Al-Momani, BS
PhD Student
Clinical Neuropsychology
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
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​Seima worked with Brooke in the Michaelson Lab from 2015-2017, where she assisted with projects examining genetic and morphological estimates of androgen exposure that predict risk for autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. After graduating from the University of Iowa, Seima continued on her academic journey at the University of Nebraska. Her current research focuses on the intersection of traumatic brain injury, neuroinflammation, neuroconnectivity, and neuropsychiatric disorders.
Learn more about broader mentorship initiatives
Brooke has also contributed to in the service tab,
including the Emory Pipeline Collaborative and
the McLean Mental Health Summer Research Program.