TEAM
Ellen E. Lee, MD
Principal Investigator | Associate Professor in Residence, Department of Psychiatry
she/her
Ellen Lee, MD is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and a Staff Psychiatrist at the San Diego VA Healthcare System. Her research focuses on the inflammatory mediators of sleep disturbances in older adults with serious mental illnesses. Dr. Lee is the PI of a K23 career development award from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), a NARSAD Young Investigator Award from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, as well as several grants from VISN 22 Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center and the UCSD Clinical and Translational Research Institute.
Research Staff
Paulyn Kwak, BA
Study Coordinator
she/her
I received a B.A. from Bowdoin College in 2021 with a major in Neuroscience and a minor in Sociology. In my time with the Lee Lab, I have recruited participants, conducted assessments, and collected sleep data for Dr. Lee's SNOOZE study. I am currently coordinating the SNOOZE and Psychosis and Aging study, as well as preparing for the launch of the PAP treatment trial. Additionally, I have worked on collecting sleep data on the UCSD Stein Institute's MIDAS and SZR01 studies using FitBits and home sleep testing devices.
I'm originally from Hayward, CA, but I grew up in Phoenix, AZ. I love baking, exploring San Diego, and taking road trips whenever I have the chance!
Jerry McDonald
Research Associate
he/him
I'm a recent graduate in Psychology, B.A. from the University of California, Irvine. My hope is to strengthen my research skills among the various studies on sleep and aging conducted by the Lee Lab before applying to a PhD program in developmental neuroscience. In my free time, I enjoy reading manga and light novels such as One Piece, 86, and Hirayasumi as well as PC gaming.
Stephanie Ibrahim
Research Associate
she/her
Hello! My name is Stephanie and I am a college graduate from UC Santa Cruz with a B.S. in Cognitive Science and a B.A. in Psychology. I am from Los Angeles and recently moved to San Diego. I am interested in working with individuals who have severe mental illnesses and learning about the different impacts it can have on their cognition and daily life. I will ultimately purse a PhD in Clinical Psychology. In my spare time, when I'm not in the lab, I enjoy going to the beach and trying new restaurants.
Medical Students
Ha Mieu Ho
she/her
I am a medical student with budding interest in the field of neurology. After graduating from UCSD and as luck would have it, I ended up at the UCSD School of Medicine! I'm looking forward to understanding the distinctions and overlaps between psychiatry and neurology and how they affect individuals overall in order to inform interventions. My hobbies include drawing, painting, cooking, and - when I have the time - visiting the beaches San Diego has to offer.
Luke Carmichael Valmadrid
I am a second-year medical student and PRIME-Health Equity Scholar at UCSD. I am a competitive violist, published poetry chapbook author, and recently ran my first half-marathon. I enjoy cooking, biking, the prolific work of IU, and playing video games with faraway friends.
Graduate Students
Sanchit Goel
he/him
Hello, I'm Sanchit! Currently, I am pursuing my graduate studies in Data Science at UCSD. Prior to my master's program, I worked as a data scientist at an AI consulting company, concentrating on developing NLP solutions for healthcare clients. My passion lies in harnessing the potential of data to improve healthcare outcomes, with a particular focus on advancing mental health diagnosis and treatment.
Undergraduate Students
Jae Min (Mick) Jeon
Engineering Psychiatry Research Program Student
he/him
I am a fourth year Computer Engineering student at UC San Diego. My hometown is Seoul, South Korea and I am a Woodside Priory School alumnus. My interests are backend development and leading engineering projects. I enjoy swimming and playing badminton!
Not pictured: Junhua (Michael) Ma, Engineering Psychiatry Research Program Student (he/him)
Volunteer
Ashley Dang
she/her
I am a rising high school senior from Westchester, NY! I participate in a science research program and work with the lab for my research project! I hope to continue doing research in college as well.
Lab Alumni
Marina Ramsey
Study Coordinator
he/they
I have a bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology and have learned a lot in Ellen’s lab, working on multiple projects relating to loneliness, compassion, and physical health in people with schizophrenia and in older adults. Currently, I work as a junior research specialist at UCSF investigating the role of astrocytes in the pathology of frontotemporal dementia and plan to apply to biomedical neuroscience PhD programs in the upcoming cycle.
Zainab Butt
Undergraduate Researcher
she/her
I'm an undergraduate second year (upcoming third year) at UCSD studying Human Biology. I'm a pre-med who's interested in a wide-variety of fields, including psychiatry, cardiology, and orthopedics. In my free time, I like to try new foods, explore new places with friends, and read. A fun fact about me is that I'm Pakistani and am bilingual.
Alexa Hernandez, BS
Study Coordinator
she/her
I graduated from UCLA in 2019 with a B.S. in psychobiology. During my first two years post-grad, I worked as a medical scribe in a cardiology and primary care clinic. I worked with Dr. Lee for 1.5 years collecting sleep data in the UCSD Stein Institute's IBM and SZR01 studies. I focused on launching her Impact of Sleep Disturbances on Health in Schizophrenia (SNOOZE) study and the sleep pap trial study. My hobbies include running, yoga, exploring new national parks, and local coffee shops here in San Diego.
Marisa Zimmerman
Research Associate
she/her
I'm originally from Santa Clarita, California and obtained my B.S. in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience and a minor in Law and Society from UC San Diego. I am very interested in the neural mechanisms of neurological disorders and how they affect behavior and cognition. I plan to pursue a PhD in Neuroscience in the future. In my free time, I like to read, play music, and go to the beach.
Rebecca Kuan
Medical Student Volunteer
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I grew up in San Diego, California and then did my undergraduate education at UC Berkeley. I joined the Lee Lab through the MSTAR program and had a great experience!
Kie Fujii
Medical Student Volunteer
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When I was working with Dr. Lee, I was a fourth-year medical student and completed my undergraduate degree at UC Berkeley. I was applying to psychiatry residency programs this cycle. Since I had flexibility in my final year of schooling, I was also taking business courses for her MBA and assisting the Lee Lab to enhance my skills in the field of research.
Fun fact: I was blessed by Mother Teresa when I was a newborn.
Siyuan (Jack) Chen
Undergraduate Researcher
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I'm from China Xi'an, I'm currently a senior undergraduate student at UCSD. My personal interests are body building and weight lifting. My future plan is to apply for a Ph.D. in Psychology. A fun fact about me would be that I am scared of bugs!
Hayden Palmer
Undergraduate Researcher
he/him
I’m a lifelong San Diegan. I am currently pursuing a degree in Integrative Biology at UC Berkeley (Class of 2023), where I get to study environmental and human biology. After graduation, I plan to go to medical school and become a physician.
Sahit Menon
Medical Student Volunteer
he/him
I'm currently a medical student at the University of California, San Diego and graduated from USC with a degree in Biomedical Engineering in 2019. I spent my gap year in Kampala, Uganda as a data analyst and Global Health Corps fellow. At UCSD, I lead the Psychiatry SIG, the Disability in Healthcare SIG, and am the founder of Unedited Voices of Medicine. In my free time, I enjoy marathon training, rock climbing, and landscape photography.
Not pictured: Neha Kidambi (she/her), Medical Student Volunteer