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The Optimum Performance Program in Sports
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Davy Phrathep
TOPP Coordinator, Doctoral Student, Clinical Psychology
Upon completion of my doctoral degree, I intend to be a mental health consultant for Major League Baseball.
Ray Lopez
TOPP Military Coordinator, Membership Coordinator, Doctoral Student, Clinical Psychology
My goals are to become a licensed clinical psychologist, work with military veterans at the VA and with veterans and first responders in private practice. I intend to utilize optimization science to treat these populations in a stigma free, positive, and balanced environment that ill improve the lives of those with or without psychopathology alike. I intend to improve all of their lives and performance with that I learn here at TOPP. I would also like to conduct research on optimization science and specific phobias and other anxiety disorders.
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Igor Kowal
Doctoral Student, Clinical Psychology
My goal is to become a licensed clinical psychologist and focus on practice with athletes, as well as investigate the use of exercise to optimize mental health. I hope to disseminate evidence-based treatments specific to athletes across the world. I am excited to be a part of The Optimum Performance Program, because it pushes me to strive for excellence in leadership, research, and clinical work with a variety of performers.
Shannon Huslig
Doctoral Student, Clinical Psychology
My goal is to obtain a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and pursue an academic position at a university to develop, research, and disseminate evidence-based wellness programs to high achievers with a focus on performers in the entertainment industry.
Former Clinical Psychology Graduate Students
Krisann Alvarez
Internship:
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State of Nevada, Division of Child and Family Services
Post Doc:
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State of Nevada, Division of Child and Family Services
Kelsey Bradshaw
Internship:
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Sharp Healthcare in San Diego
Post Doc:
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Northwest Neurobehavioral Health
Jessica Cappellano
Internship:
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Portland VA at Oregon Health Sciences University
Post Doc:
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Alpert Medical School, Brown University
Alisha Carpenter
Internship:
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UC San Diego
Post Doc:
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Sharp HealthCare
Yulia Gavrilova
Internship:
Post Doc:
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Alpert Medical School, Brown University
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Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)
Marina Harris
Internship:
Post Doc:
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Duke University Medical Center, CBT Adult Track
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University of Chapel Hill Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders
Jennifer Karmely
Internship:
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State of Nevada Division of Child and Family Services
Post Doc
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Healthy Minds Las Vegas
Corey Kuhn
Internship:
Post Doc:
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Texas A&M Counseling and Psychological Services
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Sandstone Psychological Practice
Travis
Loughran
Internship:
Post Doc:
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Durham VA Healthcare System
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Durham VA Healthcare System
Heather Mivshek
Internship:
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UC Davis Children's Hospital
Post Doc:
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State of Nevada Division of Child & Family Services
Michelle Pitts
Internship:
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VA Boston
Post Doc:
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VA San Diego
Christopher Plant
Internship:
Post Doc:
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Loma Linda University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry
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Loma Linda University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry
Valeria Romero
Internship:
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Pacific Clinics in Los Angeles
Post Doc:
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VA Southern Nevada
Jesse Scott
Internship:
Post Doc:
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VA Southern Nevada
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VA Southern Nevada
Kendra Tracy
Internship:
Post Doc:
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Loma Linda University School of Medicine
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Loma Linda University School of Medicine
Elena Gavrilova
Internship:
Post Doc:
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Indiana University School of Medicine
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Indiana University School of Medicine
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Amber Goto
Amber is a junior with undergraduate majors in kinesiology and psychology. Her goal is to become a sports psychologist and work with collegiate athletes. Amber wants to utilize TOPPS methods to optimize performance in athletes specifically in aesthetic sports.
Amber Goto
Angelos Tsalafos
Angelos Tsalafos
Angelos is a senior and is majoring in psychology with a minor in history. He aspires to get a Ph.D. in clinical psychology with hopes of becoming a sports psychologist. Angelos is excited to learn more about TOPP and grow as a student and future psychologist.
Irvin Granstrom
Irvin Granstrom
Irvin is an undergraduate senior majoring in psychology. After graduating he intends to go into a mental health profession to support adolescents and young adults to improve their well-being and relationships. TOPP gives him invaluable experience learning to implement evidence-based interventions with those populations.
Trista Otto
Trista Otto
Trista is a psychology major with a minor in couples and family therapy. She aspires to become a counselor for children diagnosed with cancer. She believes that TOPPS can help her to develop her skills and attain the necessary resources to help her achieve this goal.
Lauryn Lellos
Lauryn Lellos is in her fourth year and is a double major in both Psychology and Art. After graduation she plans on getting her Master's degree in Couples and Family Therapy at UNLV. Lauryn is striving to be an art therapist to adolescents in inpatient hospitals or a rehabilitation setting. Being a research assistant in the TOPP lab benefits Lauryn in her career because it prepares her with interventions to utilize and provides a framework as to how a group of professionals in the psychology field operates.
Michelle Nakaula
Michelle is currently a senior majoring in Psychology with a minor in Family Studies. Her goal is to become a LMFT in helping diverse communities. She enjoys being part of TOPP because it has developed her skills in leadership, problem-solving, and teamwork.
Victoria Tarango
Victoria's introduction to psychology is non-traditional for she hopes to become a radiologist. Her aspirations in psychology were introduced through her research and EMT classes. There she realized a lack of awareness and an increase in the mental health stigma among first responders. She hopes to apply her knowledge from TOPP to develop programs for first responders in Las Vegas.
Lidia graduated in Summer of 2020, with a major in psychology. She aspires to obtain a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, in hopes of promoting the physical and mental well-being of others through evidence-based approaches, her acquired skill sets from TOPPS and by actively advocating for those around her.
Lidia Wossen
Pauline Parco
Pauline graduated in Fall 2020 with a major in psychology. She hopes to attend graduate school for either a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology or a Master's in Couples and Family Therapy with aspirations of decreasing mental health stigma in culturally diverse families. Growing with a military family and a love for performing arts, TOPP is ideal for optimizing different populations.
Pauline Parco
Kaci Holmes
Kaci Holmes
Kaci is an aspiring clinical psychologist who hopes to work with expert performance populations such as athletes, entertainers, and law enforcement officials. After receiving her master’s degree in criminology, she joined TOPP in hopes of gaining the training and experience necessary to excel in the field.
Yuhan Bi
Yuhan Bi
Yuhan is a Sophomore at UNLV who is double majoring in psychology and social work with a minor in family studies. She hopes to get into a counseling psychology program after graduation. She believes that TOPP will provide her a great opportunity to get more involved in the community and gain more knowledge about the clinical side of psychology.
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Sarah John is a Sophmore with a major in Psychology and a minor in Addictions Prevention and Neuroscience. She aspiress to become a physician and advocate for those who deal with mental health issues. Working with TOPP is helping Sarah to develop various skills for performance optimization that will be applicable to different fields.
Sarah John
Meghan Macabali
Meghan is a psychology undergraduate with a minor in neuroscience and military science. She plans to attend a Ph.D program in clinical psychology to help children and young adults who experienced trauma. She is eager to learn about and promote the TOPP program’s innovative approach on functionality.
Talece is a sophomore at UNLV majoring in Psychology with a minor in addictions treatment. Her goal is to obtain a Master's degree or PhD and work with the substance abuse population. Talece is excited to be working with TOPP to build her research skills and believes the optimization techniques are exceptional knowledge that can even be utilized in her field.
Talece Flaack-Sanchez
Viviana is a sophomore and a psychology major at UNLV. She would like to attend Graduate School and in hopes to one day earn her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. Viviana believes it is important to understand through research to be able to guide people with their mental health. She hopes to be able to work with children and adolescents in the future. Viviana believes it is ideal that the youth is aware of mental health resources to guide them and create a successful future for themselves. She believes TOPP will help optimize her research based skills, collaborating with others, and personal growth.
Viviana Hernandez
Catherine is a Psychology major with a minor in Criminal Justice. Her goal in life is to obtain a Ph.D. and be a Clinical Psychologist. She believes that the protocols and skills learned in the lab can help her to understand clinical linguistics and psychological terminology. Doing the research and working and creating games to deliver these protocols to athletes and child fascinates me how there is so much you can do to teach psychology.