Dr. Alex Bettis is the Director of the REST Lab at VUMC.
She is a licensed clinical psychologist and researcher. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Bettis completed her graduate training in the Clinical Psychological Sciences program at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Bettis completed her pre-doctoral clinical internship at the UCLA Semel Institute in child and adolescent psychology, and she was selected into the Brown Child Mental Health T32 fellowship program after finishing her PhD.
Rachel Marlowe, M.Ed., Clinical Translational Research Coordinator.
Rachel Marlowe graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2022 with a Master’s in Child Studies and a focus in Clinical and Developmental Research. She received her B.A. in Psychology and Human Health from Emory University in 2020. Her current research interests involve cognitive and emotional vulnerabilities to depression and anxiety in teens. She is interested in learning how teens regulate emotions and cope with stress as well as using multiple methods to measure this. Outside of the lab, Rachel enjoys reading, learning how to bake, and exploring live music in Nashville!
Jenna Mayes, M.S., Clinical Translational Research Coordinator.
Jenna graduated with her B.A. in psychology from University of Kentucky in 2020 and then went on to get her Masters of Science in psychological sciences with a focus in developmental psychology from Western Kentucky University in 2022. She has experience researching infant emotional development, specifically temperament and emotional regulation. Her current research interest are in emotional processes in youth to adolescents. She enjoys working with data and using multiple methods to study participants. Outside of research, she collect houseplants and likes to be outside in any capacity.
Beth Cosby, Medical Student.
Beth is a 4th year medical student at Vanderbilt University and is interested in pursuing a career in psychiatry. She is from Rhode Island, went to undergraduate at Brown University, and worked in Boston before finally leaving New England for medical school. Her academic and professional interests include mood disorders, psychosomatic medicine, ethics, and LGBTQ health. Outside of school, she enjoys hiking, going to concerts, and swimming at Percy Priest Lake.
Melissa Dong, Medical Student.
Melissa is a 3rd year medical student at Vanderbilt University and is interested in pursuing a combined medicine-psychiatry residency. She grew up by the Jersey shore and graduated from Tufts University with a major in Psychology and minor in Film & Media studies. After graduation, she briefly studied at a Buddhist monastery before working 2 years as a clinical research coordinator in behavioral cardiology in NYC. Her research and academic interests include mood disorders, public health, narrative medicine, and innovative models to integrate psychiatric care into primary care. Outside of school, she enjoys writing, reading, and finding neighborhood gems.
Caroline Ambriano, Undergraduate Research Assistant.
Caroline Ambriano is a current senior at Vanderbilt University, and she joined the REST Lab as a research assistant in Spring 2021. She is majoring in Psychology with a minor in Medicine, Health, and Society. She is most interested in psychopathology and mental health literacy in adolescents.
Mehak Malhotra, Undergraduate Research Assistant.
Mehak Malhotra is a sophomore at Vanderbilt University, and is from the city of Chicago. She is majoring in Psychology, and Human and Organizational Development, and minoring in Art. Mehak is interested in understanding how emotional regulation and coping strategies play a role in determining suicide ideation in adolescents, and their relevance in a college setting. In her free time, Mehak engages in nature, cityscape, and portrait Photography, and enjoys taking walks around Vanderbilt’s campus.
-
Cara Bedock, Clinical Translational Research Coordinator.
Cara worked as a research coordinator at VUMC from 2017 – 2022. She joined the REST Lab as a research coordinator in Spring 2021. She earned her BA in Psychology at Murray State University and her Master’s in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Neuropsychology at Middle Tennessee State University. She enjoys working with children, and she has experience in neuroimaging (fMRI) along with psychophysiology data collection.
Destinee Marsh, Undergraduate Research Assistant.
Destinee Marsh is a graduate of Vanderbilt University from Grayson, Georgia (metro Atlanta area). Destinee was an undergraduate in the REST Lab from Fall 2021 – Spring 2022. She majored in Medicine, Health, and Society with minors in Gender & Sexuality Studies and African American Diaspora Studies. She loves doing service with her sorority Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., listening to music by SZA, painting, playing volleyball, and eating Liberian food!
Jordan Parrish, Undergraduate Research Assistant.
Jordan Parrish is graduate of Vanderbilt University from Lawrenceville, GA. Jordan was an undergraduate RA in the REST lab from Fall 2021 – Spring 2022. She majored in Medicine, Health and Society and minoring in Business. Her other campus involvements included being Co-President of Alternative Thanksgiving Winter Break, serving as the Community Service Chair of the Mu Rho Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and a student worker at Peabody Library. She has been known to never turn down a good book and will rewatch the Harry Potter marathon anytime it comes on. And she would love one day to become a neonatal physician.
Dr. Zachary Demko, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellow.
Dr. Demko is a graduate of the Child Psychiatry fellowship in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at VUMC. He completed a research elective in the REST lab in Fall 2021-Spring 2022. He completed medical school at Florida International University and residency in psychiatry at the University of Colorado.
