CLINICAL PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY IN PSYCHIATRY
Columbia University Medical Center
/ Lab Members
Beatrice Beebe, PhD | Lab Director
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As a leading expert in the analysis of mother-infant interaction, Dr. Beatrice Beebe is a clinical professor of psychology at Columbia University Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department. She is faculty at several psychoanalytic institutes and has a private practice for adults and mother-infant pairs. She is the author or co-author of six books. Her work focuses on the mutual mother-infant bond and optimizing 4-month infant social development. Her studies examine; the roles of infant distress and maternal distress (such as depression and anxiety) on mother-infant communication; the effects of early mother-infant communication patterns on emerging infant attachment styles and infant cognition; the long-term continuity of communication and attachment styles from infancy to young adulthood.
Delaney Simchuk | Lab Manager
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Delaney received her BA in May 2021 from William & Mary in English Literature with a concentration in Biomedical Science. After graduating, Delaney worked as a Research Assistant for Howard University’s College of Medicine where she worked on a project that addressed health disparities and ways to improve intervention in Wards 7 & 8 of Washington, DC for individuals experiencing OUD. Delaney is currently getting her master’s at Teachers College, Columbia University in Psychology in Education. She is loving working for Dr. Beeb’s lab as a coder focusing on infant head orientation. She plans to pursue a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology and plans to use her experience in Dr. Beebe’s lab to work in prenatal care.
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Ante Dany | Research Assistant - Coder
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Ante received his BA in Psychology from Marist College and is earning his MA in Clinical Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University. His prior research experience includes two independent research projects: “Pre-Homework Mindfulness Interventions at a Poughkeepsie Middle School” and “The Inner Voice in the Transgender Population”. Before joining the lab, Ante worked as a clinical Hypnotherapist and worked with various forms of psychopathology. He is interested in the impact of meditation on cognitive reserve, preventive psychology, and the role of legislation in mental health. In his free time, Ante enjoys swimming and studying mystical practices aimed at altering consciousness. Ante will pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and a JD with an emphasis on neuropsychology.
Aurora Parks | Research Assistant - Coder
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Aurora received her B.S. in Psychological and Brain Sciences from UC Santa Barbara before moving to New York and joining Dr. Beebe's lab. In Santa Barbara, Aurora was a research assistant for the Social Cognitive Development Lab where she completed her undergraduate thesis on connections between language development and cultural group signifiers. She has worked in schools in both Santa Barbara and New York with kids of all ages. These experiences allowed her to realize that she wants to continue working with kids throughout her life. Aurora hopes to pursue a career that combines her interests in family systems, communication sciences, and child development. Outside of the lab, she does community habilitation work and spends time with her friends.
Jingqian Wei (Jade) | Research Assistant - Coder
Jade is presently enrolled at Columbia University's Teacher College to pursue an MA in clinical psychology. In 2022, she graduated from Rutgers University with a BA in psychology and a dual degree in human resources management. She supported Dr. Keiko Brynildson as a Teaching Assistant. In addition to her work on Dr. Beebe's coding team, Jade is a volunteer student evaluator at the CHIRA, where she works with asylum seekers. She also serves as a research assistant at Columbia University's Teacher College in the Muslim Perinatal lab. She intends to seek a Ph.D. in clinical psychology in the future, concentrating on the impact of infants' disordered attachments on postpartum depression.
Katherine McKane | Research Assistant - Coder
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Katherine received her BA in Liberal Arts concentrating in Chemistry and Psychology from Sarah Lawrence College in May 2023. After graduating, Katherine worked in Dr. Flyak's Lab in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Cornell University as a Laboratory Technician, maintaining their cell line. She has also previously worked as a Lead Coach for her local swim club working with children of all ages, and was a volunteer Teaching Assistant at Sarah Lawrence College's Early Childhood Development Center in their 4/5s classroom and their 2s classroom. These combined experiences have solidified that Katherine both enjoys conducting research and also loves working closely with children on an individual level that aids in their development. Katherine is currently pursuing her MA in Clinical Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University. She joins Dr. Beebe's Lab as a coder and is excited to learn more about mother-infant communication and statistics. In the future, she hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.
Jessie Wang Ke-Xin| Research Assistant - Coder
Jessie is currently pursuing her M.A. in Clinical Psychology at Teacher College, Columbia University. She received her B.S. degree from the University of Toronto in 2022, double majoring in Psychology & Physiology, and minoring in Statistics. Jessie’s research interests are mainly in two directions: a) understanding psychopathology from a developmental perspective, focusing on mechanisms: how early life experiences impact individuals' development and how those impacts unfold in later life; and b) from there, finding the effective ingredients in psychotherapies and improving intervention effectiveness by suiting each individual’s differential needs. Through the research journey, interpersonal relationships became the variable she was most passionate about in understanding psychopathology and treatments. So, she joined Dr. Beebe’s lab in 2023 as an infant gaze coder to investigate the root of relationships: how do we communicate at the beginning of life? In the future, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, engaging in both research and clinical practice, focusing on the population of children, adolescents and young adults. Jessie was born in Jiangsu, China and had been living in Toronto, Canada since high school before moving to NYC. Outside of school and work, she enjoys cooking, planting and staying with her cats to slow down the spinning mind.
Pau Ortells Faci | Lab Coordinator – R01 Grant Coordinator
Pau joined Dr. Beebe’s lab in the fall of 2022 and is currently the project coordinator for the R01 grant “Prenatal Toxins and Social Risk in Mothers and Infants.” He graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology with a degree in technical design in May of 2022 and made a significant career shift by deciding to leave the fashion industry to pursue a path in psychology. Since then, he has gained experience working with families and young children as a preschool teacher and as a research assistant at Dr. Kim Noble’s lab. He is eager to continue to work directly with mothers and their infants at Dr. Beebe’s lab, and better understand how babies come to feel known by their mothers through everyday interactions.
Ziyi (Fiona) Guo | Research Assistant – Statistics
Ziyi (Fiona) is a Master’s student in the Psychology in Education program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Previously, she received a Bachelor’s Degree in International Affairs and Psychology from George Washington University. She completed her senior project on the impact of psychological stress on affect and physical well-being. She’s interested in how familial dynamics shape the development of psychopathology with a multicultural emphasis. She joins Dr.Beebe’s lab as a member of the statistics team. She hopes to pursue a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology.
Clayre Attisani | Research Assistant - Coder
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Clayre Attisani obtained her BA in Philosophy from The University of Virginia and an MSc in Creative Arts and Mental Health with Distinction from Queen Mary University of London. Her previous roles across the education, psychology, and non-profit sectors have focused on community and connection as essential for improving mental health outcomes and quality of life. Apart from her position at Dr. Beebe’s lab, she conducts research in the field of psychedelic medicine with the Psychedelics and Humanities Lab at The New School for Social Research. She hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.
Angelo Wei | Research Assistant - Coder
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Angel Wei is a Master's student in the Clinical Psychology program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Previously, she earned a double degree in Music Therapy and Performance from Berklee College of Music. She completed her music therapy internship at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, where she gained valuable experience in family-centered therapeutic communication and child development. She has a particular interest in exploring the intersections of therapeutic communication, mother-infant bonding, and social development, aiming to deepen her understanding of attachment and developmental processes through the study of mother-infant interactions. In the future, she hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, studying the impact of early communication patterns and attachment on lifelong mental health and social outcomes.
Ashley Cortes | Research Assistant - Coder
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Ashley is a Master's student in the Psychology in Education program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Previously she received a Bachelor's degree in Cognitive Science from University of Connecticut. Ashley was a research assistant for the Swaddling Ear to Ear program. She provided individualized resources for English and Spanish speaking families with children that are Deaf/Hard of Hearing about Connecticut’s Early Hearing Detection and Intervention program‬ to make educated decisions regarding available services and care options. In addition to her work on Dr. Beebe's coding team, Ashley is a volunteer Believe New York Client Advocate. She supports and connects individuals and families in NYC (and beyond) to resources that will best fit their needs‬. She facilitates weekly checks in to ensure they are moving forward in their goals, ensures the resources provided are improving their situation, and the client is on track to improve their goals. In the future, Ashley intends to pursue a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology and plans to use her experience in Dr. Beebe’s lab to work with young children and their mothers.
Ivy Liu | Research Assistant - Coder
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Ivy earned her B.S. in Psychology from Indiana University Bloomington and is currently pursuing an M.A. in Clinical Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University. As an undergraduate, she worked as a research assistant in Dr. Linda Smith’s Cognitive Development Lab, where she studied mother-infant interactions during toy-play sessions. Her honors thesis explored the impact of parental scaffolding on infants' learning outcomes. Ivy joins Dr. Beebe’s lab as a mother touch coder. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, focusing on mood disorders, emotion regulation, and psychopathology. In her free time, she enjoys reading and dancing.
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Saba Malik | Project Coordinator Understudy
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Saba is currently a Clinical Psychology Master's student at Teacher's College, Columbia University and joined Dr. Beebe's lab during fall of 2024 as the Project Coordinator. In May of 2023, she earned her B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience at the University of Maryland. After graduation, she worked as a Research Assistant researching first-episode psychosis at Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine in Baltimore. Saba's current research interests are perinatal mental health and how postpartum depression or psychosis can affect attachment of mothers and babies. She has grown a strong interest in maternal health and is excited to be working with new mothers, and is excited to be working with Dr. Beebe and her amazing research team. Saba plans on continuing her research interests by pursuing a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology in the future.
Julia Peralta | Research Assistant - Coder
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Julia is a master's student in Clinical Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University. She earned her B.S. in Biology and Psychology from Texas A&M University in 2022. After graduating, she worked as a research assistant at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, contributing to two projects: one bringing STEM programs to low-income elementary schools to increase STEM interest and challenge gender stereotypes, and another developing evidence-based practices to improve children’s oral language skills. Her research interests include mother-child interactions, socioemotional development, and early childhood psychopathology, with attention to multicultural contexts. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, focusing on perinatal and child mental health within marginalized, particularly Latine, communities.