The HOPE Lab is dedicated to improving the mental health and wellbeing of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). We seek to conduct research to enhance the awareness of mental health symptoms, improve measurement, and improve service delivery so that people with IDD can experience healthy outcomes, community inclusion, and wellbeing.
Ruth Brown, PhD
Assistant Professor
Dr. Ruth Brown, PhD, is a Clinical Psychologist and Assistant Professor at the Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics at Virginia Commonwealth University. Her program of research aims to address the mental healthcare disparity experienced by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. To this end, her work focuses on the development of evidence-based assessments, including the use of epigenetic biomarkers, of emotional and behavioral concerns in people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It is her hope that the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based assessment for this population will lead to improved detection, prevention, and treatment of traumatic stress, anxiety, and depression.
Current Research Team
Lynden Gilstrap
Lynden is our research coordinator who graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in Cognitive Science and Data Analytics. She hopes to become a physician that provides care and advocates for minoritized and underserved communities.
Carine Leslie, MS
Carine is a sixth-year clinical psychology doctoral student at Virginia Commonwealth University. Her research focuses on developmental and psychosocial outcomes for children and adolescents exposed to trauma. To that end, she is interested in contributing to trauma-focused clinical research that aim to inform strengths-based and culturally-relevant programs, policies, and practices that bolster the positive development of youth.
Lauren Hinton
Lauren is a current senior at VCU, pursuing a degree in psychology. She plans to attend graduate school and obtain a PhD in clinical psychology!
Nico Morrandi - Zerpa
Nico is a 2nd year undergraduate Psychology major on the pre-medical track. They intend to attend medical school after graduating.
Kayla Van
Kayla graduated from VCU in May 2024 with a B.S. in Psychology. She currently volunteers as a research assistant in the lab. Her goal is to pursue graduate studies and become a researcher dedicated to addressing health disparities ensure accessible and culturally responsive health services for minority and underserved communities.
Ester Jo
Ester graduated from VCU with a B.S. in Biology and a Minor in Chemistry through the Honors College. She joined our lab as a junior to explore inclusive research and advocate for the IDD community, gaining a deeper understanding of their mental health challenges. As an aspiring physician, she aims to bridge research and clinical practice to improve care and outcomes for individuals with IDD.
Lab Alumni
Allison D'Aguilar, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Allison D’Aguilar Ph.D. served a postdoctoral trainee on Dr. Ruth Brown’s NICHD Grant, the Impact of COVID-19 on the Mental Health of People with Down Syndrome. Previously she worked as a research team member on the Leadership Empowerment for Abuse Prevention project at VCU’s Partnership for People with Disabilities. Allison’s research interests include Community-based participatory health research and inclusive research with people living with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Benedette Arrey
Benedette Arrey is a third year biology major/chemistry minor. She's from Northern Virginia and has lived there her entire life with her family. She hosts a podcast every week to de-stress from everything she needs to do by talking about popular and relatable topics. A fun fact about her is that she has never broken a bone in her entire body! She's very excited to be part of this team and cannot wait start working on projects to benefit those in the future!
Zack Moore
Zack Moore is a psychology major at VCU, minoring in music. He has an interest in counseling and helping people in any way that he can. He's really excited to contribute to this research project!
Michael Mathews
Michael Mathews focuses on using skills learned through his interdisciplinary studies focus areas in psychology, political science, and special education to help individuals with disabilities. He is a member of the National Federation of the Blind and the Virginia Association of Blind Students and hopes to continue to use his connections to better the lives of those with visual disabilities or any other disability. He sees this lab as a way to continue to expand his knowledge and find way to be more effective advocate.
Naomi Othman
Naomi is a junior at VCU studying to become an Occupational Therapist, as working in the mental health field has always been a passion of hers. She is always interested in furthering her education and learning more about the intellectually disabled population.
Vivian Hunter
Vivian Hunter is currently a senior at Virginia Commonwealth University majoring in psychology and minoring in biology on a pre-medicine track. She has aspirations to become a physician who is able to help and advocate for underserved populations and make quality healthcare more accessible for all people.
Karyn Cook
Karyn Cook is a senior double-majoring in Journalism and History. She enjoyed doing research and has a sibling with autism. She is passionate about learning and helping those with disabilities.
Kayleen Reyes
Kayleen is a Junior in the Pre-health Track with a minor in Psychology. She wanted to join the team to acquire a greater depth of knowledge on mental and intellectual disorders and gain experience interacting with those who have them. She hopes to spread awareness of that knowledge and use it on future patients or on that population in general she believes there is no need to badly treat someone for being a little different.
Shrinidhi Vijay
Shrinidhi Vijay is a Graduate student at VCU's Brandcenter. Her Interests include Psychology and advertising.