MEET THE TEAM

Dr. Paulo Lizano, M.D., Ph.D

Dr. Paulo Lizano is a neuropsychiatrist, physician-scientist, and Assistant Professor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School with expertise in translational neuroscience. He is the Division Chief of Translational Neuroscience and directs the ASPIRE first episode psychosis clinic at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. 

His research laboratory focuses on understanding the inflammatory and microvascular basis of psychosis, as well as vision science and neuromodulation. Dr. Lizano is particularly interested in the use of complementary translational approaches to study inflammation and microvascular features from different perspectives.

He combines retinal and brain imaging techniques to identify novel biomarkers and examine factors contributing to the cellular-molecular deficits in psychosis by examining patient-specific cellular models of microvascular function. A long-term goal of the laboratory is to identify both diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers and novel tractable treatment targets for patients living with psychosis, particularly those in the early psychosis period.

Clinical Research Assistants

  • Nick Raymond

    Nick holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts. His primary work is related to the trans-cranial direct current stimulation projects ongoing in the lab. His research interests including modulating the brain’s electrophysiology properties to better understand and treat the symptomatology of psychotic disorders. Outside of the lab, Nick enjoys riding motorcycles, reading and hanging out with friend.

  • Chelsea Kiely

    Chelsea received her undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Neurobiology at Cornell University and her masters degree in Medical Science from Boston University. Chelsea currently works as the lab manager, managing data from the Retinal clinical trial. In her free time, Chelsea likes exploring Boston, trying out new restaurants, and reading.

  • Willa Molho

    Willa received her undergraduate degree in Health; Science, Society and Policy from Brandeis University and her masters degree in Medical Science from Boston University. Willa currently works on the Retinal and stimulation trials. When she’s not learning about psychosis, she likes to go out to eat, run, and play soccer!

  • Brendan Stiltner

    Brendan has his undergraduate degree in Psychology from Connecticut College. In the Lizano Lab, he works on the retinal trial and the choroid plexus research project. He is interested in how multiple neuroimaging methods and advanced statistical techniques can be incorporated to understand heterogeneity in psychiatry. When he’s not working in the lab, Brendan likes playing ultimate frisbee, cooking, listening to music, and spending time with friends.

Post Doctoral Fellows

  • Rebekah Trotti, MS, PhD

    Rebekah received her BS, MS, and PhD in Psychology at the University of Georgia and training in clinical science at Emory University. Her research primarily investigates the neurophysiology of psychosis and mood disorders using electroencephalography and transcranial electrical stimulation technologies. Outside of work, Rebekah likes to run and entertain her dog Ruthie.

  • Pegah Seif, MD

  • Deniz Altunsu kurt, MSc, PhD

    Deniz received her BSc and MSc in Neuroscience at Bahcesehir University, and her PhD in Cellular and Molecular Medicine at Koc University. Deniz is a post-doctoral researcher working on Blood-Brain Barrier disruption in Early Course Psychosis using patient-derived iPSC. Outside of the lab, Deniz likes to run and explore new restaurants in Boston.

Data Analysts

  • Victor Zheng

  • Oshin Kushwaha

    Oshin received her her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering from India and her MS in Business Analytics with a minor in Data Science from Drexel University. She is currently working on the choroid plexus research project and MAPNET. Outside of lab, Oshin likes reading, exploring Boston and museums.

Medical Trainees

  • Michael Song

    BIDMC Psychiatry Research Track Resident - PGY2

  • Maria Alino Dies

Students

  • Daman Dhunna

  • Emma Oss

  • Daphne Ying

Alumni

  • Deepthi Bannai

    PhD Student (UC Berkeley)

  • Rachal Hegde

    Medical Student (St. George’s University)

  • Olivia Lutz

    PhD Student (University of Chicago)

  • Sovannarath Pong

    Medical Student (Ohio State College of Medicine)

  • Marlynn Lopez

    Medical Student (Carle Illinois College of Medicine)

  • Ali Sendil

    Psychiatry Resident (Rutgers University)

  • Nora Sheehan

    Medical Student ( Boston University School of Medicine)

  • Iniya Adhan

    Medical Student ( Medical College of Wisconsin)

  • Melanie Nisenson

    Medical Student (Tufts University School of Medicine)

  • George Ling

    Psychiatry Resident ( University of Alabama Birmingham)

  • Erik Velez-Perez

    MD/ MPH Student (Ponce Health Sciences University)

  • Swetha Gandu

    Medical Student ( Touro University Nevada)

  • Pallavi Krishnarao

    Medical Student (Baylor College of Medicine)

  • Neha Iska

    Medical School ( Michigan State University)

  • Tatiana Winkleman

    Medical Student ( Harvard Medical School )

  • Diego Carreno

    Medical Student ( Brody School of Medicine)

  • Meredith Norton

    Medical Student (University of College- Dublin Medical School)

  • Jothini Sritharan

    Neuroscience PhD Student (Swiss Paraplegic Research Institute)

  • Ally Zeng

  • Kiranpreet Dhaliwal

    Medical Student( Western University-School of Osteopathic Medicine)

  • Jolie Hoang

    PhD Student (Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai)

  • Tunde Aideyan

    PhD Student (Northeastern University)

  • Matthew Johnson

    Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship (Yale)

Collaborators, Mentors, Advisors