Lyda Arevalo Gonzalez
2022 MAPP Scholar
Lyda is a rising senior at Boston University majoring in Psychology and minoring in Public Health. She was born in Colombia and moved to San Antonio, Texas when she was 10 years old. Her current research at the lab focuses on performance in mobile tasks as well as other cognitive tests in older adults, including participants from the COLBOS study. At BU she is part of the executive board for the Undergraduate Psychology Association and a member of Omega Phi Alpha (community service sorority) and the All-Campus Orchestra. After graduating, Lyda is aspiring to go into the field of Neuropsychological research and attend grad school in the future to become a licensed Clinical Psychologist. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, watching movies and exploring Boston and surrounding areas with friends.
Gil Barksdale, BS
2022 MAPP Scholar
Gil is a prospective medical school student who just finished a post-baccalaureate program at Washington university in St. Louis. The research he is currently working on focuses on genetic and socioeconomic risk factors that contribute to dementia onset in patients with Autosomal Dominant Alzheimer’s disease. As an aspiring physician, he hopes to combat health inequity through improving healthcare access and health education for underserved populations. Outside of school and work, he enjoys trail running and cooking.
Melissa Gonzalez
2022 MAPP Scholar
Melissa Gonzalez is a rising sophomore at Dartmouth College pursuing a degree in both Economics and Neuroscience. Melissa is actively involved with the Mental Health Union on campus in which she volunteers as a peer counselor for her fellow undergraduate peers. She is an active member of the Octopus lab on campus and is a research assistant for the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice where she contributed to the development of an informational COVID vaccine website through content sourcing and fact-checking intellectual content. Post graduation, Melissa plans to enroll in an MD/PhD program in order to further her technical pursuit of medical research. One of Melissa’s biggest missions is to aid first-generation college students in their path to higher education in the sciences. In her free time, she enjoys going to the beach, traveling, and watching sunsets.
Perla K. Ortiz-Acosta, BA
2022 MAPP Scholar
Perla is a 4th-year student of Clinical Psychology at the University of Puerto Rico in Río Piedras. Her current research focuses on the long-term impact of COVID-19 and exercise on cognition performance and mental health symptoms. She has also researched and worked with minorities’ access to mental health services through the Disparities Research Unit in MGH and collaborates with several research projects in her hometown in Puerto Rico. She is currently pursuing a certification in Gerontology at the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine. After she finishes her Ph.D., Perla wants to work as a Geriatric Neuropsychologist to provide services to older adults that face dementia, with a special focus on minorities in the US.
Gladiliz Rivera Delpin, BA
2022 MAPP Scholar
Gladiliz is a Research Psychology grad student at the University of Puerto Rico in Río Piedras. She is currently the president of the Sociedad Neuropsicológica Estudiantil at her university. The research she is currently working on focuses on the sex differences in patients with Autosomal Dominant Alzheimer’s Disease. Gladiliz aspires to keep working with the Latinx community researching psychosocial and contextual factors impairing cognitive health in these populations. In her spare time, she enjoys painting and going to the beach.
Defne Yucebas
2022 MAPP Scholar
Defne is a rising senior undergraduate student at Boston University (BU), majoring in psychology and minoring in visual arts and film. She grew up in Istanbul, Turkey. At BU she has been a part of the Vision and Cognition Lab, volunteering as a research assistant since Summer of 2020. Her current research focuses on looking into the associations between performance on certain cognitive tests and brain pathology in patients with Autosomal Dominant Alzheimer’s Disease. After graduating, Defne is aspiring to get her Ph.D. in clinical psychology and become a licensed therapist. In her free time, she likes to cook with her friends, spend time outside doing Sudoku, and make funny drawings of different vegetables.
Sheilla Salcedo, BS
2021 MAPP Scholar
Sheilla is a a 1st year medical student at the CUNY School of Medicine. Her school’s missions is to increase the number of underrepresented minorities in medicine and the number of primary care doctors in the underserved communities. She is currently the president of Physicians for Human Rights at her school, dedicating herself to the issues of social justice. The research she is currently doing focuses on the Sex differences in patients with Autosomal Dominant Alzheimer’s Disease. Outside of school, she loves going to escape rooms, playing board or card games, and watching movies.
Kyra M. Bonta
2023 MAPP Scholar
Kyra is a rising junior at Yale University pursuing a major in psychology-neuroscience. She grew up in Portland, Oregon. At Yale, she is an intern at Yale Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and a member of the Yale Undergraduate Ballet Company. The research she is currently working on focuses on the association between the APOE genotype and depressive symptoms in patients with Autosomal Dominant Alzheimer’s Disease. In the future, Kyra aspires to become a neuropsychologist and contribute towards the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease with an emphasis on communities of color. She also wants to help decrease racial health disparities in relation to Alzheimer’s diagnosis and treatment. In her free time, she enjoys doing ballet, hiking, and baking.
Taryn Gordon, MA, MS
2023 MAPP Scholar
Taryn is a 3rd-year student of Clinical Psychology at George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon. Her summer research at MAPP focuses on sex differences in patients with Autosomal Dominant Alzheimer’s Disease. She is also a lab member of the SHARP Study at the Oregon Health and Science University Layton Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, a lab that strives to maintain or improve cognitive health among older Black Americans through physical activity, reminiscence therapy, and social engagement in a culturally celebratory way. After completing her doctorate degree, Taryn plans to work as a neuropsychologist providing affordable and culturally competent services to communities of color. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, foraging, cooking, and crocheting hats for cats.
Angelys M. Rivera-Hernández
2023 MAPP Scholar
Angelys is a rising junior undergraduate student at the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) in Río Piedras majoring in Cellular and Molecular Biology. At UPR School of Medicine, she’s part of the Fear and Pleasure lab conducting behavioral neuroscience research. This summer, her research focuses on testing the association between physical activity and markers of Alzheimer’s disease pathology. Angelys aspire to complete a Ph.D. in neuroscience after graduating. In her free time, she enjoys painting, playing soccer, and going to the beach.
