Alumni | Mindful Health & Resilience Lab

Dharmakaya Colgan, PhD, C-IAYT
Lab Alumna

Dana Dharmakaya Colgan received her PhD in clinical psychology from Pacific University in 2017. She was awarded a 3-year NIH-NCCIH T32 Postdoctoral Research Fellowship to pursue advanced training in the interplay of neuroscience, stress, and integrative therapies in neurological disorders at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) and completed an Oregon Board of Psychology Residency in the Department of Neurology.  She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology at OHSU and Director of Perioperative Cognitive Assessments in the Awake Craniotomy Program. Her research employs broadband intracranial EEG data in conjunction with cognitive testing to assess functional localization of cognitive process, and assess factors related to resilience and patient empowerment during intrusive medical procedures. A second line of research is rooted in a curiosity to understand the neural, psychological, and physiological mechanisms by which mind-body practices cultivate health, wellness, and resilience in the face of stress, adversity, and chronic pain. She loves to explore faraway places, wander through the woods with her pup and partner, and scuba dive in warm waters.

Aaron Bergman, PhD
Lab Alumnus

Aaron received his PhD in clinical psychology from Pacific University in 2019. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in behavioral health research at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in the departments of Emergency Medicine and Obstetrics. He is currently a Senior Instructor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in the Department of Family Medicine. He is a native of Vashon Island, WA and his research interests include mindfulness-based interventions for high-risk populations. 

Letícia Ribeiro, PhD
Lab Alumna

Letícia received her PhD in clinical psychology from Pacific University in 2020 after completing her doctoral internship at Iowa State University Student Counseling Center. She explored differential effects of various mindfulness practices on health and wellbeing during her PhD studies at Pacific University. She is currently a clinical psychologist at the Iowa State University Student Counseling Center, where she provides individual and group therapy for college students. She received her master's degree in psychology from the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) in Brazil in 2009. At UFRGS she explored the effects of green tea catechin as a neuroprotective factor against proprioceptive deficits in an animal model of Parkinson's Disease. 

Josh Kaplan, PhD
Lab Alumnus

Josh received his PhD in clinical psychology from Pacific University in 2020 after completing a doctoral internship at the VA Portland Health Care System. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology at OHSU. He was recently awarded a KL2 award to study biomarkers of stress reactivity and resilience among veterans receiving Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. Josh is an active musician and plays with his band in the Portland area. He enjoys swimming with his pups, hiking with his pups, and playing video games while his pups nap.

Eli Dapolonia, PhD
Lab Alumnus

Eli received his PhD in clinical psychology from Pacific University in 2021 after completing a doctoral internship in neuropsychology and OUD/SUD assessment and treatment at the Missouri Health Sciences Psychology Consortium. He is currently completing a two-year clinical neuropsychology postdoctoral fellowship at the VA Maine Healthcare System. He coordinated several NIH studies in the lab and his research interests include stress, self-compassion, resilience and burnout in first responders. He was a 2017 Berglund Fellow, and has a patent pending with the U.S. Patent Office. In his free time he enjoys traveling with his wife, hanging out with his dog, and searching for the perfect croissant.

Candice Hoke Kennedy, PhD
Lab Alumna

Candice received her PhD in clinical psychology from Pacific University in 2021 after completing a doctoral internship at the Sheridan VAMC. She is currently a BHIP staff psychologist at the Portland VA West Linn CBOC, implementing primarily contextual CBT and mindfulness-based approaches. When not playing psychologist, she is probably chasing her son and thinking about digging in the dirt.

Kaylie Green, PhD                                                                                           

Lab Alumna

Kaylie received her PhD in clinical psychology from Pacific University in 2022 after completing a doctoral internship at the Montana VA Health Care System. She is currently completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Nicoletti-Flater Associates. Her primary research and clinical interests include resilience, post-traumatic stress, and sleep deprivation in first responder populations. Kaylie’s father is a firefighter in the Pacific Northwest, and she is very passionate about finding ways to improve the lives and mental health of these hardworking populations. Aside from academia, Kaylie spends her time outdoors, hiking, taking her cats for walks, and riding downhill mountain bikes.