Collaborators and Staff

Below is the team of trainees, collaborators, and staff I work with across my research in pain, rehabilitation, and the delivery of evidence-based care.

Postdoctoral Fellows

Vindhya Ekanayake, Psy.D.

Pain Psychology Postdoctoral Fellow, Class of 2028

Her research focuses on understanding how emotional awareness and cultural factors influence the experience and treatment of chronic pain. She is especially interested in mind-body approaches and improving access to evidence-based pain treatments for populations with limited care nearby.

Professional Research Staff

Sylvia Johnson, B.S.

Research Program Assistant

Sylvia provides support for research initiatives, playing a key role in project coordination, administrative tasks, and ensuring research activities run smoothly.

Heavon Allen, M.A.

Research Program Coordinator

Heavon coordinates clinical trial operations for pain psychology research, including participant tracking and provider coordination. She holds a master's in psychology from Pace University and is interested in improving access to evidence-based care.

Student Research Assistants

Ruomu Dong

Research Assistant

Undergraduate pursuing Psychology and Cognitive Science at Johns Hopkins. Passionate about understanding the subjective and sociocultural aspects of pain with interest in qualitative research.

Ryan Hunte, MSN, RN

Research Assistant

Earned his Master of Science in Nursing at Johns Hopkins. Brings over a decade of healthcare leadership experience from the U.S. Army, interested in pain psychology research.

Spoorthy Reddy

Research Assistant

Undergraduate double majoring in Biomedical Engineering and Philosophy. Interested in understanding how patients experience and navigate pain management.

Mahi Shah

Research Assistant

Undergraduate double majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Psychology. Interested in understanding how psychological factors influence pain experiences.

Dubravko "Leo" Rodriguez

Research Assistant

Undergraduate pursuing Music Education with a Directed Studies minor in Cognitive Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins. Interested in understanding how biopsychosocial and systemic factors shape pain experiences and access to care, with aspirations toward clinical psychology research.

Irene Chau

Research Assistant

Undergraduate pursuing Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. Interested in understanding how social and systemic factors shape access to evidence-based pain care, with experience in community-based qualitative research and a focus on population health.