Emily Aiken joined the Providence VA Medical Center in August 2016. Prior to joining PVAMC, she received both her BS, and MA, with honors in Neuroscience from Trinity College (Hartford, CT), where she was a Health Fellow and a member of the National Honor Society in Neuroscience (Nu Rho Psi). Additionally, Emily conducted research at Trinity College in the Cognitive Neuropsychology and Rehabilitation Laboratory, where she primarily focused on designing individualized cognitive rehabilitation therapies for acquired brain injury. Her background includes years of clinical research experience in prospective memory, schizophrenia, eating disorders, and pediatric neurology. During her CfNN tenure, she has served in a variety of coordinator roles for Focus Area 2 (FA2) leader, Noah S. Philip, MD. Emily is a member of the Society for Clinical Research Associates (SOCRA), is a Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP), and a 2020 graduate of the PVAMC Leadership Effectiveness, Accountability, and Development (LEAD) program. Emily’s research interests include:

– the use of non-invasive neuromodulation therapies for treating comorbid psychiatric disorders, such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and major depression
– the development of qualitative metrics/approaches for symptom evaluation and subsequent treatment selection
– improving quality of life through implementation of novel non-invasive, non-pharmacological, approaches for treating complex mental health disorders
– collaborating with clinical services to facilitate and integrate research into clinical care/practices (bench to bedside)

Matthew Borgia is a Biostatistician with a decade of experience at the Providence VAMC. His professional background includes community integration, amputation, prosthetic rehabilitation, national VA databases, psychometrics, and nonparametric statistics. His current protocols focus on upper limb amputees and prosthesis users. Matthew graduated with a masters degree in Biostatistics from Brown University in 2011.

Sarah Cavanagh received her B.S. in Integrative Neuroscience with honors from Fordham University. There she examined population-level differences in cortical visual representations correlated with aging and cognitive decline. Sarah joined the BrainGate team in the fall of 2019 and is currently a graduate research assistant at Brown University, Massachusetts General Hospital and the Providence VAMC. Her master’s thesis research involves (1) understanding the neural correlates of upper-extremity movement in healthy adults to inform the creation of a rehabilitative EEG-BCI for stroke patients with paresis and (2) analyzing the connection between upper-extremity kinematic metrics and longitudinal motor recovery in stroke patients with paresis.

Krista Tocco joined the Providence VA Medical Center in October 2014 and currently works as a Research Coordinator with the CfNN. Prior to joining the PVAMC, she received her BA with honors in Biology with a Concentration in Neuroscience and Behavior and minor in Psychology at Assumption College (Worcester, MA). Her background includes clinical research experience in studying psychosocial treatments aimed at suicide prevention, PTSD, anger management, traumatic brain injuries, and seizure disorders. She also has worked on a multi-site study with Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University aimed at studying neuroimaging biomarkers in those with seizures disorders to predict treatment outcomes for nonpharmacologic treatment. Krista’s current interest include psychosocial treatments that address psychiatric disorders and the use of neuroimaging to aid in individualizing treatment.

John Davey joined the CfNN as a Senior Research Assistant in November 2019. Prior to coming on board, he received his BS in Neuroscience at the University of New Hampshire in 2015 and worked as a Clinical Research Assistant in the Emergency Departments at both Rhode Island Hospital and the University of Massachusetts Medical School. His research interests include Prosthetics and emerging technologies within the industry.

Caite DeCesare earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology at the University of Rhode Island in 2019. After graduating, she worked at Rhode Island Hospital’s Childhood Asthma Research Program, studying the effectiveness of current education-based interventions for childhood asthma care. Caite joined the Providence VA Medical Center as a Research Assistant in June 2022.

Julia Gillotti began working at the Providence VA as a WOC through Ocean State Research Institute (OSRI) in June 2024. She earned a B.A. in Psychology and with a minor in Religious Studies from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT. During her time at Wesleyan, she served as a research assistant on multiple projects and as a teaching assistant for psychology research and data analysis courses. As part of an intensive summer program in data analysis, she conducted an independent project examining how military couples communicate about suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Julia joined CfNN in March 2025 as a Senior Research Assistant for Low Intensity Focused Ultrasound: A New Paradigm for Depression and Anxiety (PI: Noah S. Philip, MD).

Aaron Gregoire is a Research Assistant with an IPA appointment at PVAMC for VA related work conducted in the Borton Lab at Brown University. He received his BA summa cum laude at the University of Rhode Island. Aaron oversees the animal activity in the lab with steadfast dedication to achieve viable scientific research through positive reinforcement and environmental enrichment to ensure cooperation.

Jenny joined the Laboratory for Translational Neurorecovery (LTNr) at MGH in 2022 and received her BS in Neuroscience and Behavior from Simmons University in May 2023. She joined CfNN as a WOC research coordinator for LTNr in the summer of 2023, and is interested in learning more about the motor neuroscience behind upper extermity impairment in stroke patients.

Noelle Marcotullio is a Health Science Specialist with the CfNN. She joined the Center in January 2022. Noelle received a Bachelor of Science degree in Integrative Neuroscience and a Bachelor of Arts in Women, Gender and Sexualities Studies from Binghamton University. She was a member of the Freshman Research Immersion program, where she conducted research on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s in rat models. She also served on the Executive Board of the Binghamton University chapter of Nu Rho Psi, the national honor society in neuroscience. While studying abroad in Barcelona, she worked closely with a community of sex workers on HIV prevention and sexual health education. This experience informed her interest in public health and led her to working with the Veteran population. She is currently a research assisstant on Dr. Zand Vakili’s PTSD study.

Chona McGrenery joined the Providence VA Medical Center as Program Support Assistant for CfNN in February 2020. Prior to joining CfNN, she was a Staff Assistant IV at Massachusetts General Hospital assisting the PT & OT Department leadership. Chona graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce, Major in Economics from College of the Holy Spirit, Manila, Philippines. She worked at the Local Government Unit in the Philippines as a Revenue Officer before immigrating to the United States.

Wally Musto joined the Center for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology (CfNN) in November 2024 as the Communications Specialist. In this role, Wally serves as the Chairman of CfNN’s Veterans Engagement Committee (VREC). Leveraging his extensive network of veterans in Rhode Island, he aims to expand the VREC into a robust group that enhances community awareness of CfNN’s important work and provides a veteran’s perspective on research at various stages.

Wally brings with him a distinguished 35-year career in the Rhode Island Air National Guard, where he retired in 2006 with the rank of Chief Master Sergeant (CMSgt) and served as the Chief Military Personnel Management Officer on the staff of the Adjunct General for the State of Rhode Island.

Following his retirement from the RI National Guard, Wally transitioned to a new career in research project management. For 16 years, he worked on various veteran-focused research projects affiliated with Brown University as well as the VA Boston Health Care System.

Wally looks forward to collaborating with colleagues to support the goals of the research center and the veteran community.

Eileen M. Small is a Research Program Manager with the CfNN. She joined the Center in August 2019. Eileen received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Counseling from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a Master of Social Work degree from Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Massachusetts. She has twenty-five years of research experience in the areas of mood disorders in children and adults; nicotine addiction and treatment; and new approaches for treating schizophrenia and bipolar disorders. Eileen began her research career in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University, working on clinical trials for the treatment of major depression and bipolar disorders. She has also worked at the Center for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine at the Miriam Hospital; the Transdisciplinary Research Group and Neuroimaging Lab at Butler Hospital; and in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. At UMass Medical School, she worked with a team helping to bring a form of Open Dialogue to the United States. Since joining the CfNN, Eileen has managed multiple projects for Focus Area 3 Leader, Dr. Linda Resnik.

Mimi Sevin is a Clinical Research Coordinator with 10 years of experience at Brown University, prior to joining CfNN in July 2015. Her professional background includes post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorders, personality disorders, intimate partner violence, virtual reality, neuroimaging, cardiovascular health and mindful self-compassion work. She is also a licensed clinical therapist with experience in individual as well as couples counseling working clinically with Veterans at the Providence VA Medical Center since 2013.

Hannah Swearingen joined CfNN in July 2017 after receiving her B.A. in Neuroscience and German from Washington & Jefferson College, with interdisciplinary honors in Neuroscience. Her current research interests include using neuroimaging and computational approaches to investigate brain signatures of psychiatric disorders and treatment response. Hannah is also interested in leveraging scientific computing methods to develop best practices in data analysis and sharing in order to promote scientific reproducibility.