WISH Lab Members

Meet the WISH Lab   

 

      

Dr. Tierney Lorenz (she/they)

Director of WISH Lab & Assistant Professor at UNL

Dr. Lorenz received their Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Texas at Austin in 2013 after completing internship at the University of Washington School of Medicine. From 2013 to 2016, they were an NICHD-funded postdoctoral fellow at the Kinsey Institute and the Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior at Indiana University. From 2016 - 2018, they were an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychological Science at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Madison Ellis (she/her)

Lab Manager 

Maddi graduated in 2021 from the University of North Carolina - Greensboro with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a minor in Anthropology. During her time at UNCG Maddi worked as an undergraduate research assistant in the Cognition, Psychopathology and Emotion Lab focusing on how cognitive and emotional processing affects depression and PTSD. After graduating, Maddi relocated to Lincoln as the Lab Manager for the Women's Immunity and Sexual Health Lab in Spring of 2022. Maddi also currently works as a research assistant in the Latino Mental Health and Treatment Outcome Lab with Dr. Trey Andrews.

Maddi's research interest includes exploring the assessment of stress and trauma within LGBTQIA+ and BI-POC populations. She is aiming to continue her research exploration by pursuing a PhD in clinical psychology. 

Outside of the lab, Maddi enjoys seeing live music, reading, making pottery, and hiking. Most weekends you can find her at a local coffee shop or antique stores.

Kirstin Clephane (they/them)

Graduate Research Assistant - C.V.

Kirstin graduated in 2019 from Indiana University - Bloomington with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. During their time at IU Bloomington, Kirstin worked as an undergraduate research assistant in the Sexual Psychophysiology lab. After graduating, Kirstin relocated to Lincoln as the Lab Manager for the Women's Immunity and Sexual Health lab for two years before starting their graduate program in Neuroscience and Behavior with the lab.

Kirstin's research interests include the immune and endocrine systems' influence on sexual behavior during pregnancy and the postpartum, sexting behaviors among women, the dynamics of available testosterone within vaginal mucosa in response to sexual arousal, and the effects of premenstrual dysphoric disorder and other cycle-related mental health outcomes among individuals with and without sexual trauma history.

As a person outside of research, Kirstin enjoys aerial arts, reading, and being a goofy goober.

Anneliis Sartin-Tarm (she/her)

 Graduate Research Assistant - C.V.

Anneliis graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in German. As an undergraduate, Anneliis worked as a research assistant in two labs; in one, she examined infant cognitive development with Dr. Karl Rosengren, and in another she researched neuroendocrinological effects of mindfulness practice with Dr. Richard Davidson. She also worked as a primate caretaker at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center. After graduation, she worked for 2 years at the University of Wisconsin Department of Psychiatry, where she coordinated a clinical trial examining roles of estrogen, dopamine, and endocannabinoids in fear learning and associated structural/functional brain differences among women with PTSD.

In Fall of 2019, Anneliis joined the Clinical Psychology Training Program and WISH Lab at UNL! In her research at UNL, Anneliis examines relationships between hormones and cognitive-emotional mechanisms of psychopathology, such as fear/reward learning and approach-avoidance behavior. Anneliis hopes to eventually pursue a career in integrated health psychology, especially within reproductive and sexual health. In her free time, Anneliis enjoys running, social justice advocacy, live music, and spending time with loved ones and her German Shepherd, Diego.

Harper Jones (she/her)

Graduate Research Assistant - C.V.

Harper was born and raised in Frankfort, Kentucky. She completed her Bachelors degree at the College of Wooster in Psychology and Biology. Her undergraduate honors thesis, under the supervision of Dr. John Neuhoff and Dr. Laura Sirot, researched male infertility, with a focus on alternative methods to influence reproductive fertility in men. Following graduation, she moved back to Kentucky where she worked as a research assistant at the Center for Trauma and Children contributing to research surrounding secondary traumatic stress and childhood trauma. She entered UNL’s Clinical Psychology doctoral program and the WISH lab in the fall of 2020.

Harper’s research interests are the psychophysiology of women’s sexual functioning and arousal and the role of evolutionary theory on human sexuality. More specifically, her current research is focused on sexual functioning in sexual assault survivors, examining the role of life history on evolutionary processes such as the preparatory arousal theory and disgust response.

In her free time, she enjoys playing with her pug, cooking, playing board games, cross stitching, and traveling.

Katie Bogen (she/her)

Graduate Research Assistant - C.V.

Katherine (Katie) Bogen graduated from Clark University in 2015 with a B.A. in Political Science. She then spent 5 years working in pediatric violence prevention research, most recently in the Rhode Island Hospital Department of Psychiatry. Throughout her early research career, Katie developed expertise in program design and evaluation, social media analysis, social norms interventions, geographic information systems (GIS), and qualitative research methods. Katie also worked as a sex educator and lecturer for the South Shore Sexual Health Center in Quincy, MA and was a Rhode Island state-certified victims’ advocate for individuals who have experienced sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking, human trafficking, and hate crimes.

Katie joined the Women, Immunity, and Sexual Health (WISH) Lab in the Fall of 2020. She is also affiliated with the Trauma, Violence, and Abuse (TVA) Lab. Katie works at the intersections of violence prevention and human sexuality research. She is particularly interested in the development, facilitation, and robust evaluation of intervention programs designed to assuage posttraumatic symptoms, including sexual dysfunction and sex-related substance misuse, among sexual trauma survivors. Katie’s goal is to engage in sex-positive research that empowers trauma survivors to safely experience sexual joy. When she is not conducting research, Katie is a musical theatre performer, proud cat mom, and vocal social justice activist, focusing on advocating for survivors of sexual violence, engaging in anti-racism efforts, celebrating the LGBTQ+ community, and combating antisemitism.

Molly Kennedy Irvin (she/her) 

Graduate Research Assistant

Molly graduated from Stanford University in 2020 with a B.A. in Psychology with Honors and a Minor in English.  As an undergraduate, she studied young children's responses to feedback and praise and re-designed and taught Stanford's only comprehensive sex education course.  After graduating, Molly was a Clinical Research Coordinator at the Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research in New York, where she coordinated clinical trials on depression, PTSD, and schizophrenia.  She then began research collaborations in forensic psychiatry with Harvard Medical School and the Medical University of South Carolina, exploring sexual history correlations of arousal in people with paraphilic disorders.  

In the fall of 2023, Molly joined the WISH lab and the Clinical Psychology doctoral program at UNL.  She is interested in better understanding sexual function and dysfunction in sexual and gender minorities in order to ultimately re-imagine comprehensive interdisciplinary care surrounding mental and sexual health.  
Outside of research, Molly enjoys reading nineteenth century British literature, vintage/thrift shopping, picnicking in parks with friends, and learning to sew. 
Sophi Sanchez (she/her/ella)

Previous Lab Manager and Undergraduate RA

Sophi is currently a MD student at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. She has been involoded with the WISH lab since January 2020 as a research assistant as well as the lab manager. Sophi's primary research interests include health communication within ethnic and sexual minority communities. Outside of the lab and classroom, you can find her grocery shopping and spending time with her houseplants. 

Previous members of the WISH Lab:
  • Andrea Bieker
  • Lauren Fisher
  • Simran Shah
  • Libby Shonka-Smith
  • Eastyn Klink
  • Erin Dolph
  • Emily Madsen