PNI Lab Fall 2024-Spring 2025: Back (L to R): Rebecca Reed, Natalie Lannie, Jack Taylor, Blayne Becker, Catherine Reeder, Jules Depro, Abby Hillmann. Front (L to R): Henry Zou, Sam Lengyel, Kara Faulk, Baradhi Kumar, Qianru Wu, Erin O'Donnell. (Not Pictured: Diti Tiwari, Roma Sekhar)
Lab Director
Rebecca G. Reed, Ph.D.
Rebecca Reed is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. She received her B.S. in Physiology and her M.S. and Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Science from the University of Arizona. She completed postdoctoral research training at the University of Kentucky before joining the University of Pittsburgh in Fall 2019.
Dr. Reed's research investigates biopsychosocial factors that contribute to healthy biological and cognitive aging. She focuses on the effects of stress on immune health and biological aging in mid-life and older adulthood and the role of protective factors (e.g., emotion regulation, social relationships) in attenuating stress-health relationships.
Postdoctoral Scholar
Jackie Rodriguez-Stanley, Ph.D.
Jackie is a postdoctoral scholar in the PNI Research Lab through the Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine T32 Program. She earned her BS in Psychology with a Biology minor from Florida State University in 2018. She then attended Wayne State University in Detroit where she earned her MA and PhD in Social-Personality Psychology with a minor in Quantitative Methods.
Dr. Rodriguez-Stanely is interested in the mechanisms and individual differences that explain how stress contributes to physical illness and disease. In the PNI Research Lab, she will explore how stressful experiences and affective processes are related to aging and immune health.
Graduate Students
Abby Hillmann, M.S.
Abby joined the PNI Research Lab in Fall 2020. Abby completed her undergraduate education at the University of Kentucky, where she received a BA in biology and a BS in psychology. She came to the University of Pittsburgh to combine her interests in these two fields by joining the Biological and Health Psychology program.
She’s interested in investigating the interaction between psychosocial factors and physiological health, specifically the mechanisms through which social relationships and stress influence healthy aging.
CV | Google Scholar | LinkedIn
Nainika Pansari, M.S.
Nainika graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a combined BS/MS degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology and a BA in Psychology. She has worked in several labs gaining experience in social psychology, dementia, clinical, bio-molecular, and genetic research.
She is joining University of Pittsburgh’s joint Clinical and Biological-Health Psychology graduate program to combine her research and clinical interests. Nainika is interested in how biopsychosocial factors across the lifespan can affect physical and cognitive health outcomes. Particularly, she is interested in understanding the biological pathways that mediate this relationship.
Research Assistants
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Baradhi Kumar
Baradhi joined the lab in Fall of 2024. She is a senior majoring in psychology and molecular biology. She plans to attend medical school after graduating. She is interest in exploring social connection, emotional regulation, and its affects on health.
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Alina Kolchina
Alina joined the lab in Fall of 2025. She is a junior majoring in psychology. She plans to get a PhD in clinical psychology/therapy after graduating. She is interested in research and learning more about the concepts of biopsychosocial model and how it applies to our daily lives.
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Diksha Adhikari
Diksha joined the lab in the Fall of 2025. She is a junior majoring in Psychology and Biology with a minor in Chemistry. After taking a gap year, she plans to attend medical school to expand her research experience and clinical skills. She is interested in exploring how biopsychosocial factors impact physical and mental health.
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Jude Borowski
Jude joined the lab in Fall of 2025. I am a sophomore majoring in Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience. I plan to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology after Pitt. I am interested in social relationships and their impact on physical health.