Our Team
Patricia Areán
Founding Director of the CREATIV Lab at the University of Washington
Patricia Areán, PhD is a professor in Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington and an international expert on the effectiveness of behavioral interventions for mood disorders. Her research focuses on the recognition and treatment of mental disorders in older adults and minority populations, particularly in recognition and treatment of depression that is identified in non-mental health settings, and the use of technology for improving scalability, usability, personalization, and quality of psychosocial treatments. She is also the director of the NIMH funded ALACRITY Center at the University of Washington. Dr. Areán has published several articles on the recognition and treatment of late life depression and anxiety, as well as methods for recruiting and retaining large numbers of minority adults into longitudinal research.
Patrick J. Raue
Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Washington
Patrick J. Raue, PhD is Associate Director for Evidence-Based Psychosocial Interventions at the AIMS Center, and Director of the National Network of PST Clinicians, Trainers & Researchers. In these roles, he develops and leads implementation and training programs in a variety of behavioral health interventions. Dr. Raue’s clinical expertise includes the identification and management of mental health conditions in medical settings including primary care and home health care. Dr. Raue conducts NIMH-supported research on patient preferences and shared decision-making approaches for depression; the effectiveness of psychotherapy among older adults; and training non-specialists in behavioral interventions. He received his PhD in Clinical Psychology from SUNY Stony Brook in 1995.
Michael Pullmann
Research Professor
Mike Pullmann, PhD. is a methodologist and biostatistician. His research focuses on digital mental health, the possible unforeseen consequences and outcomes associated with implementation strategies, and community-based and participatory approaches in cross-system collaborative efforts to serve youth and families with complex needs. He provides research and methodological leadership across multiple research centers including the UW School Mental Health Assessment, Research, and Training (SMART) Center, the UW ALACRITY Center, and the UW Impact Center. He is the host of That Implementation Science Podcast with his colleague from the UW Department of Psychology, Kevin King.
Adam Kuczynski
Postdoctoral Fellow
Adam Kuczynski, PhD is a clinical psychology postdoctoral fellow in the CREATIV Lab. His research is focused on improving access to evidence-based psychosocial interventions for underserved individuals with serious mental illness and substance use disorders. Dr. Kuczynski is working on a grant funded randomized trial to increase engagement with online peer bridging interventions for individuals who engage in patterns of problematic substance use. Dr. Kuczynski also has expertise in the causes and consequences of loneliness in people’s everyday lives and how these experiences are associated with mental health issues. He is interested in using advanced quantitative methods to pursue his research questions. Dr. Kuczynski received his PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Washington in 2023 and completed his pre-doctoral clinical internship at UW Medicine.
Brittany Mosser
Lab Manager, Clinical Social Worker
Brittany Mosser, MSW, LICSW is a clinical social worker and research manager with experience coordinating a broad range of studies including NIMH funded clinical trials, pilot projects, and large-scale remote research. Clinically, Brittany specialized in working with older adults and their families, including those impacted by Alzheimer’s, medically complex older adults, and residents in sub-acute health care settings. Brittany is interested in improving access to evidence-based treatments through increased training opportunities, engaging a variety of treatment providers, modified treatments, and digital health applications. She earned her BA from Middlebury College and MSW from the University of Maryland.
Ryan Allred
Research Coordinator
Ryan Allred is a research coordinator for the UW CREATIV Lab. Among other things, his primary role in the lab is conducting clinical assessments with study participants. Ryan studied at Seattle Pacific University, where he received a BA in Psychology and a minor in Sociology. He is interested in research that advances the mental health field, as well as research in the areas of Social and Personality Psychology. In the future, he plans to continue on to graduate school to earn a doctorate in Clinical or Social Psychology. When not in the lab, Ryan likes to stay Engaged and active by camping, rock climbing, and taking his dog Walter to the park.
Dylan Fisher
Research Coordinator
Dylan Fisher is a research coordinator for the ALACRITY center and CREATIV lab. His primary responsibilities include supporting a variety of research projects as well as training/technical assistance activities. In his previous position, he worked on a nationwide NIMH-supported research study that aimed to implement psychosocial interventions in Level I trauma centers targeting PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Dylan received a BS in psychology and a minor in nonprofit administration from the University of Oregon. His current goal is to pursue a clinical psychology PhD or master of social work with a focus on increasing access to care for vulnerable populations.
Isabell Griffith Fillipo
Research Coordinator
Isabell Griffith Fillipo is a research coordinator for the CREATIV lab, primarily supporting the lab’s digital health studies. Isabell earned her BA from Macalester College with majors in psychology and Spanish and a concentration in community and global health. Isabell is interested in public & behavioral health, social welfare and public policy and hopes to pursue a graduate degree and career at the intersection of these fields. Outside of the lab, she enjoys going on runs, reading, and learning to cook new recipes.
Cristian Rivera Nales
Research Coordinator
Cristian Rivera Nales was a research coordinator for the UW CREATIV Lab. Along with supporting varying projects in the lab, his primary role was conducting clinical assessments with study participants. Cristian graduated from The University of Washington in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. During his undergraduate career, he completed a thesis examining the mental health outcomes of children and adolescents who were treated by a CBT+ trained clinician within Washington State. He is interested in working with children and adolescents in the mental health field as well as research revolving implementation of evidence-based treatments for children and underserved populations. Cristian is pursuing a PhD in Clinical Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Nichole Sams
Research Coordinator
Nichole Sams is an equitable mental health researcher with specific focus on accessibility for underrepresented individuals, equitable research methods, mental health advocacy combined with the use of novel technologies and digital mental health tools. Nichole studies Honors Psychology, Diversity and Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies at the University of Washington, and was recently honored as University of Washington’s Husky 100. Nichole loves analytical frameworks, social justice activism, paddle boarding, mixed media creation, wiener dogs, adventures with kids, Grayson and Renley, all while listening to their favorite band, Third Eye Blind. Nichole plans to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology and Public Health.
Bernardo Martinez
Research Coordinator
Bernardo Martinez is a Research Coordinator for the UW CREATIV Lab. His primary role is conducting clinical assessments with participants in both English and Spanish. Bernardo studied at California State University Northridge where he received a BA in both Psychology and Chicano studies. He is interested in research that focuses on the accessibility and utilization of mental healthcare among the Latinx population. In the future, Bernardo plans to attend graduate school and earn a master of social work. Outside of the lab Bernardo enjoys going to music festivals, baking, hiking, and practicing piano.
Alex Dillabaugh
Research Coordinator
Alex Dillabaugh is a research coordinator with the UW CREATIV lab, where he primarily supports clinical assessments, participant screenings, and the expansion of existing studies to include the Spanish speaking population. Alex completed his undergraduate at UC Davis where he received a BS in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior and a BA in Spanish. Prior to working with CREATIV, Alex spent two years as a Mental Health Case Manager at DESC serving the homeless population of Seattle. Outside the lab, he enjoys running, music, reading, hiking, and any excuse to be outdoors!
Molly Woerner
Research Coordinator
Molly Woerner supported the lab’s research studies in a variety of ways, focusing on participant recruitment and retention. Molly completed her BA in Public Health with a minor in Diversity at University of Washington. Prior to joining the UW CREATIV Lab, she worked at the Seattle Epidemiologic, Research, and Information Center at the VA Puget Sound where she worked on a lower back pain study as well as the Vietnam Era Twin Registry and the National Vietnam Veterans Longitudinal Study Registry where she supported various NIH-NIA funded studies. Molly is pursuing a Master’s in Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley.
Past Collaborators
Brenna N. Renn
Clinical Psychologist and Acting Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Dr. Renn’s research and clinical interests focus on the recognition and treatment of depression in older adults, particularly in the context of co-occuring medical illness and within primary care settings. She is also interested in workforce training, health services research, and policy initiatives to optimize behavioral health care for older adults. She completed her doctorate at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs and her psychology residency at the Baylor College of Medicine, and has received training awards from the Society of Behavioral Medicine and the American Psychological Association. She is currently a board member of the Society of Clinical Geropsychology.
Jessica Jenness
Clinical Psychologist
Dr. Jenness earned her BA in Psychology and Spanish from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and participated in postbaccalaureate research through the Intramural Research Training Award (IRTA) program at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). In 2015, Dr. Jenness completed her predoctoral internship at the University of Washington School of Medicine and graduated from the University of Denver with her PhD in Clinical Psychology. Her work has primarily focused on better understanding neurobiological mechanisms linking adversity and depression among youth. Dr. Jenness was recently awarded a K23 Development Award from NIMH that will fund a study investigating behavioral and neural reward system mechanisms related to Behavioral Activation intervention response among depressed adolescents with a maltreatment history.