PASO: THE PROGRAM FOR
ANXIETY, STRESS, AND OCD

PASO: THE PROGRAM FOR
ANXIETY, STRESS, AND OCD

The Program for Anxiety, Stress, and OCD (PASO) is a clinical research program committed to understanding the causes, consequences and associated features of anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, and hoarding disorders. We are involved in cutting-edge research on the biological, psychosocial, and cognitive risk factors for mood and anxiety disorders.  

In addition, we engage in research collaborations with other laboratories both at the University of Miami, across the country, and even across the world. We provide both group and individual cognitive-behavioral therapies for a variety of anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, and hoarding concerns.

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TEAM MEMBERS

Lab Director

Lab Director

Kiara at a desk!

Dr. Kiara Timpano

Dr. Kiara Timpano is the Director of the Program for Anxiety, Stress, and OCD (PASO), and a Professor in the Department of Psychology at UM. She received her PhD from Florida State Unviersity and completed her postdoctoral training at Massachusetts General Hospital / Harvard Medical School. Her research interests include understanding risk and vulnerability factors that play a role in the etiology, comorbidity, and maintenance of anxiety and obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders. Dr. Timpano is a member of the Scientific and Clinical Advisory Board of the International Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Foundation (IOCDF). In her spare time, Dr. Timpano follows her montessori calling with various DIY projects, loves getting outside, and dreams about all the travel she’ll do post-COVID.

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Grad Student

Graduate Student

Steph, happy in nature!

Stephanie Hudiburgh

Stephanie is a sixth year graduate student in PASO and is currently on internship at the Houston VA. She received her BA in neuroscience from the University of Southern California in 2009, and served as a research assistant within the UCLA Child OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Program prior to graduate school. Her research focuses on understanding factors that contribute to the development and maintenance of OC symptoms, with a particular interest in how transdiagnostic vulnerabilities (e.g., distress intolerance) interact with disorder-specific cognitions to give rise to OCD. As part of her master’s thesis, she explored the relationship between emotion-related impulsivity and OC symptoms, and her dissertation will investigate the association between specific pandemic-related stressors and OC symptom fluctuation. Outside of the lab, Stephanie can be found listening to far too many podcasts and finding new places to hike in South Florida. 

Grad Student

Graduate Student

Hannah, happy in nature!

Hannah Broos

Hannah Broos is a fifth year graduate student in the PASO Lab. She earned her B.A. in Psychology from Bowdoin College in 2017, and then spent two years working at the Center for Addiction Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. Hannah is broadly interested in investigating transdiagnostic risk factors for mood and anxiety disorders. She is particularly interested in exploring the role of cognitive biases and affective vulnerabilities (e.g., intolerance of uncertainty and distress tolerance) in the etiology and maintenance of psychopathology. In her spare time, Hannah plays ultimate frisbee and enjoys exploring the local breweries in Miami.

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Grad Student

Graduate Student

Amelia, smiling outside!

Amelia Dev

Amelia Dev is a fourth year grad student at PASO. She graduated from UC Berkeley in 2017, and then spent three years working as lab manager with Dr. Don Moore at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and as a project coordinator with Dr. Sheri Johnson in Berkeley’s Clinical Psych department. Her research interests surround judgment and decision making in mood disorders, and she is particularly keen to understand how judgment biases influence psychopathology. Outside of the lab, Amelia likes to bake baked goods and eat baked goods, read (fiction), play D&D, and hang out with her cat.

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Grad Student

Graduate Student

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Amanda Belanger

Amanda Belanger is a second year graduate student in the PASO lab. She earned her B.S. in Psychology and French Language & Literature from Fordham University in 2019. Amanda spent two years working with Dr. Emily Stern at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Her research interests involve mechanisms and maintenance of OCD and anxiety disorders. Specifically, she is interested in transdiagnostic factors such as anxiety sensitivity, emotion regulation, and cognitive avoidance. In her free time, Amanda enjoys exploring Miami, taking care of her many plants, cooking, baking, and crafting.

Grad Student

Graduate Student

lauren better qual

Lauren Milgram

Lauren Milgram is a second year graduate student working jointly in the PASO and CAMAT labs. Lauren worked at PASO as an undergraduate student before graduating with her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami in 2020. Lauren then completed her post-baccalaureate research training at Brown University Medical School, where she conducted research on pediatric anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Lauren has since returned to the University of Miami to continue her study of anxiety, OCD, and related disorders in youth and adults. She is particularly interested in examining mechanisms of change during cognitive behavioral therapy for these disorders. In her free time, Lauren loves to explore all the restaurants and beaches that Miami has to offer.

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Research Assistants

Headshot photo of Simone David.
Simone David

Simone is a Junior at UM double majoring in Psychology and Criminology. She started working with Paso in Spring 2023 and is interested in the social and behavioral factors of psychopathology including anxiety, stress, and related disorders. Simone hopes to pursue graduate education in forensic psychology.

Headshot photo of Thomas Magee.
Thomas Magee

Thomas is a freshman at the University of Miami majoring in Psychology and minoring in Biology and Chemistry. He has been working with the PASO lab since the fall of 2023. His interests include cognitive science and perception. Thomas hopes to pursue grad school in cognitive science.

Headshot photo of Vicki Thomas.
Victoria Thomas

Victoria Thomas is a Junior at the University of Miami majoring in Psychology with a minor in Sports Administration. She has been working with the PASO Lab since the summer of 2023. Her interests are in psychopathology and adolescence/adult therapy. Victoria plans to receive her Doctorate Degree in clinical psychology.

Lindsay Merenda

Lindsay is currently a first-year master’s student in the Mental Health Counseling Program at the University of Miami. Prior to this, she completed her undergraduate studies at the State University of New York at Geneseo, majoring in psychology and minoring in Political Science. Since Spring 2024, Lindsay has been actively involved with the PASO lab. Her future aspirations include pursuing a doctoral program in Counseling to attain her doctorate and eventually establishing her own private practice.

Maureen Mazloum

Maureen is a junior majoring in Psychology with a minor in Community and Applied Psychological Studies (CAPS). Her interests are psychopathology and psychotherapy. She plans to obtain her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology and eventually open up a private practice!

Headshot photo of Anna Nguyen.
Anna Nguyen

Anna is a sophomore at the University of Miami majoring in Biochemistry and Nutrition and minoring in Psychology. She has been working with the PASO Lab since the spring of 2024. Looking ahead, Anna hopes to attend medical school.

COLLABORATORS

COLLABORATORS

University of Miami

University of California, Berkeley

Florida State University

University of Miami

University of New South Wales

Massachusetts General Hospital
Harvard Medical School

University of North Carolina

Karolinska Institutet

Sao Paolo Collaborators

University of São Paulo

Bowdoin University

Swarthmore College

Smith College

ALUMNI

ALUMNI

Clinical Psych PhD Student at University of Kentucky
Predoctoral Psychology Intern at Weill Cornell Medicine
Assistant Professor at Framingham State University
Clinical Assistant Professor and Clinical Director at Florida International University
Graduate Student at Florida State University
Clinical Researcher at the UCLA Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior
Licensed Clinical Psychologist at Therapy Changes
Postdoctoral Psychotherapist at Colorado NeuroBehavioral Health