DBT-RU Student Clinicians

Alma Bitran: Alma Bitran is a third-year clinical psychology PhD student at Rutgers University, where Drs jointly mentor her. Shireen Rizvi and Evan Kleiman. After receiving her B.S. in Psychology from Yale University in 2021, she worked as a research assistant at the Translational Research on Affective Disorders and Suicide Lab at Columbia University, where she carried out research identifying short-term predictors of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in adolescents. Alma’s research examines 1) key mechanisms of change in dialectical behavior therapy, and 2) how suicide-related disclosure unfolds between adolescents and their parents. 

Sofia Moore: Sofia Moore is a second-year Clinical PsyD student at Rutgers University’s Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP). She received her B.A. in Sociology from the University of San Francisco and her M.A. in Developmental Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University. Her clinical and research interests include emotional regulation, developmentally informed interventions across the lifespan, and matrescence (the life stage of becoming a mother). She has provided clinical services through GSAPP’s Center for Psychological Services (CPS) and Rutgers’ Counseling, Alcohol and Other Drug Assistance Program & Psychiatric Services (CAPS).

Ace Oh: Ace is a first-year clinical Psy.D. student at GSAPP and a licensed psychotherapist in New York, where she provides individual and group therapy for adults with complex PTSD and for individuals and families impacted by borderline personality disorder. She received her B.A. in Psychology from UCLA and her M.A. in Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness from New York University, where she was awarded the NYU Steinhardt Outstanding Clinical Service Award. Clinically, she has trained at the Crime Victims Treatment Center, providing trauma-focused therapy for survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, childhood abuse, and PTSD. She has also held research assistant positions at Rutgers, UCLA, and Weill Cornell Medicine. Her interests include borderline personality disorder, emotion dysregulation, complex PTSD, and culturally responsive interventions with Asian American communities.

Neiva Teka (she/her): Neiva Teka is a first-year clinical Psy.D. student at GSAPP. She completed her B.A. in Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh and earned her M.A. in Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University. At Teachers College, she was a researcher at the Laboratory for Clinical and Developmental Studies, focusing on youth and developmental psychopathology. After graduating, she worked as a psychiatric counselor in the     behavioral health emergency department at MedStar Harbor Hospital in Baltimore. Currently, Neiva is continuing her training at DBT-RU. Her interests include emotion dysregulation, self-harm, and suicide among youth, and trauma-focused therapies.

Kierra Pean: Kierra Pean recently graduated with her Psy.D.in clinical psychology from GSAPP. She completed her B.A. at Rutgers University. Her dissertation focused on the potential benefits of DBT skills on adolescents diagnosed with ADHD. She currently works at Behavioral Science Institute, a practice founded by GSAPP alums. Her role at DBT-RU as a postdoctoral fellow involves supervising DBT groups and taking on some clinical cases. 

Nina Fernandez (they/them): Nina Fernandez is a third-year Clinical PsyD student at Rutgers University’s Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP). Nina received their B.S. in Psychology from Florida State University. After graduating, they worked as a clinical research assistant at the Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center at the Institute of Living, affiliated with Hartford Hospital in Hartford, CT. At Rutgers, Nina has provided clinical services through the Center for Youth Social and Emotional Wellness (CYSEW) and the Children and Families Healing After Trauma (CHAT) Clinic. Currently, Nina is focused on becoming a skillful and effective clinician by providing clinical services at GSAPP’s Center for Psychological Services (CPS) and DBT-RU. Their clinical and research interests include emotion dysregulation, complex PTSD, trauma, substance use disorders, and providing trauma-informed and culturally responsive interventions to marginalized communities.

Eliana Kaplan (she/her): Eliana Kaplan is a second-year clinical Psy.D. student at GSAPP. She received her B.A. from Pomona College and her master’s in social work from Boston University. After completing her undergraduate studies, Eliana worked at McLean Hospital's residential program for adults with borderline personality disorder and other significant personality pathology, and later as a clinical social worker in its short-term psychiatric residential program for children and adolescents. Her clinical interests include cognitive-behavioral and psychodynamic treatment of personality disorders, emotion dysregulation and interpersonal sensitivity in children and adolescents, and improving access to evidence-based care for individuals with complex mental health challenges.

Serena Moghaddas (she/her): Serena Moghaddas is a second-year clinical Psy.D. student at GSAPP. She received her B.A. in Psychology from Rutgers - The State University of New Jersey. Upon graduation, she worked as a Clinical Research Coordinator at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she examined short-term risk factors for suicide and self-injury among adolescents who were recently discharged. Previously a clinician at Rutgers’ Counseling, Alcohol and Other Drug Assistance Program & Psychiatric Services (CAPS), Serena now works at DBT-RU. Her clinical interests include suicide and self-harm, personality psychopathology, and eating disorders among LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities, as well as expanding access to evidence-based and affordable treatment to marginalized communities.