A collaborative research program between NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medicine, and Columbia University Medical Center
Our Team
Meet the CADB Medicine Research Program
Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele, MD
Principal Investigator
Murphy Professor of Psychiatry
Area Leader / Division Director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI) Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University
Adjunct Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College
Dr. Veenstra-VanderWeele is a child and adolescent psychiatrist and translational neuroscientist who uses molecular and clinical neuroscience research tools in the pursuit of new treatments for autism spectrum disorder and pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder. The Veenstra-VanderWeele laboratory at Columbia University and NYSPI focuses on key developmental processes underlying social function or repetitive behavior using genetic mouse models as an experimental system. The CADB Medicine Research Program at the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital Center for Autism and the Developing Brain (CADB) studies potential treatments for autism spectrum disorder and related genetic disorders. His long-term goal is to be able to develop novel approaches in the molecular laboratory that can then be tested in the clinic. Dr. Veenstra-VanderWeele’s work has been recognized with multiple awards, including the 2017 Blanche Ittelson Award for Research in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry from the American Psychiatric Association. He is dedicated to helping train and develop the next generation of clinicians and scientists who can improve ourunderstanding of childhood developmental and neuropsychiatric conditions and deliver new treatments.
CADB Medicine Research Program Alumni
See what former members of our team have been up to!
Lauren Shuffrey, PhD
Lauren C. Shuffrey, PhD, is an alumni of the CADB Medicine Research Program where she worked on randomized controlled trials for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder as a graduate student. Dr. Shuffrey received her PhD at Columbia University and went on to complete the NIMH T32 Postdoctoral Fellowship for Translational Research in Child Psychiatric Disorders at CUMC and NYSPI. Dr. Shuffrey is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Division of Developmental Neuroscience in the Parent-Infant Fellowship Program at CUMC under the mentorship of Dr. William Fifer. As a developmental psychologist and neuroscientist by training, Dr. Shuffrey’s research is focused on identifying perinatal maternal and environmental risk factors and potential non-invasive markers associated with neurodevelopmental disorders.
Kelly McGuire, MD, MPA
Dr. McGuire is an alumni of the CADB Medicine Research program. She served as Medical Director of the Center for Autism and the Developing Brain (CADB) Medicine Research Program, Assistant Medical Director of clinical psychiatry at CADB, and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC). Dr. McGuire now serves as Medical Director of Psychiatry for Emblem Health.
Elizabeth Aaron, BA
Elizabeth Aaron is an alumni of the CADB Medicine Research Program, where she worked as a research assistant for 2.5 years. She served as project coordinator for the FX-Learn clinical trial and the Autism Biorepository and assisted with the SOARS-B and aV1ation clinical trials. Prior to working at the CADB Medicine Research Program, Elizabeth received her BA in psychology from Skidmore College. Elizabeth is now pursuing a PhD in clinical psychology from Miami University of Ohio.
Micah Davoren, BA
Micah Davoren received her from BA in psychology from Haverford College with a minor in education. She completed an undergraduate research thesis examining attachment style and the therapeutic alliance as predictors of treatment outcome for social anxiety disorder. As a research assistant for the CADB Medicine Research Program, she worked on clinical trials for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and Fragile X syndrome. Micah is currently enrolled in a PsyD program at Roosevelt University,
Miranda Zuniga-Kennedy, BA
Miranda Zuniga-Kennedy is an alumni of the CADB Medicine Research Program, where she worked as a research assistant conducting phase ll clinical trials for adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder for 2.5 years. She graduated from SUNY Binghamton University with a BA in psychology and English literature. Miranda is now pursuing a PhD in clinical psychology with a concentration in neuropsychology at Washington State University.
