HNRP trainees showcase their work at the 2025 Lewis L. Judd symposium. The symposium is named after Lewis L. Judd, M.D. who served as the second Chair of the UC San Diego Department of Psychiatry from 1977-2014. Dr. Judd was passionate about educating the next generation of scholars and clinicians. He wished to create an environment where clinician scholars could interact with basic science trainees and faculty to enhance intellectual cross-fertilization. In this way, best practices in psychiatry and mental health were to be developed. To that end he fostered the development of a specific research training program for M.D.’s, Ph.D.’s, and M.D./Ph.D.’s, as well as research tracks in clinical training programs. To recognize the trainees, he inaugurated in 2005 a research symposium to provide a forum for our trainees to showcase their work and to receive feedback.

This annual research symposium has been an important feature in the academic life of the Department of Psychiatry ever since. In recognition of Dr. Judd’s foresight and passion for research education, this symposium was named in his honor in 2014.

The event showcases the research of faculty, trainees, and staff, and includes oral didactic presentations, a keynote speaker, and a poster session. The Symposium is designed to accomplish two important goals: to serve as a forum in which cutting edge research findings are disseminated to the Department and the larger scientific community, and to provide an opportunity for the Departmental community to celebrate the accomplishments of the developing scientists.

Mohammadsobhan S. Andalibi, MD - Plasma Microbiome Composition among Neurobehavioral Phenotypes (NBPs) in People with HIV (PWH)

Victoria O. Chentsova, MS - Chronology Counts: Investigating timing of first major depressive episode in people living with HIV

Tyler Dexter, PhD - Ecstasy (MDMA) increases choices for social rewards in mice – role for the mPFC?

Lilly Ham - Increased Apathy Relates to Reduced Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex to Subgenual Anterior Cingulate Cortex Functional Connectivity among People with HIV and History of Methamphetamine Use

Dafna Paltin, MS - A Community-Centered Research Collaborative to Support the Adoption of Long-Acting Injectable Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) 

Maximo Prescott - Self-reported everyday functioning among adults with HIV: Longitudinal associations with global neurocognitive functioning and depressive symptoms

Jake Rattigan - Driving under the influence of beliefs: Assessing the accuracy of cannabis users’ expectations of acute ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol effects with a high-fidelity driving simulator

Jeffrey M. Rogers, MS - Methamphetamine polysubstance in the United States: Prevalences, changes over time, and associations with United States demography

Mira Sur - Driving under the influence of cannabis (DUIC) and perceived effectiveness of law enforcement detection of DUIC

Laura Vilar-Ribó, PhD - Sex-Specific Genetic Architecture and Comorbidities of Alcohol Use Behaviors

Crystal X. Wang, PhD - Dietary markers of neurocognitive impairment in people with HIV

The 2025 conference theme was "Translational Science for Brain Health". This meeting aimed to address brain-based disorders and understand healthy cognitive functioning and also promote brain health to optimize brain functioning across cognitive emotional, behavioral, and motor domains in both healthy and clinical populations.

Wang CX, Ellis RJ, Cherner M, Moore DJ, Letendre SL, Iudicello JE.  Associations of the systemic immune-inflammation index with neurocognition and depression in people with HIV. International Neuropsychological Society annual meeting, 02-13-2025.
 
Chentsova VO, Marcotte TD, Iudicello JE, Atkinson JE, Grant I, Cherner M, HNRP Group, CMCR group.  Chronic cannabis exposure and domain-specific neuropsychological functioning in people with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). International Neuropsychological Society annual meeting, 02-13-2025.

Mastropietro KF, Rattigan JA, Paltin D, Umlauf A, Grelotti DJ, Fitzgerald RL, Grant I, Marcotte TD.  Does cannabis use impact driving performance when not acutely intoxicated? A study of 204 adults. International Neuropsychological Society annual meeting, 02-14-2025.

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Dr. Igor Grant celebrates with some HNRP trainees from the past three decades at the February, 2025 meeting of the International Neuropsychological Society (INS) in New Orleans. Pictured from left to right are: Tom Marcotte, David Moore, Lily Kamalyan, Lillian Ham, Igor Grant, Jennifer Manly, Crystal Wang, Mariana Cherner, Jennifer Iudicello, Jake Rattigan, and Victoria Chentsova.

Dr. David Moore has agreed to serve as the UC San Diego Co-Director of the SDSU/UCSD Joint Doctoral Program (JDP), effective July 1, 2025. He has a long-established commitment to the JDP with a 25+ year connection to the program in various roles as a student, alumnus, mentor, faculty member, UCSD Neuropsychology Track leader, and Steering Committee Member and Chair. These diverse experiences give him a unique perspective that will help him serve as the UC San Diego JDP Co-Director.

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