Elena worked as Dr. Baller’s clinical research coordinator and led participant recruitment, data collection, and data management across studies. Elena graduated with a BA in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience and a minor in Law, Justice, and Social Change from the University of Michigan. There, she researched the neural circuitry that underlies maladaptive behaviors, focusing specifically on the neurochemical profile of the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus. Elena is interested in elucidating how structural and biological alterations in the brain confer risk for cognitive dysfunction and psychiatric symptoms. Elena is now at Johns Hopkins completing their Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Program. In the future, she plans on attending medical school with a research track.