Dr. Angela Scarpa's
P.A.N.D.A. Lab
The PANDA Lab Team
Angela Scarpa, Ph.D.
(she/her/hers)
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Dr. Scarpa received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Southern California in 1993. She is currently a Professor of Psychology at Virginia Tech, Founder and Director of the Virginia Tech Autism Clinic & Center for Autism Research. She is a licensed clinical psychologist with specialized training in individual and group behavioral and cognitive-behavioral therapy for children, families, and adults. Before coming to Virginia Tech, she held faculty positions at the University of Georgia and Eastern Washington University and obtained postdoctoral training at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Her general interest is in child and adolescent mental health, with over 30 years of experience in the study of developmental psychopathology. Currently, her work is focused on children, adolescents, and young adults on the autism spectrum. She is generally interested in emotional and social development in autism, including the intersection of both biological and socializing influences. She is also interested in evidence-based and neurodiversity-affirming services, improving access to care for underserved populations, and other factors that impact emotions and wellbeing.
Jennifer Bertollo, Ph.D.
(she/her/hers)
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Jennifer recently completed her internship at the Virginia Treatment Center for Children at VCU and is now a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Children's National Hospital. Jennifer completed her undergraduate work at Binghamton University and then worked as a clinical research assistant at the Center for Autism Research at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia before coming to Virginia Tech. Her research interests focus on interventions for children with ASD that maximize parent and sibling involvement, and she is particularly interested in understanding and overcoming barriers to access-to-care for families in diverse and low-resource communities.
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Liz DeLucia, M.S.
(she/her/hers)
Liz is currently completing her internship at the Yale Child Study Center. She grew up in Connecticut and attended college at the University of Notre Dame, where she studied psychology and economics. During college, she developed a passion for working with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families. After graduation, Liz spent two years as a post-graduate research fellow at the Yale Child Study Center where she studied pivotal response treatment, a behavioral intervention for children with ASD. Liz is interested in studying access to evidence-based care for underserved populations with ASD. In her free time, Liz enjoys watching college football, trying out new recipes, and hiking.
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Megan Fok, M.S.​
(she/her/hers)
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Megan is currently completing her internship at the Priority Behavioral Health Psychology program at Rochester Institute of Technology. She completed her undergrad at Virginia Tech with a BS in Psychology and Human Development. After graduation, she moved to San Francisco to work in a lab focused on Autism in adulthood. Megan is broadly interested in understanding the lifespan perspective of developmental disorders but is specifically interested in capturing the experiences of adults with Autism and of their family members. While not in the lab, she enjoys doing yoga, traveling to new places, and binge watching Netflix. She is a Bay Area, CA native but has found a second home in Blacksburg, VA. Let's go, Hokies!
Dani Martino, M.A.
(she/her/hers)
Dani is a third-year PhD student in the Clinical Science program at VT. She grew up in Upstate New York and completed her BA/MA in Psychology at Iona University, where she was a member of the cross country and track teams. After graduating, Dani spent time in Tanzania, Africa as part of a team that disseminated a cost-effective mobile phone training on autism for educators. Before VT, Dani worked as a research coordinator at the Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research where she studied disparities in access to mental health care in NY State. Dani’s research interests are focused on improving the accessibility of autism knowledge and services using innovative care delivery models. Outside of the lab, Dani can be found exploring new running trails and searching for the perfect slice of vegan pizza.
Victoria Izaac, B.A.
Victoria is a third-year PhD student in the clinical science program at VT. She grew up in Texas and attended college at the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied psychology and English. After graduation, Victoria spent two years as a research coordinator at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston where she researched treatment methods in children with developmental disorders. Victoria is interested in research to increase access to care, particularly in populations with ASD. In her free time, Victoria can be found looking for a new recipe to try and a new hobby to get into.
Jen Scott, MPH (she/her/hers)
Jen is a proud graduate of Virginia Tech (Psychology and Family and Child Development, ’95) and received her Master of Public Health from Tulane University. Over the years, she has worked in both the non-profit and for-profit sectors, providing specialized services to a variety of populations. Her background includes Sign Language interpreting in the public school setting, recovery efforts in post-Katrina New Orleans, coordinating refugee mental and public health services in the Roanoke area, and ensuring appropriate disability accommodations for university students. She has been with the clinic and center since 2017. Her broad background has allowed her to develop a unique skill set with an understanding of how social disparities and cultural belief systems impact service access and provision. Support she provides is integrally tied to research projects conducted by VTCAR and services provided at VTAC and on board the MAC.
