Dr. Natasha (Tasha) Wade is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UC San Diego and licensed clinical Psychologist. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Neuropsychology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She completed her clinical internship at VA Puget Sound American Lake and her postdoctoral fellowship at UC San Diego. Dr. Wade has 15+ years of experience researching the relationship between substance use and brain-behavior relationships. She is also interested in mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental changes related to substance use, screen/phone use, improving measurement methods, and toxicology. She actively mentors individuals at all training levels, from undergrads through post-docs, including within the SDSU-UCSD Clinical Psychology Joint Doctoral Program (https://psychology.sdsu.edu/doctoral/clinical/) and the NIAAA-funded SDSU T32 (https://niaaa-t32.sdsu.edu/).

Personal Interests: time with family, Great British Bake Off, tasty food, and naps

Email address: nwade at health dot ucsd dot edu

Veronica graduated with a B.S. in Psychology from Loyola University Chicago in 2018 and with her M.S. in Psychology from the University of Amsterdam in 2021. After she graduated, she worked as a Clinical Research Coordinator at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in an addiction psychiatry lab researching alcohol and opioid use disorders.

Veronica is currently a PhD student in the joint doctoral program at San Diego State University and UC San Diego and is working on the ABCD study in the Neuro D-Tox lab. Her research interests include the heterogeneity of individual trajectories of substance use disorders. She is also interested in the risk and resilience factors associated with substance use, as well as their effects on neurodevelopment and cognitive functioning in adolescents and young adults. Veronica intends to use a multi-method approach and utilize statistical modeling in her research.

Personal Interests: exploring San Diego, traveling, hiking, and practicing ballet 

I completed my Bachelor of Science in Clinical Psychology at UC San Diego in 2018. Following graduation, I worked as a research assistant and coordinator on various projects under Drs. Susan Tapert and Joanna Jacobus investigating the neurodevelopmental and cognitive effects of substance use, including the landmark ABCD Study. I am currently working with Dr. Wade on a study exploring cannabinoid concentrations in blood and hair samples as predictors of neurocognitive outcomes.

I am interested in further understanding the endocannabinoid system and its interactions with cognitive and emotional processes, particularly in adults using cannabis. More broadly, my interests span investigating the neurobiological changes across multiple substances, including cannabis, alcohol, and nicotine/tobacco products. Over the next year (2024-2025), I will launch a clinical trial under Drs. Kelly Courtney and Joanna Jacobus aimed to closely examine the effects of acute nicotine exposure in adults aged 18 or 19. 

I am a recent graduate from UCSD, where I received my Bachelors of Science in Clinical Psychology. After graduating, I became a research assistant for the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study, and a clinical trial analyzing the biological markers of nicotine craving with the use of virtual reality. I'm currently helping Dr. Wade with a project that analyzes the prevalence rates and cognitive impacts of exposure to secondhand cannabis smoke within adolescents.

I'm broadly interested in examining the interactions between substance use and adolescent mental health. In the future, I hope to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology in order to contribute to interventions for adolescents that are at risk of developing substance use disorders.

Personal interests: game shows, concerts, a good book, and time with loved ones. 

Hi! I'm Maddie, and I'm a research assistant working with the ABCD Study. I am currently conducting a systematic review examining associations between hair cannabinoids and clinical outcomes, including mental health, physical health, substance use, and cognitive trajectories. I earned my bachelor's degree from Purdue University and recently completed my Master’s in Clinical Psychological Science at the University of Maryland. I hope to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, with a focus on children and adolescents. 

I am currently pursuing my Bachelor of Science at UC San Diego. I am a research assistant working under Dr. Susan Tapert investigating the neurocognitive and developmental effects of substance use in the ABCD Study. I am currently working with Dr. Wade on a systematic review to synthesize existing papers on hair cannabinoids to understand how cannabis exposure is associated with mental health, physical health, substance use problems, and cognitive functioning. 

~1 Year of Research Experience in Clinical Data Collection (substance use, neurocognitive tasks, mental health assessment, biological specimen collection)

Current Research Projects: Cannabis Use Disorder and Withdrawal Symptoms in Women, Digital Hygiene Scale for Online Use

Personal Interests: Trauma and Motivation, Behavioral Addictions 

In 2021, I graduated from University of California, Irvine with a Bachelor of Science in Neurobiology and a minor in Psychological Sciences. Following graduation, I began working as a Research Assistant for the ABCD Study. Within a year I was promoted to Site Coordinator while simultaneously pursuing my Master's in Applied Life Science with an emphasis in Clinical Research at the Keck Graduate Institute. Shortly after graduating, I took on my current role as a Site Monitor for the ABCD Study Consortium. 

My current project with Dr. Wade focuses on the prevalence of second hand cannabis exposure in adolescents ages 11-17 and its impact on cognition. In the future, I hope to pursue a career in pediatric neurology while incorporating certified Spanish-language training to help provide comprehensive care to underserved Spanish-speaking communities.