The Berenbaum Lab
Sex and gender matter
Lab Members
Sheri Berenbaum
Primary Investigator
Sheri Berenbaum is a Professor of Psychology and Pediatrics at the Pennsylvania State University, and a member of the Penn State Neuroscience Institute. Her research focuses on the development of individual differences in cognition and social behavior from neuroscience and genetics perspectives. She is particularly interested in gender development. Her primary work concerns the effects of prenatal and pubertal sex hormones on the development of sex typed behaviors, and how these effects are mediated directly by the brain and indirectly through the social environment.
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Kristina Bryk
Lab Coordinator
Kristina has been the lab coordinator and a critical part of the research team in the Berenbaum Lab for many years. She has lead data collection and analyses for most of our studies including iSIBs, T2T, and the longitudinal study of individuals with CAH; she remains the point of contact for our wonderful participants. In 1998, she received her Masters Degree in Social Work from Loyola University of Chicago. Kristina is currently a School Psychologist in addition to her many contributions to the lab.
Emily Reitz
Post-Baccalaureate Researcher
Emily Reitz has been an assistant in the Berenbaum Lab since 2015. She has Bachelor's degrees in Psychology and English from Penn State. Her research interests include the development of sexual orientation, gender identity, and occupational interests.
Lab Alumni
Tim Groh
Tim graduated from Penn State and was an assistant for the Berenbaum Lab for three years. He is currently attending the Penn State College of Medicine.
Adriene Beltz
http://sites.lsa.umich.edu/abeltz-lab
Adriene worked in the lab during graduate school. She was trained in Developmental Psychology and completed the specialization in Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. She received her PhD in 2014, and continued on to complete post-doctoral work in quantitative methods,
Gabriel Servais
Gabriel worked in the lab as an undergraduate student while studying computer engineering. Currently, he is working as a systems engineer with a healthcare software company.
Lucas Saiter
https://www.saitertherapy.com
Lucas has an M.A. in Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness from NYU. He is currently working at NYC Therapy + Wellness as a psychotherapist and works with the LGBTQ+ community.
Liana Kreamer
Liana graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Psychology and a minor in Business. She is currently in a Ph.D. program at the University of North Carolina. Her main research interests include leadership development and the precedence of job satisfaction.
Gopika Lakshmanan
After graduating from Penn State, Gopika volunteered at Mount Nittany, then did post baccalaureate research at Indiana University which she completed this past May. Now, she is currently working as a medical scribe while she applies for medical school.
working with Dr. Peter Molenaar in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Penn State. In her research, Adriene uses advanced time-indexed data analysis approaches (e.g., growth curve models and network connectivity) to provide novel insights into the ways that the brain mediates the interplay of biological (particularly prenatal and pubertal sex hormones) and experiential influences on behaviors that typically show sex differences. She has contributed to many aspects of lab work, including iSIBs, T2T, and the longitudinal study of individuals with CAH; she also initiated and led studies on effects of pubertal timing and oral contraceptive use. Adriene is currently an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan where she investigates sex differences across development, with an emphasis on quantitative methods.​
Former Lab Assistants
Hossam Abdou
Peter Arsenault
Sarah Barcousky
Pearla Baten
Liz Beckerman
Becky Brooker
Esra Camci
Todd Cly
Mike Cook
Jessie Cooperstein
Matthew DiDonato
Joyce Endendijk
Cassie Eng
Brad Fesi
Courtney Gallen
Erin Gladstone
Carla Golden
Brendan Hunt
Priya Joshi
Amy Kaplan
Colleen Landy
Matt Lum
Erin Marshall
Darina Nuri
Xiaofan Pan
Erica Pawlo
Katie Peters
Rebecca Puthumana
Cathy Ravago
Tyler Richards
Madeline Roche
Savannah Salinas
Sheridan Janelle
Cassandra Spengler
Linsey Stiffler
Amanda White
Rachel Witzowski
Dora Zhang