Principle Investigators
Sean O’Sullivan, MD, PhD
Dr. O’Sullivan, M.D., Ph.D., is a physician-scientist with a deep passion for neuroscience and mental health. His journey began with an 8-year M.D./Ph.D. program at Thomas Jefferson University, where he specialized in systems neuroscience and high-dimensional data analysis. After completing his medical training, he joined Stanford University as a post-doctoral research fellow, where he led clinical trials on Stanford Accelerated Intelligent Neuromodulation Therapy (SAINT) for treatment-resistant depression. This experience sparked his interest in transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and its transformative potential for patients with severe mental health conditions. Currently, Dr. O’Sullivan is a PGY-3 psychiatry resident at the University of Texas at Austin, one of the few secondary sites approved for SAINT trials. He is the Principal Investigator of a clinical trial investigating SAINT in treatment-naive adolescents experiencing their first major depressive episode. Dr. O’Sullivan’s work has been published in leading journals, and he is actively pursuing grant funding to further expand TMS research. Throughout his career, Dr. O’Sullivan has remained dedicated to advancing psychiatric care through innovation, rigorous clinical trials, and groundbreaking neurotechnological approaches.
J. Michele LaGrone, MD, MBA
J. Michele LaGrone, M.D., is a board-certified pediatric psychiatrist in UT Health Austin Pediatric Psychiatry at Dell Children’s, a clinical partnership between Dell Children’s Medical Center and UT Health Austin. She specializes in treating psychiatric issues, such as anxiety, attention, behavioral, and major depressive disorders, in children and adolescents. Additionally, Dr. LaGrone is an assistant professor in the Dell Medical School Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Dr. LaGrone earned her bachelor’s degree in Plan II Honors at The University of Texas at Austin, her master’s degree in business administration at Rice University, and her medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine. She completed both an internship and residency in general psychiatry as well as a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. LaGrone is a preceptor for the Integrated Behavioral Health Scholars program and is active in mentoring advanced nurse practitioner students. She is a member of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the Texas Medical Association.
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellows
Dylan LeBlanc, MD
Dylan is interested in interventional and next-gen therapeutics in psychiatry, psychotherapy, integrated and rural care models and the effects of social media on mental health. He is a father, husband, outdoorsman, and lover of good food and live music. He aspires to make deep connections in unexpected places.
Derek Lanuto, MD
Psychiatry Residents
Manvi Mutyala, MD/MBA Candidate, incoming Psychiatry Resident
Cameron Shew, MD – Psychiatry Resident
Cameron Shew is a psychiatry resident at Dell Medical School. He earned his undergraduate degree in finance from the University of Texas at Austin before pursuing his medical degree at Dell Medical School, where he also completed a dual degree in Educational Psychology with a focus on human development and learning sciences. Prior to medical school, Cameron worked as a special education teacher in Baltimore, supporting students with emotional and intellectual disabilities. His clinical and research interests include child and adolescent psychiatry, clinical neuromodulation, autism spectrum disorder, and the impact of chronic illness on mental health. He looks forward to further exploring these areas throughout his residency training
Research Assistants
Daniella Santos, BS – Research Associate I
After finishing two associate degrees at the age of 18, Daniella graduated from UMHB in 2024 with a B.S. in Psychology and a minor in Chemistry at the youngest age of her class and honors. She is currently working on her M.S. in Clinical Neuroscience and aims to pursue medical school. She is interested in psychiatry and neuropsychiatry, and is especially interested in the effects of depression and trauma on nervous system regulation and the benefits of animals for domestic violence survivors. In her free time, she enjoys hiking with her dog, painting, and running.
Elyse Lemke, BS – Research Associate I
Elyse graduated from UCLA in 2024 with a degree in Psychobiology. Prior to joining the O’Sullivan Lab, she interned at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Neurocognition and Imaging Research Lab, where she studied the relationship between adolescent anxiety and stress response. She will begin graduate school at the University of California, Irvine in fall 2026, where she plans to pursue research in clinical neuroscience using neuroimaging techniques to better understand mechanisms underlying psychiatric disorders.
Austin Hermann – Medical Student
Dharsan Selvakumar – Medical Student
Dharsan is a first year medical student at Dell Medical School. He graduated with honors from UT Austin with degrees in Mathematics and Neuroscience, as well as a minor in Computer Science. He was a member of the Polymathic Scholars Honors Program, where he wrote his honors thesis on the ethics and applications of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). He is interested in neurology and psychiatry, specifically researching the effects of neuromodulation, psychedelics, and meditation on the mind and nervous system. He is pursuing a Masters in Biomedical Engineering in his third year, where he seeks to pursue research in neurotechnology. His hobbies include fitness, bouldering, hiking, and coffee.
Emma Ableman – Medical Student
Emma Ableman is an aspiring reproductive psychiatrist and rising fourth-year medical student at Dell Medical School, where she is completing a distinction in clinical research. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.S.A. in Nutritional Sciences and is a certified yoga teacher.
Her research spans childhood trauma, youth depression and suicide, and, more recently, perinatal mental health. In the O’Sullivan Lab, she has led qualitative work centered on patients’ experiences with TMS.
Emma is drawn to psychiatry for the breadth of the field, from integrative and lifestyle approaches to emerging interventions in neuromodulation and psychedelics. Her work is grounded in curiosity about people and what makes them well.
In her free time, she enjoys running, yoga, vegetarian cooking, and traveling.
Melvi Agolli – Medical Student
Melvi is a first-year medical student at the University of Texas at Austin interested in pursuing a residency in psychiatry, neurology, or internal medicine. In his undergraduate thesis, he worked on a preclinical model of gradual stress re-exposure to find patterns of behavioral and epigenetic changes underlying recovery from traumatic exposure. He is interested in understanding the complex biopsychosocial reasons underlying recovery from trauma or the development of neuropsychiatric conditions. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, cooking and baking, and fostering dogs.
Korynn Wolcott – Medical Student
Korynn Wolcott is a medical student at Dell Medical School and former high school math educator with a strong interest in adolescent development, mental health, and learning. She is pursuing a dual degree in Educational Psychology, focusing on human development and learning sciences. She plans to pursue a career in full scope family medicine, where she hopes to integrate her background in education with developmentally informed, patient-centered care across the lifespan.
Andrew Tang – Medical Student
Andrew Tang is a second-year medical student at Dell Medical School, planning to specialize in psychiatry. Before graduating, he also intends to pursue a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. He is particularly interested in child/adolescent psychiatry, psychotherapy, and medical education.
Joseph McGrath – Medical Student
Joe is second-year medical student at the University of Texas Dell Medical School interested in innovation in psychiatry, particularly novel psychopharmacology and neuromodulation. Joe graduated with honors from Stanford University with B.S. in Human Biology, concentrating in neuroscience and completing an undergraduate thesis titled “Exploring the Emotional and General Cognitive Effects of Acute Ketamine Administration”. Before medical school, he spent two years working in clinical psychiatric research studying Autism Spectrum Disorder at the Stanford School of Medicine, both as a clinical research coordinator and a behavioral therapist delivering pivotal response treatment.
Austin Hermann – Medical Student
Austin Herrmann is a medical student at Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin with a background in social work and addiction treatment. Before medical school, he worked with individuals affected by substance use disorders, which helped shape his interest in psychiatry and recovery-oriented mental health care. His clinical and research interests include clinical neuromodulation, psychedelic medicine, and expanding access to innovative psychiatric treatment. He is excited to contribute to TMS research and to continue exploring these areas throughout his medical training.
Anabelle Hazzard – Undergraduate Research Assistant
Anabelle is a fourth year undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Austin obtaining dual degrees in Plan II Honors and Psychology. She aims to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology in the future and is particularly interested in clinical intervention development, adolescent psychopathology, and family processes. After graduating in May, she will be joining the Pelham Lab as a staff research associate at UC San Diego.
Grant Marshall – Undergraduate Research Assistant
Grant is a 4th year undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Austin obtaining dual degrees in Plan II Honors and Psychology. Moving forward, he aims to attend medical school and pursue a residency in psychiatry. He is particularly interested in the applications of novel treatments like psychedelics and TMS in depression and PTSD.
Katarina Jakimier – Undergraduate Research Assistant
Katarina Jakimier is a double honors junior undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Austin, pursuing a B.S. in Psychology and a B.A. in Religious Studies, with a minor in Philosophy. On the pre-PhD track, her future research plans center on potential impacts of high childhood religiosity on neurological gene activation and subsequent increased risks for religious-based psychotic symptoms. Katarina is lead undergraduate research assistant at the Harden Psycho-Epigenetics lab at UT, and is very excited to be a part of the O’Sullivan clinical trial team. She has co-authored a paper published in Brain Sciences journal, and has had three co-authored posters accepted to country-wide psychology and neuroscience conferences. Katarina looks forward to a career working with adolescents in prodrome and first-episode psychosis in the clinical setting. In her free time, you can find her playing with her dog, taking a ballet class to keep up with her previous professional ballet career, or trying to find Austin’s best matcha.
Cailyn Cox, BS – Research Volunteer
Trinh Ha, MA – Research Volunteer
Trinh received her Master’s in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin, focusing on clinical child and adolescent psychology. She worked with Dr. Michael Telch in the Laboratory of Anxiety Disorders on projects applying principles of interoceptive exposure, trauma memory reconsolidation, and PTSD. She plans to pursue a career in clinical psychology and is interested in how psychopathology and environmental factors contribute to depression during childhood and its impact on neuroinflammation throughout one’s lifetime. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, baking, and playing the piano.