People

Lab Director

Dr. Sarah Edmunds

Dr. Sarah Edmunds is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of South Carolina. She received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Washington and completed her predoctoral internship at Duke University Medical Center and postdoctoral fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital. She is glad to be back in the south, where she grew up. At USC, Dr. Edmunds is a member of the CAN autism excellence initiative. She is also a member of the RISE research network’s implementation science team. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, reading, theatre, and cooking for her friends. She can be reached at [email protected].
Find her current CV here: edmunds_cv_website.pdf

Graduate Students

Alayna graduated from Ohio State University with her bachelor’s degree in Psychology in May of 2017. Before starting at USC, Alayna worked at Ohio State University Nisonger Center for the Families and Early Intervention Research Lab. She is currently pursuing her PhD in School Psychology at USC and is interested in understanding early social-emotional communication in young autistic children and implementation of Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions within community settings. In her free time, Alayna loves to explore coffee shops and play with her dog!

Maya received her master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and ABA from Nova Southeastern University. At that time, she also served as an ESE teacher at a preschool for Autistic children. Most recently, Maya was a research coordinator with the Summer Treatment Program working with children with ADHD. Maya is interested in Autism and co-occurring conditions and how mental/emotional health services are integrated into community settings. In her free time Maya enjoys reading, crafting, and live music.

Quentin graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a psychology major and a history minor. He is interested in studying barriers and facilitators to inclusive classroom settings for autistic youth. In his free time, he enjoys learning how to play the bass and running long distance!

Undergraduate Research Assistants

Gracie is currently a Junior in the Honors College at the University of South Carolina. She is majoring in Psychology (BA) and minoring in Criminal Justice and Spanish. In the future, she hopes to obtain her Ph.D. or Psy.D. and become a clinical psychologist and work with children.

Sarai is a senior in the Honors College at the University of South Carolina, pursuing an interdisciplinary degree in Neurodevelopment and Family Studies. She is passionate about autism psychoeducation and science communication. Sarai is Autistic and is actively involved in her community as a therapy dog handler, direct support worker, Delta Alpha Pi president, and children's advocate. Her career goal is to become a children's counselor, with a focus on how parents and children engage with school and community systems. In her free time, Sarai enjoys spending time in the mountains, collecting specialty teas, and painting intricate circles on tiny canvases.

Zoe is a junior at the University of South Carolina majoring in Psychology (BA) with a minor in Counseling. With passions for understanding dissociative disorders, ASD, and ADHD, they hope to achieve a Ph.D. in clinical psychology so they can conduct further research in these areas and bring awareness to the misconceptions about these disorders!

Rani is currently a sophomore at the University of South Carolina. She is double majoring in Psychology and English with a minor in Women and Gender Studies. In the future, she hopes to obtain her Ph.D. or Psy.D. and become a clinical psychologist.

Addison Tallmadge is currently a Sophomore at the University of South Carolina. She is majoring in Psychology (BA) with a minor in Advertising and Public Relations. In the future, she plans to achieve her Ph.D in Clinical Psychology. She is passionate about Developmental Psychology and working with kids and is hopeful to work in that area one day in Clinical Psychology.

Archer is Sarai's medical alert service dog and also serves as a therapy dog for children through Pet Partners. He assists Sarai by alerting her to low blood pressure and is often found receiving pets and hugs from children who are having a tough day or learning to read. When he's not working, Archer can be found napping with lab mates and through classes.

Geel Patana is currently a sophomore majoring in Psychology and minoring in Counselor Education. She loves being outdoors, being in the mountains, hiking, going on road trips and watching horror movies! She aspires to become a a clinical psychologist serving vulnerable adults and children. Her desire to become a clinical psychologist became stronger through her experience as a volunteer in centers for those with severe disabilities. She believes that our community is in need for more people with a passion to encourage and support those who can’t do it for themselves.

Lennon Hunt is an undergraduate student at the University of South Carolina studying neuroscience with a concentration in Neurodevelopment and Neurodevelopmental Disorders. He originally enrolled at Carolina to study electrical engineering but realized his real passions lie in neuroscience and helping others who are neurodivergent, after receiving an ADHD diagnosis in 2023. Hunt is hoping to use his degree to help those with conditions like ADHD understand themselves and navigate being neurodivergent with practical tools and strategies in a society that is geared towards neurotypical people. He is also a huge nerd that loves music, Dungeons and Dragons, anything fantasy, and spending hours researching hypothetical questions for fun. He is super excited to be a part of COLAB, and to explore the opportunities that come with research!

Alex is a junior at the University of South Carolina majoring in Public Health with a minor in Medical Humanities and Culture. She is actively working on her goal of medical school to become a Neurologist. Alex hopes to impact the perception and treatment of disabilities in health care by learning from the social model of disability COLAB uses.

Alumni: Research Staff

Katie Rowland was a Research Coordinator with COLAB from 2022-2024. She graduated from the University of South Carolina in December 2021 with a double major in Psychology and English. Her research interests include studying the etiology of emotion regulation and increasing the accessibility of intervention and supports for autistic children and teens. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, working with Dr. Laura Klinger.

Alumni: Undergraduate Students

Laney Hankins
Kendall Dinkins
Kynslea Philcox
Tatum
Emily Thomas