WRAP’s Research Program

The Psychosis Research Group at Boston Medical Center (BMC)/Boston University (BU) Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

WRAP’s Research Program is comprised of a multidisciplinary team of psychosis researchers dedicated to helping our patients lead meaningful, productive lives. Following the mission of BMC, the WRAP team is committed to serving vulnerable populations by providing accessible, integrated care to all patients in our community. Our evidence-based clinical care informs our research priorities. Our research is conducted with the goal of optimizing treatment, improving physical and mental health, and reducing disparities and inequities in access to specialty psychosis treatment for our patients.

Our team is engaged in collaborative work using multiple approaches, including clinical trials, qualitative, health services and epidemiological research. Additionally, we conduct studies focused on program development and evaluation.

WRAP researchBelow is more information about WRAP’s active studies, research team, recent publications, educational opportunities, & contact for research inquiries.

Active Studies:

An open-label extension study to assess the long-term safety and tolerability of adjunctive KarXT in subjects with inadequately controlled symptoms of schizophrenia

Bristol Myers Squibb (KAR-013)

Site PI: H. Brown

This is an industry-sponsored phase 3 study to assess the long-term safety and tolerability of adjunctive xanomeline-trospium (Cobenfy) in individuals with schizophrenia. For more information on the study, click here: KAR-013.

Empowering individuals with schizophrenia by promoting life longevity through nutrition education

Sidney R. Baer Jr. Foundation

PI: H. Brown

In partnership with Boston Medical Center’s Nourishing Our Communities program, this study is aimed at developing and evaluating a nutrition education and culinary skills program for individuals with first-episode psychosis.

Community engagement for young individuals with psychosis in Boston

MGH Community Health Impact Fund

PI: H. Brown

In partnership with the Boston Public Health Commission, this study is aimed at improving retention in first-episode psychosis (FEP) treatment and reducing dropout through (1) creation of a community advisory board and (2) hiring and training community health workers to join the FEP team.

 Exploring precipitating factors for treatment disengagement in early psychosis care: A qualitative study

NIH-NCATS (KL2TR001411)

PI: B. Gouse

The purpose of this study is to explore contributors to treatment disengagement among individuals with first-episode psychosis care through qualitative methods and analysis.

 Engagement and Outcomes of Wrap Without Walls, a Community-based Coordinated Specialty Care Program for Youth with Psychosis and Substance Use

Jack Satter Foundation

MPIs: A. Yule & H. Brown

This is an initial program evaluation study of Wrap Without Walls aimed at describing engagement and six-month outcomes of youth with substance use and psychosis who enrolled in the program. The study is also examining the feasibility and acceptability of interventions targeting substance use including contingency management and pro-social social outings. For more information, click here: WWW.

A scoping review of substance use treatment in early intervention programs for psychosis

Jack Satter Foundation, BU UROP

PI: A. Yule

This study is aimed at reviewing and synthesizing the existing literature on substance use treatment in early intervention programs for psychosis.

Advancing Coordinated Care through Epidemiologic Studies in Schizophrenia (ACCESS)

NIH-NCATS (KL2TR001411), Jack Satter Foundation, Kempf Foundation

MPIS: H. Brown & B. Gouse

The purpose of ACCESS is to use data from multiple sources to reduce barriers to evidence-based psychosis care and to improve outcomes in schizophrenia through precision medicine. For more information, click here: ACCESS.

Suicide in Early Psychosis: Sociodemographic and Clinical Risk and Protective Factors

American Psychiatric Association(APA)/APA Foundation

PI: B. Gouse

The purpose of this study is investigate trends in suicide in the first two years of psychotic illness and investigate predictors of suicide in a national US Cohort.

Neurobehavioral mechanisms of social isolation and loneliness in serious mental illness

NIMH R01MH12765, MPIs: Holt & Fulford [MGH]

Site PI: H. Brown

This study is aimed at evaluating neural and behavioral mechanisms driving social isolation and loneliness among individuals with serious mental illness. For more information on the study, click here: BLIS.

Selective Antipsychotic Response to Clozapine in B-SNIP Biotype-1 (Clozapine)

NIMH R01MH124813, PI: Tamminga [UT Southwestern Medical Center]

Site PI: H. Brown

This study is aimed at evaluating whether certain groups of individuals have different responses to antipsychotic medications (clozapine and risperidone). For more information on the study, click here: BSNIP.

Meet the Research Team:

Leadership and Investigators

Hannah Brown, MD is the Director of the WRAP Program, Vice Chair of Research of the Division of Psychiatry at BMC, and Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine. She earned her MD from Harvard Medical School, completed residency training in adult psychiatry, and completed a Fellowship in Schizophrenia at Massachusetts General Hospital. She has served as PI for multiple clinical and translational research studies across MGH and BMC. She has published over 40 peer reviewed articles, book chapters, and invited commentaries on schizophrenia. She has mentored multiple medical students, residents, fellows, and early faculty members, including K award and other grant recipients. She has been recognized for her work, including the 2020 James T. Chengelis Humanism Award from the Psychiatry Residents, 2021 Excellence in Mentorship Award from the Department of Psychiatry at BMC, and along with Dr. Brittany Gouse, the 2025 American Psychiatric Association Kempf Fund Award for Research Development in Psychobiological Psychiatry, awarded to a mentor/mentee pair.

Julia Browne, PhD is the WRAP Research Director. She received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, completed her clinical internship at Yale University School of Medicine, and completed postdoctoral fellowships in early psychosis at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School and in geriatrics at the Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center (GRECC) at the Durham VA Healthcare System. Her research program, which is primarily focused on developing and evaluating health-promoting interventions (e.g., exercise) for young, middle-aged and older adults with psychosis, has been supported by institutional and federal grants (NIH/VA) and disseminated in more than 70 peer-reviewed publications.

David Henderson, MD  is the Psychiatrist-in-Chief, Division of Psychiatry, at BMC and Professor and Chair, Department of Psychiatry, at Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine. Dr. Henderson serves as Co-Director of the NIMH T32 MGH-BUSM Global Mental Health Clinical Research Fellowship. He has worked internationally for the past 20 years in resource-limited settings, and areas impacted by mass violence, disasters and complex emergencies. Dr. Henderson has conducted global research and training programs. In the United States, he has conducted more than 30 randomized clinical trials in severely mentally ill populations. Dr. Henderson has also directed a schizophrenia research training fellowship, and mentored trainees and junior faculty who have progressed to K awards and secured other independent funding.

Amy Yule MD is the Vice Chair of Addiction Psychiatry at Boston Medical Center and an Associate Professor at the Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine at Boston University. Dr. Yule received her undergraduate degree from the University of California San Diego. She attended the David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California Los Angeles. Dr. Yule completed her adult and child psychiatry training at Massachusetts General Hospital and McLean Hospital. Her research is focused on examining interventions to prevent substance use disorders in youth with psychiatric disorders and reduce harm associated with substance use, including substance induced psychosis. She is also focused on evaluating treatments for individuals with co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders including medication for youth with bipolar disorder, community-based treatment for youth with psychosis, and insurance-based time limited care management programs.

Brittany Gouse’s MD MPH  is a clinical epidemiologist, the Assistant Director of WRAP, and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at BU Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. She received her dual MD-MPH Degree from SUNY Upstate School of Medicine / Syracuse University Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs. She completed her clinical training at BU / Boston Medical Center,  where she specialized in schizophrenia through her Fellowship in Public Psychiatry. Broadly, her research focuses on barriers to psychosis care and drivers of morbidity and premature mortality in schizophrenia. Honors include a BU CTSI KL2 Career Development Award (2023–2025), APA Research Fellowship (2023–2025), and the 2025 APA Kempf Award for Achievement in Schizophrenia Research as a mentee (mentor: Dr. Brown).

Janice Weinberg ScD is a Professor of Biostatistics at the Boston University School of Public Health and the Director of the Master of Science in Clinical Research (MSCR) program at the Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine. In WRAP, she provides statistical expertise for epidemiologic and health services studies as well as intervention development and clinical trials. She has taught many courses in the department of Biostatistics including the Design and Conduct of Clinical Trials, Intermediate Statistical Computing and Applied Regression Analysis,  Analysis of Correlated Data and Analysis of Clinical Trials. Dr. Weinberg was a biostatistical consultant for the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI), the lead statistical editor for the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA) and a statistical reviewer for the Boston University Institutional Review Board (IRB) during her time at Boston University.

Bediha Ipekci, PhD is a licensed psychologist and Assistant professor of Psychiatry at Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine & BMC. She is also a MILO trainer. She completed her Ph.D. at the University of Massachusetts Boston, her doctoral internship at BMC’s Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology, and a post-doctoral fellowship on complex PTSD and psychosis at BMC. Dr. Ipekci’s research and clinical expertise are in early intervention in psychosis, trauma, and refugee mental health.

Danielle Walker, PhD, NP is a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner in WRAP with years of experience working with diverse populations in various settings. She currently provides medication management for individuals who experience psychosis in the WRAP Clozapine and Injection Clinics. In addition to the services in WRAP, Danielle also provides medication management within the general outpatient psychiatry department. Her research interests include examining the impact of violence exposure in young adults, especially in those who experience psychosis.

Jessica Lewczyk, NP is a psychiatric nurse practitioner in WRAP with years of diverse experience. She currently provides medication management for individuals of all ages who experience psychosis, with particular interest in first-episode care. She also directs the WRAP Clozapine and Injection Clinic services. Her research interests include disparities in first-episode psychosis care and outcomes, psychosis and gender diverse individuals, impacts and experiences of racism in psychosis. In addition to her work the with WRAP program, Jessica is involved in the Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery, providing care for transgender, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming individuals.

Samantha LaMartine, PsyD  is the Director of Psychological Services in WRAP and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine. She obtained her doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the University of La Verne, completed her American Psychological Association accredited pre-doctoral internship at the Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology, and completed her postdoctoral training at Boston University-Boston Medical Center. With a specialization in treating individuals living with schizophrenia and other severe mental illnesses, as well as mood and trauma disorders, Dr. LaMartine currently practices in WRAP and Integrative Behavioral Healthcare at Boston Medical Center. Dr. LaMartine’s research primarily focuses on schizophrenia spectrum disorders, with an emphasis on addressing mental health disparities and enhancing access to care for Black people and communities of color. Dr. LaMartine is also dedicated to exploring the experiences of violence among minoritized and marginalized groups, aiming to foster more equitable mental health care and support.

Research Staff, Students, and Postdoctoral Fellows:

Aga Bereznicka, MPH is an Addiction Psychiatry Project Manager working across the Department of Psychiatry and the Grayken Center for Addiction at Boston Medical Center. She completed her Masters of Public Health with concentrations in program management as well as mental health and substance use at the Boston University School of Public Health, and is passionate about lowering barriers to care for those seeking substance use and mental health treatment. Within her work with the WRAP Without Walls (WWW) Program, she oversees the contingency management (“rewards program”) component, manages data collection efforts, provides programmatic support, as well as supervises early career staff and student interns. Outside of the WWW program, she provides operational support to several other clinical programs related to substance use care, and is involved with many quality improvement and educational initiatives within both departments.

Amelia Blanton, BS is WRAP’s clinical research coordinator. She received her BS in Psychology and English Literature at Florida State University. In WRAP, Amelia coordinates clinical trials and epidemiology studies. She ultimately plans to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology, focusing on interventions to improve emotion regulation processes.

Morgan Ellis, MHS is the WRAP Without Walls Program’s Research Assistant II. She received her Master’s in Health Science from Meharry Medical College. In WWW, Morgan coordinates care for patients and assists with other research projects. She ultimately plans to go to medical school to become a primary care physician.

Aviva Geiger Schwarz, MPH is the WRAP Research Data Analyst within Boston Medical Center’s Department of Psychiatry, where her work focuses on harnessing real world evidence to gain insight into health outcomes and healthcare barriers among patients experiencing a first episode of psychosis. She received her Master’s degree from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and began her career as a public health epidemiologist and research data consultant for the NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene. She later joined the research staff at the Boston University School of Public Health, where she led data management and analysis for a 5-year NIH-funded randomized controlled trial of a community empowerment intervention to address obesity risk among Boston area youths.

Keerthana Karthik is the WRAP Research Program Co-op and a current undergraduate student at Northeastern University, where she is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Behavioral Neuroscience. In her role with WRAP, Keerthana supports with clinical trials and contributes to other research studies within the program. After graduation, she plans to attend medical school and ultimately pursue a career in psychiatry.

Evan Myers, PhD is a postdoctoral fellow in WRAP. He received his PhD in Clinical Psychology from Indiana University Indianapolis and completed his clinical internship at VA Connecticut – West Haven. His research interests include metacognition, disorganization, and self-stigma in psychosis.

Haniya Rizwan is a research assistant in the WRAP Program. She is currently a third year Behavioral Neuroscience major at Northeastern University. In WRAP, she supports clinical trials and the FEP data repository. In the future, she plans to pursue a career as a physician with special interests in emergency medicine, surgery, and psychiatry.

Recent Selected Publications from the WRAP Team:

    1. Boliver, E. E., Gouse, B. M., Baul, T. D., Agarwal, N., Blanton, A. C., Lancet, J., … & Brown, H. E. (2025). Prolonged length of stay among individuals presenting to the emergency department with psychosis: Associations with sociodemographic and visit-level Journal of Psychiatric Research, 182, 391-397.    Click to read!
    2. Freibott, C. E., Jayasinghe, T., Reagan, E., Perez, D. C., Berrigan, A., Kline, E., … & Yule, A. M. (2025). Falling through the cracks: Perspectives from local leaders on substance use and psychosis treatment for youth. Journal of Dual Diagnosis, 21(2), 99-108. Click to read!
    3. Browne, J., Wu, W. C., Jiang, L., Bayer, T. A., Kunicki, Z. J., Thompson, M., … & Rudolph, J. L. (2025). Weight loss in Veterans with schizophrenia and multimorbidity prescribed semaglutide: Results from a national retrospective cohort study. Schizophrenia Bulletin, sbaf143. Click to read!
    4. Gouse, B. M., Weinberg, J. M., & Brown, H. E. (2024). Risk stratification to reduce excess mortality in early psychosis. JAMA Network Open, 7(3), e240623-e240623. Click to read!
    5. Ipekci, B., Thibeau, H., Barnard, E., Keshavan, M. S., Bye, A. V., & Kline, E. R. (2024). First episode psychosis caregiver perspectives on motivational interviewing for loved ones training: A qualitative study. Early intervention in psychiatry, 18(7), 553-560. Click to read!

    Training Opportunities within WRAP:

    We regularly host students from BU and Northeastern undergraduate programs, BU Master of Public Health, BU Master of Clinical Research, BU Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine for elective and/or practicum experiences. We also offer a psychology postdoctoral fellowship and a PGY-4 or PGY-5  Schizophrenia Fellowship. We believe strongly that diversity – both in backgrounds and experiences – strengthens the impact of our work and is an asset to our team. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and identities.

    We regularly host students from BU and Northeastern undergraduate programs, BU Master of Public Health, BU Master of Clinical Research, BU Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine for elective and/or practicum experiences. We also offer a (PsyD or PhD in Psychology) postdoctorate fellowship and a PGY-4 or PGY-5  Schizophrenia Fellowship [both positions filled for 2024-2025 AY]. We believe strongly that diversity – both in backgrounds and experiences – strengthens the impact of our work and is an asset to our team. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and identities.

    Contact:

    For general research inquiries, please contact Amelia.blanton@bmc.org.

    For more information about our training programs contact: Julia.browne@bmc.org.

    To learn more about all of the clinical services we offer, please visit our BMC Clinical page: https://www.bmc.org/wrap.