Faculty and Staff

Dr. Jafar Bakhshaie, a physician and licensed clinical health psychologist, with a specialization in Biostatistics, holds the position of Assistant Professor at Massachusetts General Hospital | Harvard Medical School. Dr. Bakhshaie has garnered recognition for his contributions, receiving the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) K23 Career Development Award, and prestigious Kaplen and Livingston Awards at Harvard Medical School.

His current work focuses on the development and testing of scalable technology-enhanced cost-effective, mind-body interventions that target both the physical and psychological aspects of chronic and acute medical conditions. With a multidisciplinary approach, his research spans various domains including orthopedics, pain medicine, physical medicine and rehabilitation, internal medicine, primary care settings and communities. He focuses on modifying transdiagnostic and process-based, cognitive-affective vulnerabilities that contribute to both physical and mental health conditions (e.g., emotion dysregulation as an underlying factor of co-morbid orthopedic pain and risky substance use). He is specifically interested in addressing the co-occurring issue of risky substance use as a self-medication strategy within the context of medical conditions. He is also dedicated to addressing the barriers that prevent health disparity populations, such as ethno-racial minorities with medical illnesses, from receiving appropriate psychosocial services. Dr. Bakhshaie contributions to the field of medicine and psychology are evident through his publication record, co-authoring over 150 peer-reviewed articles. He has presented at several scientific conferences across the United States and internationally with a widely recognized impact (2024 H-index = 30; Google Scholar profile)

Dr. Bakhshaie’s clinical interests lie in the application of “second” and “third” wave behavioral treatments such as acceptance and commitment therapy, self-compassion therapy, process-based therapy. These interventions target transdiagnostic risk factors of co-morbid physical and mental illness, and are delivered via telehealth to bridge health disparities. He currently serves as the Principal Investigator on a Web-based mind-body treatment development project to enhance resilience among patients with painful nontraumatic upper extremity conditions and comorbid risky substance use (TIRELESS: ToolkIt for REsilient Life bEyond pain and SubStance use). He also serves as project director and clinical supervisor for an NIH-funded, multi-site feasibility randomized controlled trial (RCT), involving a mind-body toolkit for promoting optimal recovery among patients with orthopedic injury and pain-catastrophizing (TOR: Toolkit for Optimal Recovery). In addition, Dr. Bakhshaie leads the biostatistics and health disparities initiatives at CHOIR, and provides clinical and research supervision to interns and postdoctoral fellows. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family, engaging in circuit training, and watching his favorite TV shows.

Dr. Jonathan Greenberg is a research staff psychologist at MGH CHOIR and Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School (HMS). He completed his postdoctoral fellowship at CHOIR at MGH/HMS. Dr. Greenberg’s research primarily focuses on developing and testing mind-body and mindfulness-based interventions for various clinical populations, with an emphasis on chronic musculoskeletal pain, orofacial pain, and mild traumatic brain injury. Dr. Greenberg is the recipient of the HMS Kaplen Fellowship on Depression and the HMS Livingston Fellowship Award. Dr. Greenberg received a Mentored Career Development Award (K23) from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) to develop a live-video mind-body intervention to prevent chronic post-concussion symptoms in individuals with mTBI and co-morbid anxiety. He also co-leads (as MPI) 2 grants with Dr. Vranceanu. One is an R01 grant from NCCIH aiming to establish the feasibility of a mind-body and activity program for chronic pain in three different locations: Massachusetts General Hospital, Duke University, & Rush University. The other is an R21 from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), developing a web-based platform to reduce emotional distress and pain-related activity limitations in individuals with chronic orofacial pain. Dr. Greenberg has personally been involved in mindfulness practice since 2003. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family and attending live music concerts.

Dr. Giraldo-Santiago is a bilingual and bicultural licensed social worker and research staff member at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Center for Health Outcomes and Interdisciplinary Research (CHOIR). After completing two years of post-doctoral training at MGH, she was recently appointed as an instructor at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and selected as a 2024-2025 Mass-ENVISION RCMAR scientist, funded by the Resource Centers for Minority Aging Research (RCMAR) and the National Institute on Aging. Most recently, Dr. Giraldo-Santiago received funding from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) through a diversity supplement mechanism to culturally and linguistically tailor a mind-body and activity-based intervention for Latinx and Spanish-speaking adults with chronic pain in an underserved community clinic.

Dr. Victoria Grunberg is a clinical psychologist and Assistant Professor at MGH/HMS. She completed her PhD in clinical psychology (foci in health and neuropsychology) at Drexel University; predoctoral internship at CHOIR; and postdoctoral training as part of a T32 fellowship at MGH (Translational Neuroscience Training for Clinicians). Dr. Grunberg’s research aims to improve biopsychosocial outcomes for families coping with stressful reproductive life events and critical care illness. She received a K23 from NICHD to develop a dyadic, resiliency intervention for parents with babies in neonatal intensive care.

Dr. Kate Jochimsen (she/her) is a researcher at MGH CHOIR and a Member of the Faculty at Harvard Medical School. Prior to joining CHOIR, she was an Assistant Professor and the Director of Research for the Division of Athletic Training in the School of Medicine at West Virginia University. Dr. Jochimsen completed her MS in athletic training at Florida International University, her PhD in rehabilitation sciences at the University of Kentucky, and postdoctoral training in biomechanics at The Ohio State University. She is a licensed athletic trainer with over 10 years of clinical experience working with high school, Division I collegiate, and recreational athletes. Her clinical specialty is the evaluation and rehabilitation of hip and groin injuries. The goal of her research is to advance psychologically informed rehabilitation by developing and implementing effective mind-body and movement-based interventions to optimize clinical outcomes and improve well-being for patients with musculoskeletal pain. To accomplish this, she uses the biopsychosocial model to integrate patients’ response to injury and pain coping skills with measures of joint health and movement to understand short- and long-term clinical outcomes. Dr. Jochimsen was awarded an NCCIH K23 award to develop a psychological skills intervention to increase physical activity for patients with chronic non-arthritic pain. Her previous work has been funded by the West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute and the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine. In her free time, she enjoys live music, reading, and being in the mountains – hiking, backpacking and trail running with her family and dog.

Dr. Ethan Lester is a clinical psychologist and Assistant Director of Clinical Operations at CHOIR. He completed his predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowships within CHOIR (formerly known as IBHCRP) at MGH/HMS (2018-2020). Dr. Lester conducts research in areas of mindfulness, third-wave behavioral therapy, staff wellness, neurocritical care (MGH Heitman Fellow; funded), and neurofibromatosis (NF; NF-Web”; funded by NF Northeast, NF Midwest, TNFF, and CTF). Clinically, Dr. Lester works as an embedded clinical psychologist at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Stroke Inpatient Service, where he delivers bedside care to patients and families, as well as staff support. His embedded work also occurs at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in addition to his clinical time at MGH. When he is not working, Dr. Lester enjoys creating music, cooking, and baking bread.

Dr. Mace is a licensed psychologist at MGH CHOIR and an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School (HMS). He completed his advanced practicum and fellowships (pre- and post-doctoral) at CHOIR. Dr. Mace’s research focuses on the integration of mindfulness, lifestyle behaviors, and technology to promote brain health and pain management. Dr. Mace is the PI of an NIA K23 to refine and test a novel group mindfulness-based lifestyle program (My Healthy Brain) targeting early dementia risk factors. He recently completed a David Borsook grant that evaluated the feasibility of a mind-body virtual reality for sub-acute pain for acute traumatic orthopedic injuries. Dr. Mace is a Co-I on two RCTs (NIA R01 and PCORI) testing the integrative approaches (mind-body, walking,) for aging populations at-risk for AD/ADRD (comorbid cognitive decline and chronic pain, Black older adults). Dr. Mace is also a Co-Investigator of the Research and Education Core (REC) of Mass-ENVISION RCMAR to provide resources and mentorship for early investigators from underrepresented backgrounds in dementia intervention development. Dr. Mace has extensive training in delivering evidence-based cognitive behavioral and mind-body treatments for adults across the health-illness spectrum. He enjoys cooking, baking bread, exercising, and spending time with his friends, family, and his dog.

Kate McDermott is a postdoctoral fellow at MGH CHOIR. She completed her graduate training at Florida State University and her pre-doctoral internship at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System. Dr. McDermott’s research focuses on emotional processing in chronic pain and anxiety and the development of interventions to reduce pain interference and increase quality of life for individuals with chronic pain. She is also interested in the association between pain and substance use and was the recipient of a National Research Service Award (F31) from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Dr. McDermott is passionate about increasing access to care for patients who have historically had limited treatment options and is excited to serve as the project director of CHOIR’s GetActive+ study examining the adaptation of a mind-body intervention for older adults with chronic pain in underserved communities. In her free time, she enjoys walking, museums, humor writing, and spending time with friends and family.

Tony V Pham, MD, MScGH, is a psychiatrist at MGH CHOIR. Tony completed his undergraduate training at the University of Virginia, where he majored in psychology and cognitive science. He volunteered extensively with Hurricane Katrina survivors and went on to pursue an MD at Tulane University. During medical school, Tony continued to volunteer in the New Orleans area before transitioning to facilitate a survivor program following the 2011 Japan earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster. After medical school, Tony completed a psychiatry residency and a Master's in Global Health at Duke University. As a psychiatry resident, Tony completed a project that examined the role of spirituality among chronic kidney disease patients of rural Robeson County, North Carolina. As a Global Health Pathway and Fogarty International Fellow, he investigated the intersection between Nepali traditional healers and conventional psychotherapy. More recently, Tony completed a Harvard post-doctoral fellowship that examined the role of "culture as treatment" among American Indian communities.

Dr. Evan Plys (he/him) is a clinical psychologist board-certified geropsychology at MGH CHOIR and Assistant Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School. He has served as a Faculty Scholar with the NIA IMPACT Collaboratory Engaging Partners Team and Ethics and Regulation Core. Evan’s research primarily focuses on developing and testing feasible psychosocial interventions among high-need older adults and families in residential post-acute and long-term care (e.g., skilled nursing facilities). His research also seeks solutions to psychosocial challenges within the context of dementia, caregiving, and palliative care. Evan has extensive clinical experience providing psychological services with older adults, family caregivers, and in residential care settings. He is frequently called upon to give talks within the community on topics related to aging, caregiving, and long-term care. Outside of work, Evan enjoys volunteering, music, and comedy.

Alex is a clinical health psychologist at MGH CHOIR and Member of the Faculty at Harvard Medical School, where he also completed his predoctoral fellowship in 2023.

For the past 8 years, Alex has been dedicated to improving emotional distress and building resilience in critically ill patients and their caregivers through research, clinical work, and service. He has led pioneering research in cardiac arrest survivorship, which has informed national and international guideline statements on post-arrest care. In January 2023, Alex co-launched the largest online support community for cardiac arrest survivors, loved ones, and advocates (the Cardiac Arrest Survivor Alliance). Later that year he was inducted into the Citizen CPR Foundation’s “Top 40 Under 40” class, in recognition of his outstanding work in this space. He will continue his pioneering efforts through his NCCIH K23, which promises to develop a dyadic mind-body intervention for survivors and their caregivers, and through his RCMAR pilot project, a group lifestyle intervention for cardiac arrest survivors with cognitive decline and their caregivers.

In addition to his projects in cardiac arrest, Alex is a co-project manager on Dr. Vranceanu’s Recovering Together study, building resilience and improving emotional distress in neurocritical care patients and their caregivers. He is also leading a multi-site open pilot study of a resilience intervention for caregivers of patients with severe acute brain injury, the COMA Family Program. Outside of CHOIR, Alex enjoys reading non-fiction, hiking, traveling, and sharing meals with friends and family.

Dr. Christina Rush is a staff psychologist at MGH CHOIR with an academic appointment at Harvard Medical School. She completed pre-doctoral internship (health psychology track) at the VA Maryland Healthcare System/University of Maryland School of Medicine Consortium and doctoral training in clinical health psychology at the University of Colorado Denver. Dr. Rush’s research explores the intersection of mind-body medicine, religion and spirituality, and coping with serious illness. At CHOIR Dr. Rush serves on the Recovering Together study building resiliency and improving emotional distress in neurocritical care patients and their informal caregivers. She is also developing a resiliency intervention for people with ALS and their care-partners. She received a research seed grant from The ALS Association and a Kornfeld Scholars Program Award from the National Palliative Care Research Center to support this work. Dr. Rush loves hiking, yoga, travel, dark chocolate, and being with her family.

Dr. Sieberg completed her PhD in clinical psychology at the University of Rhode Island, her pre-doctoral internship in pediatric psychology at Brown Medical School, and her postdoctoral fellowship in the Division of Pain Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH). She remained at BCH as an Attending Psychologist, Director of the Biobehavioral Pain Innovations Lab, and Associate Director of the Center for Pain and the Brain for nearly 13 years before joining CHOIR. Dr. Sieberg also has an EdM in Risk and Prevention in Children from Harvard and an MA in Applied Developmental and Educational Psychology from Boston College.

In addition to her grant-funded research and clinical work, Dr. Sieberg values service and mentoring. She is on the faculty at Harvard Catalyst and is a member of the Harvard Medical School IRB. Nationally, she leads the Research Subgroup for the Society of Pediatric Psychology's Gender Diversity and Pain Special Interest Group and is a member of the United States Association for the Study of Pain's Advocacy Committee. Internationally, she is a board member for the European Pediatric Psychology Network. Additionally, she is an Associate Editor for the Clinical Journal of Pain.

In her free time, Dr. Sieberg enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and attending dance performances.

Dr. Maggie Syme (she/her) is a clinical psychologist at MGH CHOIR and Instructor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School. Maggie's research primarily focuses on developing and testing positive psychological interventions for older adults with dementia and their families. Her research also focuses on the biopsychosocial and cultural model of sexual health among older adults and promoting person-centered policies for sexual and intimate expression in skilled nursing facilities. Maggie has extensive clinical experience providing psychological services for older adults and family caregivers. Outside of work, Maggie enjoys watching college basketball (Go Zags!), singing and dancing with her daughter, and karaoke.

Dr. Ziyan Wu is a research staff member at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Center for Health Outcomes and Interdisciplinary Research (CHOIR). She completed her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. After her postdoctoral training at Boston Children’s Hospital, she was appointed as an instructor at Harvard Medical School (HMS). Dr. Wu has led the neuroimaging components of several NIH projects exploring the biobehavioral and neural mechanisms contributing to chronic postsurgical pain across the life span, as well as responses to pain treatment. Her long-term research goals include the development of robust computational models to enable the early detection of chronic pain and support the implementation of personalized pain management strategies by leveraging neuroimaging, behavioral, psychological, and medical history data.

In addition to her research activities, Dr. Wu places a high value on service and mentoring. She has mentored graduate students from the University of Oxford, the MS in Medical Sciences (MAMS) Program at Boston University, and undergraduate students at the University of Bath and Simmons University, guiding them on their theses and projects. Beyond her professional interests, Ziyan enjoys classical Chinese dance and solving jigsaw puzzles.