People

Tamerlane Visher

Tam studied math and physics at UC Berkeley before developing a passion for helping those struggling with mental illnesses. He is currently an M2 at Drexel College of Medicine. In his spare time, he enjoys writing music, attending dance classes, surfing, and spending time with his wife and newborn.

Kendall Phelan

Kendall is an MD/MPH student at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. She is interested in acute psychiatric care, neuromodulation therapies, and addiction psychiatry. Outside of medicine, Kendall is an amateur potter, musical theater aficionado, and board game enthusiast.

Randy Ngyuen

Randy is 4th year medical student at the Keck School of Medicine of USC interested in pursuing a career in Psychiatry. He is interested in child and adolescent Psychiatry, eating disorders, and addiction Psychiatry. Outside of classes, Randy can be found falling off V3s at the local bouldering gyms

Sunidhi Gupta

Sunidhi is a second-year medical student at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. She completed her undergraduate studies in psychology at UCLA and is interested in child and adolescent psychiatry, with a focus on integrating therapeutic approaches into clinical care. Outside of medicine, she enjoys dancing, thrifting, and exploring vegan and vegetarian food and coffee spots.

Daniel Mokhtar

Daniel is a fourth-year medical student at the Keck School of Medicine of USC pursuing a career in Psychiatry. He is particularly interested in the intersection of technology and mental health, as well as emerging treatments including psychedelic-assisted therapies. Outside of medicine, Daniel enjoys rock climbing, discovering new restaurants, and mixing electronic music as a hobbyist DJ.

Kaeo Wongbusarakum

Mansi Garg

Mansi is a master’s student at the Viterbi School of Engineering, majoring in Computer Science. She is interested in generating an impact in mental healthcare using evolving technology. She believes that if leveraged in the right manner, technology can help solve intricate issues in society. She loves baking, going for walks, and visiting dog parks in her spare time. She loves meeting new people and learning about their experiences in life.

Xiao “Elisa” Liu

Elisa Liu is an undergraduate studying neuroscience and psychology at University of Southern California. She has a strong passion for psychiatry and pediatrics. Supported by Dr. Frank and other amazing colleagues, she is able to gain versatile skills and experience in clinical research, such as effective recruitment techniques, workspace communication, scientific analysis for both qualitative and quantitative data, and a mindset for independent critical thinking. For the coming year of 2025-2026, she looks forward to facilitating lab work at Dr. Frank’s OCD lab, which allows her to establish a stronger understanding of psychiatry for OCD and plan her next steps for the future path.

Jiaqi “Derek” Fan

Derek is a Senior at USC majoring in Psychology and Computational Neuroscience. He joined Frank OCD Lab in August 2023. He mainly helps with recruitment and data processing in the lab. This experience strengthened his goal to pursue a career in clinical psychology. In his spare time, he loves to play board games, listen to various music, and hang out with friends.

Thomas Baek

Thomas is a senior at USC studying psychology with minors in business and natural science. He hopes to pursue medical school with a passion for psychiatry. In his free time, he enjoys playing the guitar and reading, and is currently training for a half marathon.

Kaitlyn Sullivan-Pascual

Kaitlyn Sulivan-Pascual is a sophomore at USC majoring in psychology. She is interested in qualitative research in mental health, specifically on how family accommodation, culture, and environment affect people with OCD. Kaitlyn spends her free time dancing and reading books.

Mei Visconti

Mei Visconti is an undergraduate student majoring in Biopharmaceutical Sciences. Her interests lie in the research and distribution of biotechnological therapies for mental health conditions and neurodegenerative disorders. Outside of her professional interests, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, traveling, trying new cuisines, and exploring digital design.

Arjun Dharan

Arjun Dharan is a sophomore at USC majoring in Biological Sciences. He joined Dr. Frank’s lab in Fall 2025, where he is pursuing qualitative research on Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, with an exploration of how technology is being integrated into its treatment. His long-term goal is to attend medical school. Outside of academics, Arjun enjoys rap, playing chess, swimming, and tennis.

Julia Guimaraes

Julia is a junior at the University of Southern California studying psychology with a minor in sociology. She plans to pursue medical school, with an interest in child and adolescent psychiatry. In her free time, she enjoys reading and spending time with loved ones.

Ujjwal Pasupulety

Data Scientist at Cedars-Sinai Hospital

Kenon Sakurai

Psychiatry Resident at Harbor/UCLA

Marcus Paoletti

Psychiatry Resident at UCSD

Lucas Occhino

Psychiatry Resident at University of Pennsylvania

Sam Devavaram Jebaraj

Erica Schug

TMS Technician

Megan Mirkis

Mingju “Richard” Zhang

Graduate Student at Columbia University

Precia Rhee

Natalie Bakken

Mythili Iyer

Yvonne Shen

Wellington Chang

Psychiatry Resident at Mount Sinai

Jerry Zhao

Psychiatry Resident at Riverside University Health System

Emma Garland

Emma is a Project Assistant in the Frank OCD Lab. She graduated from Dartmouth College in 2024 with her B.A. in Neuroscience and hopes to attend medical school in a few years, where she wants to specialize in Psychiatry. She primarily helps coordinate the TMS research study, but is also involved with the lab’s other studies. In her free time, Emma enjoys running, singing karaoke with friends, and baking.

Dr. Khashayar Nattagh, MD

Dr. Khashayar Nattagh, MD is a psychiatrist and a volunteer Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at USC’s Keck School of Medicine. Dr. Nattagh earned his medical degree from UCSF and completed psychiatry residency at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. He also received specialized training in OCD and OC-related disorders at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. Dr. Nattagh joined the Frank OCD Lab at USC to help advance knowledge on how transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and psychotherapy can be combined to improve treatment outcomes for those who suffer from OCD. He is curious about how TMS might be able to enhance neuroplasticity, and thus help individuals receiving psychotherapy make long-lasting improvements. In addition to his work at the lab, he also sees clients in his private practice.