Fontanella Lab Staff
Cynthia Fontanella, PhD
Principal Investigator
Cynthia.Fontanella@NationwideChildrens.org
Cynthia A. Fontanella, PhD, is a mental health services researcher and principal investigator in the Center for Suicide Prevention and Research in the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. She is a national expert in youth suicide, and her research has led to scholarly publications in leading academic journals and national media outlets including CNN, NPR and The New York Times. Her primary focus is research on child mental health services and youth suicide prevention.
Dr. Fontanella aims to characterize demographic and clinical profiles of suicidal youth within “boundaried” settings (e.g., health care settings, Medicaid) and identify strategies for suicide prevention in those settings. She also aims to understand patterns and trends in utilization and quality of health and mental health care for suicidal youth and how those patterns affect outcomes.
Dr. Fontanella has extensive experience reviewing large administrative claims databases, hospital discharge datasets and other research databases to answer important national policy questions related to service use and quality of mental health care.
Dr. Fontanella is also an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. She has a bachelor’s degree from Villanova University, a master’s degree from Bryn Mawr College and a doctorate in Social Work from the University of Maryland, Baltimore.
Danielle Steelesmith, PhD
Senior Research Scientist
Danielle.Steelesmith@NationwideChildrens.org
Danielle L. Steelesmith, PhD, is a senior research scientist in the Center for Suicide Prevention and Research in the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
Dr. Steelesmith is a skilled data analyst. She has extensive experience in mental health services research and using “big data.” Her research focuses on the epidemiology of suicide in rural areas, contextual level factors associated with county-level suicide rates and how associations vary across the rural/urban continuum.
Dr. Steelesmith has a bachelor’s degree from Campbellsville University and a master’s degree and doctorate in Social Work from The Ohio State University.
Elyse N. Llamocca, PhD
Senior Research Scientist
Elyse.Llamocca@NationwideChildrens.org
Elyse N. Llamocca, PhD, is a senior research scientist in the Center for Suicide Prevention and Research in the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
Dr. Llamocca has expertise in mental health services research and analysis of “big data,” including claims and electronic health record data. Her research interests focus on the impact of health-related social needs and social determinants of health on mental health-related outcomes, particularly suicide and its related outcomes. More broadly, she is also interested in investigating best practices to screen for and address health-related social needs and social determinants of health in healthcare settings. Dr. Llamocca has a bachelor’s degree in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Michigan, a master’s degree in Biostatistics from Wayne State University, and a doctorate in Epidemiology from The Ohio State University.
Amanda Thompson, PhD
Postdoctoral Scientist
Amanda.Thompson@NationwideChildrens.org
Amanda Thompson, PhD, is a developmental psychologist and postdoctoral scientist on the Fontanella Lab team. Dr. Thompson’s research focuses on the development of internalizing problems, like depression and anxiety, in children and the experience of children from low-income families who have internalizing problems. She uses complex longitudinal modeling to examine the psychobiological mechanisms that contribute to children’s development of psychopathology in the context of early-life adversities. Dr. Thompson’s work explores the neurobiological underpinnings of depression, dynamic family-processes, coping and emotion regulation, how children cope with the chronic stress related to poverty, and how to empower caregivers with meaningful tools to lessen the burden of internalizing problems and suicide for youth and their families.
Dr. Thompson received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Appalachian State University, a master’s in Psychology from Pennsylvania State University, and master’s and doctoral degrees in Psychology with a concentration in development from Georgia State University.
Erin Orlins, PhD
Postdoctoral Scientist
Erin.Orlins@NationwideChildrens.org
Erin Orlins, PhD, CHES, is a postdoctoral scientist in the Center for Suicide Prevention and Research in the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Her primary research interests include better understanding antecedents of youth suicide and evaluating adolescent suicide prevention programs and strategies.
Dr. Orlins completed her doctorate in Public Health at Kent State University. She has a bachelor’s degree in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of Mount Union and a master’s degree in Public Health from Wright State University.
Priyanka Desirazu
Clinical Research Coordinator Team Lead
Priyanka.Desirazu@NationwideChildrens.org
Priyanka Desirazu, MSE, CCRP is the clinical team lead in the Center for Suicide Prevention and Research. Priyanka received her undergraduate degree in Biotechnology Engineering from Sir M. Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology in Bangalore (India) and her master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She has been working in clinical research since 2016 in various capacities such as a clinical research associate at Medpace (Cincinnati) and a clinical research coordinator at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.
Jeremy Obee
Clinical Research Program Coordinator
Jeremy.Obee@NationwideChildrens.org
Jeremy Obee, MSN, RN, is a clinical research program coordinator for the Fontanella Lab. He is interested in how mental health factors into adolescent patient care and reducing the stigmas of mental health in clinical settings. Jeremy has seven years of experience working with adolescents in the inpatient psychiatric setting along with establishing routine behavioral health screenings in outpatient primary care. Jeremy received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Cincinnati and a master’s degree in Nursing from Mount St. Joseph University.
Cara Bodary
Research Assistant
Caroline.Bodary@NationwideChildrens.org
Cara is a research assistant in the Fontanella Lab, currently involved in STARRS-PC. She is passionate about better understanding the precipitating factors of suicide and effective methods of bolstering emotional regulation.
Cara received her bachelor’s degree in 2024 from Denison University in Psychology where she served as a research assistant in Denison’s Psychology Department.
Lucy Chappell
Research Assistant
Lucy.Chappell@NationwideChildrens.org
Lucy Chappell is a research assistant in the Fontanella Lab, currently a part of STARRS-PC project. She is passionate about reducing stigmas surrounding mental health and improving mental health resources.
Lucy graduated from Miami University in December of 2022, with a bachelor of arts in Psychology and Neuroscience with a minor in General Business. Lucy was previously a part of the Quinn Behavioral Neuroscience Lab at Miami.
Delaney Marsalek
Research Assistant
Delaney.Marsalek@NationwideChildrens.org
Delaney is a research assistant in the Fontanella Lab interested in improving mental health resources and their accessibility. She previously served as a research assistant in Ohio University’s Psychology Department.
Delaney received her bachelor’s degree from Ohio University in Psychology and minored in Sociology.
Kim Nguyen
Research Assistant
Kimberly.Nguyen2@NationwideChildrens.orgg
Kim is a research assistant in the Fontanella Lab. She is interested in promoting mental health education, as well as understanding the factors that may contribute to different mental health conditions.
Kim graduated from The College of Wooster in December of 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in Cognitive Behavioral Neuroscience.