Research Assistants

Omar Salazar

Omar is currently enrolled in California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) and is majoring in Psychology. He is expected to graduate in Spring 2021. Omar is planning on continuing his education by receiving his Ph. D in Psychology. His short term goals include becoming a parent consultant for children with autism. His long term goals include becoming a forensic psychologist and, maybe, becoming a professor.

In the office, Omar is known to think outside of the box. He is keen to finding lost items and fixing broken things. Omar also takes on a ton of research. His favorite areas to study are neuropsychology, forensic psychology, and developmental psychology. Omar takes care of the patients when he sees them in person or through a phone call. He treats them like family and has strong customer service skills through years of training.

Omar also works as a behavioral therapist for children with autism. Omar is also a part of the Resilient Families Program (RFP) at CSUF which aims to provide support to low income families who deal with a lot of stress. When he is not working, Omar loves spending his free time reading, meditating, hiking, and going to the cinema. Omar has recently started investing his time into reading philosophical texts in hopes to further his intellectual development, productivity, and happiness.

Kellie Lund

Kellie received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from California State University, Monterey Bay in the Fall of 2018 with magna cum laude honors. Her main interests within the psychology field include abnormal psychology, clinical psychology, and neuropsychology. She plans on continuing her education by pursuing a Ph.D. in clinical psychology with a neuropsychology concentration. She wants to become a practicing psychologist but also has interests in research as well.

As a research assistant, Kellie takes on research that is relevant to the current cases Dr. Perrotti is working on. She also assists patients on the phone and in-person, as well as handling patient files. Other jobs she does around the office include typing up and editing reports, fact-checking reports, and verifying and inputting various psychological tests that Dr. Perrotti conducts with his patients.

Kellie is also a caregiver for a young woman with cerebral palsy when she is not working here as a research assistant. When she is not working, Kellie likes to go hiking, kayaking, scuba diving, and boating. She loves the outdoors and being with friends and family.

Olivia Backley

Olivia graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Psychology from Mount Saint Mary’s University, Los Angeles.  She was among the top 10% of the students at her university and was inducted into the Honors Society (Alpha Sigma Lambda).  Her future plans include earning a Master’s in Psychology, followed by a PhD in Clinical Psychology, and eventually becoming a clinical and forensic psychologist.

As a research assistant in the office, Olivia assists Dr. Perrotti with his podcasts, engages in research relevant to his cases, and handles and organizes client files.  She also types up and edits Dr. Perrotti’s case reports, letters to clients, and case outlines, as well as inputting and verifying test data.  Additionally, she accommodates Dr. Perrotti’s clients both in person and over the phone.

Olivia has worked various internships related to psychology.  She practiced art therapy with young children awaiting their hearing at Edmund D. Edelman Children’s Courthouse in Monterey Park, interned with a high school psychologist at an all girl’s charter school for at-risk youth in Echo Park, and currently works as a client care coordinator at a therapy center in South Pasadena when she is not in the office.

In her free time, she enjoys traveling with friends and family. So far, she has been to France, Scotland, England, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary, and Austria. She hopes to travel to Italy in the near future.

Madeline Hemphill

Madeline received her bachelor’s degree in 2017, from California State University, Chico with a major in Psychology and a minor in Sociology. Since graduating, she has worked in the Applied Behavioral Analysis field, working with children on the autism spectrum to improve independence as well as important social and cognitive skills.  Her primary interests include neuroscience as well as forensic psychology, and she plans to soon return to graduate school to study in one of these fields. She hopes to one day have a career working in the criminal justice system or as a neuroscience researcher. 

As a research assistant in the office, Madeline aids Dr. Perrotti in gathering research materials, inputting test scores and managing case files. She also aids in the intake of new clients. 

In her spare time, Madeline enjoys spending time in nature, practicing her art, and reading books related to psychology and politics. Madeline also spends her time working one-on-one with a preschooler with autism in Long Beach.