Chrystal Vergara-Lopez, PhD

Chrystal Vergara Lopez, PhD

Research Scientist and Psychologist

Chrystal Vergara-Lopez, PhD, is a psychologist in the Integrated Behavioral Health program in women’s primary care at the Women’s Medicine Collaborative (WMC), and an assistant professor in the department of psychiatry and human behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Dr. Vergara-Lopez earned her doctor of philosophy degree in clinical psychology from the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. She completed her clinical psychology internship at Rutgers University and post-doctoral fellowship in biological stress response and maternal health at The Alpert Medical School. Dr. Vergara-Lopez serves as a clinical supervisor for the women and family medicine rotation at WMC through the Brown Clinical Psychology Internship.

Dr. Vergara-Lopez is also an assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and a research scientist in the Center for Behavioral and Preventative Medicine at The Miriam Hospital. Dr. Vergara-Lopez's program of research focuses on identifying neurobiological mechanisms that underlie substance use, psychopathology, and their co-occurrence. Her laboratory examines the role of cognition (e.g., cognitive control, memory associations, cognitive biases, repetitive negative thinking), stress and contextual factors (e.g., parental influences, stress physiology, number and types of stressors experienced), and sex/gender differences (e.g., sex hormones, menstrual cycle). The ultimate goal of her work is to identify markers of risk and resilience for addictions and mental health problems, to deter the drastic increase in these problems observed by the time individuals reach young adulthood. Dr. Vergara-Lopez's research has been funded by the Brain and Behavior Foundation, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse. 

Dr. Vergara-Lopez is fluent in Spanish.

Contact Dr. Vergara-Lopez

Phone: 401-793-7010
Email: : vergaralopez@lifespan.org
Website: https://vivo.brown.edu/display/cvergara

Locations

Primary

Women's Medicine Collaborative
146 West River Street
Providence, RI 02904

Education

  • Post Graduate:  SUNY, Buffalo, NY
  • Fellowship:  Rhode Island Hospital, Brown University, Alpert Medical School