Our Team
Sylvia Herbozo, Ph.D.
Founder & President
As a bilingual, Latina psychologist, Dr. Herbozo conducts pre-surgical evaluations and post-surgical interventions with a focus on monolingual Spanish speaking patients in the Bariartic Surgery program at Rush University Medical Center. She is also the director of the Body Image and Eating Behaviors lab. She was recently awarded a healthy equity grant to examine socioeconomic, cultural, and psychological factors influencing weight regain in Latinos after bariatric surgery. As an educator, Dr. Herbozo is invested in both clinical and research training for students. Dr. Herbozo is also a member of various professional organizations, including the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery where she serves on the Diversity and Inclusion committee.
Dr. Herbozo has a passion for training and mentoring students pursuing careers in mental health, particularly Latino students. She founded PLANS with the vision of increasing the representation of Latinos in Clinical and Counseling Psychology at the doctoral level. She values her Peruvian heritage and addresses cultural issues in both clinical and research work.
Dr. Herbozo completed her undergraduate training in Psychology at the University of Central Florida. She completed her doctoral training in Clinical and Counseling Psychology at the University of South Florida, followed by an internship in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Chicago, and a postdoctoral fellowship in the Program for Obesity, Weight, and Eating Research at Yale University.
Yasmin Asvat, Ph.D.
Vice President
In her clinical role, Dr. Asvat provides psychological support services to cancer patients and survivors both in the outpatient clinic and inpatient hospital settings. She is a multi-cultural (Latina, Indian, Muslim) and bilingual (Spanish, English) psychologist who is passionate about promoting equity in access to psychological services in oncology. Dr. Asvat’s research interestes include psychological and behavioral factors that impact coping and adjustment to cancer, and the development, evaluation, and dissemination of interventions that promote physical and psychological well-being among cancer patients and survivors. She is a member of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society, where she has served as a member in the Professional Education Committee and Program Planning Chair.
Dr. Asvat completed her undergraduate training in Psychology and English at the University of Toronto, followed by a Master’s degree in Psychology at San Diego State University. She completed her doctoral training in Clinical Psychology at the University of South Florida and the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, followed by an internship in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Chicago, and a postdoctoral fellowship in psychosocial oncology in the Department of Behavioral Sciences at Rush University Medical Center.
Isabel Quiñones, Ph.D.
Director of New Members Program
Isabel is currently a clinical psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic specializing in disorders of gut-brain interaction as well as eating and weight management in the Bariatric Endoscopy program. She continues to provide psychological support services in the outpatient clinic in both Spanish and English.
Isabel completed her undergraduate training in Psychology at the University of Michigan, followed by a Doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology at the Illinois Institute of Technology. She completed her doctoral internship training and postdoctoral fellowship at Rush University Medical Center. Isabel plans to continue serving the Latino community through her clinical and research career. As a proud Latina, she hopes to use her experiences in helping others achieve their goals in the mental health field.
Melanie Grad-Freilich, B.S.
Program Development Intern
Melanie Grad-Freilich is a doctoral student pursuing a Ph.D. in Clinical and Developmental Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. Melanie completed her undergraduate training in Psychology with a concentration in Neuroscience at Yale University with Dr. BJ Casey. She then completed a post-baccalaureate position at Harvard University with Dr. Leah Somerville.
Now as a part of the Families, Emotions, Neuroscience & Development lab at the University of Pittsburgh and advised by Drs. Jennifer Silk and Cecile Ladouceur, she focuses on interpersonal adversity and psychopathology in adolescence using behavioral and neuroimaging methods.
In her clinical and research career, she plans to focus on youth who experience interpersonal adversity at an individual and structural level. As a proud bilingual Latina, she hopes to broaden the psychotherapy resources available to Spanish-speaking members of her current community in Pittsburgh and incorporate community outreach into her future clinical practice.
Paula Arellano, B.A.
Program Development Intern
Paula is a doctoral student at Nova Southeastern University, where she is pursuing a Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology. Her clinical and research interests lie in geropsychology, health psychology, and rehabilitation psychology.
She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, with a minor in Criminology, from the University of Miami. During her undergraduate studies, Paula served as a research assistant in Dr. Amy Weisman de Mamani’s lab, where she contributed to research on the effectiveness of a 15-session Culturally Informed Treatment for Schizophrenia (CIT-S), focusing on Hispanic and other minority populations in the Miami area. She later became the lab’s research coordinator, training new research assistants and observing clinical supervision sessions to deepen her clinical insight.
Paula is thrilled to join the PLANS team and is eager to support and mentor future Latine students interested in Clinical and Counseling Psychology.
Laura Rosado Philippi, B.S.
Social Media Manager
Laura Rosado Philippi graduated summa cum laude from Fordham University in May 2026, where she studied Psychology and Anthropology. During her time at Fordham, she became involved in research, multicultural programming, student advocacy, and mental health initiatives, including co-founding the Puerto Rican Student Association and creating Roots & Routes, a resource focused on undocumented and mixed-status students and their allies.
Her commitment to public service has also taken her beyond campus. As a Truman Scholar, Laura participated in the Truman Summer Institute in Washington, D.C., and spent summer 2026 as a Legislative Fellow with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, where she supported legislative research, communications, hearings, and briefings, and advocacy efforts affecting Latino communities. These experiences strengthened her interest in the relationship between mental health, education, policy, and community-based work.
Laura is currently in Spain as a 2026–2027 Fulbright U.S. Student English Teaching Assistant. Through Fulbright, she hopes to continue learning from different communities and educational systems while building on her interests in service, cross-cultural exchange, and advocacy.
Laura first joined PLANS as a Social Media Intern in 2024 and now serves as Social Media Manager. She is grateful to continue supporting PLANS’ mission by using communications and storytelling to connect Latino students with mentorship, resources, opportunities, and one another.
Daniela Ventura, B.A.
Social Media Intern
Daniela is a second-year Masters student in Counseling Psychology at Texas Woman’s University. She has plans to pursue a doctoral degree in the near future. Daniela is a proud first-generation Salvadoran immigrant.
Daniela is currently seeing clients in the Dallas-Fort Worth Texas area, primarily serving Latine youth and their families. She provides treatment for variety of concerns such as grief, domestic violence, anxiety & depression and life transitions. Daniela approaches therapy through a person-centered, multicultural and trauma-informed lens. As a bilingual therapist, she offers services in both Spanish and English. Additionally, Daniela’s research interests are centered around intergenerational trauma, mental health disparities and cultural & linguistic competency.
Daniela is excited to join the PLANS social media team. After receiving culturally aligned mentorship through PLANS, she wants to pay it forward. She looks forward to supporting fellow Latino students on their paths into mental health professions.
Shabelle Paulino, B.A.
Social Media Intern
Shabelle is a doctoral student pursuing a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Arizona, where she is mentored by Drs. Heidi Hamann and Rina Fox. Her research focuses on psychosocial oncology, cancer survivorship, and disparities in cancer care, particularly among Hispanic/Latino patients and survivors. Her long-term goal is to provide bilingual psycho-oncology services and conduct research that improves care for Hispanic/Latino patients and families.
Before moving to Arizona, Shabelle earned her B.A. in Psychology from New York University and worked in clinical research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Those experiences taught her how much can be learned by listening closely to patients and families, and they continue to shape the questions she asks in her work.
Shabelle was raised in Washington Heights, New York. She is a bilingual Dominican American and the first person in her family to graduate from college. She first joined PLANS as a mentee while preparing for graduate school. She is excited to return as part of the PLANS team and help share resources and stories from Latine students and psychologists