Research

My research explores how gender identity, embodiment, and sociocultural factors shape psychological well-being, particularly in LGBTQ+ youth. Drawing on clinical psychology, developmental science, and community-engaged methodologies, I focus on body image, resilience, and measurement design. My goal is to support affirming interventions through evidence-based insights and inclusive instruments.

Research Experience

Duke Population Science, Durham, NC 2018-present

Qualitative Research Analyst, Transgender Health Measurement- 2018-present

Concept Elicitation Pilot Study (Pro00101113)

PI: Bryce Reeve, Ph.D., Advisor: Nancy Zucker, Ph.D.

• Led manuscript preparation for publication
• Conducted Applied Thematic Analysis
• Trained research staff on qualitative data analysis principles
• Provided consultation on outreach and research recruitment strategies
• Collaborated with local community partners in research-related decision-making within a community advisory board (CAB)

Graduate Research Assistant, Using Clinical Data to Characterize 2018-2019

and Generate Novel Hypotheses About the Pathophysiology of Gender Dysphoria (Pro00100256)

PI: Deanna Adkins, M.D.

• Performed dataset cleanup and data management

Duke Center for Eating Disorders, Durham, NC 2015-present

Clinical Interviewer, Chompions! A treatment study for childhood 2022-present

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) (Pro00103645)

PI: Nancy Zucker, Ph.D.

• Trained research staff on the PARDI protocol
• Conducted and scored ARFID diagnostic interviews, using the PARDI protocol

Clinical Interviewer, Food Scientists: Investigation of Food Avoidance 2020-2021

in Young Children (Pro00103430)

PI: Nancy Zucker, Ph.D.

• Conducted and scored ARFID diagnostic interviews, using the PARDI protocol

Graduate Research Assistant, The Duke Tummy Pain Study for Children: 2018-2020

Feeling and body investigators (FBI) (Pro00043556)

PI: Nancy Zucker, Ph.D.

• Translated informed consent form and recruitment materials into Spanish
• Conducted mood induction and physiology laboratory sessions
• Administered semi-structure parent and child interviews to monitor functional abdominal pain
• Performed dataset cleanup and data management

Clinical Research Specialist, Sr., Heart Rate Sensing and Response in 2016-2017

Persons with Anorexia Nervosa (Pro00064421)

PIs: Nancy Zucker, Ph.D., Kim Huffman, M.D., Ph.D.

• Collected anthropometric measurements of research participants
• Piloted a heartbeat perception task
• Piloted a water loading task
• Conducted quantitative analysis of preliminary data for NIH grant application

Clinical Research Specialist, Sr., Probiotic Treatment: The Role of the 2015-2017

Gut Microbiome in Childhood Abdominal Pain and Anxiety (Pro00063870)

PIs: Nancy Zucker, Ph.D., Richard Noel, M.D., Ph.D.

• Assisted in designing a pilot clinical trial, testing the efficacy of a probiotic treatment on functional abdominal pain and anxiety
• Managed registration and submission of the clinical trial to the IRB, FDA (IND 16750), and Clinical Trials.gov (NCT02711800)
• Developed a psychosocial stress-induction task protocol for children, adapted from the Trier Social Skills Task
• Created a stool sample self-collection protocol for children to assess changes in gut microbiome
• Developed a saliva sample collection protocol for children to assess stress reactivity via cortisol assay
• Managed preservation, transport, and storage of laboratory specimens

Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development, Durham, NC 2015-2019

Graduate Research Assistant, The Duke A+ Study (Pro00085435) 2018-2019

P.I.: Geraldine Dawson, Ph.D.

• Assisted with behavioral management during autism diagnostic evaluation via the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) with toddlers

Graduate Research Assistant, The Autism Biomarker Consortium for 2016-2019

Clinical Trials (Pro00065628)

P.I.: Geraldine Dawson, Ph.D.

• Co-developed behavioral and social coding schemes via observation of parent-child interactions
• Coded behavioral and social observations using EthoVision XT (a video tracking software) and The Observer XT 12 (a behavioral coding software)
• Co-authored a quantitative peer-reviewed journal article seeking to validate behavioral tracking data using EthoVision XT and The Observer XT 12
• Conducted quality control of observational data from parent-child free-play sessions

Clinical Research Specialist, Sr., Harnessing Technology to Improve 2015-2017

Screening for Early Social and Communication Delays (Pro00053509)

Clinical Trials (Pro00065628)

PIs: Geraldine Dawson, Ph.D., Helen Egger, M.D., Guillermo Sapiro, Ph.D.

• Coordinated the piloting phase of a digital screening tool for early detection of social and communication delays
• Conducted recruitment of toddler participants and their caregivers in an outpatient pediatric clinic setting
• Translated informed consent form and recruitment materials into Spanish
• Assessed cognitive functioning through administration of the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL)
• Created a coding scheme for affect expressions and gestures in toddlers using The Observer XT 12
• Trained a graduate and an undergraduate student on coding procedures
• Collaborated with Petrus J. de Vries, Ph.D. from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, to test the performance of an autism screening tool cross-culturally

Duke Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Durham, NC Fall 2014

Community Engagement Assistant, Duke Integrated Pediatric Mental Health Fall 2014

Directors: Helen Egger, M.D., Nicole Heilbron, Ph.D.

• Established community partnerships with mental health providers for coordination of referrals for sexual and gender minority youth and their families
• Created and disseminated a community resource guide of LGBTQIA+ friendly mental health providers for sexual and gender diverse youth and their families

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 2013-2014

Research Assistant, Road to Recovery from Eating Disorders Lab 2013-2014

Director: Anna Bardone-Cone, Ph.D.

• Transcribed interviews of individuals with past histories of eating disorders

Research Assistant, Cognition and Addiction Biopsychology Lab 2013-2014

Director: Charlotte Boettiger, Ph.D.

• Managed research visits
• Administered an alcohol attentional bias task protocol via Implicit Association Task (IAT), Blink Task (BT) and Dot-Probe Task (DPT) on the E-Prime software platform
• Conducted quantitative data analysis
• Completed an independent study [Unpublished] examining the effects of depressive mood states on attentional bias toward alcohol cues in persons who drink moderately
• Co-authored a peer-reviewed manuscript comparing levels of alcohol consumption on attentional bias toward alcohol cues

Selected Publications

Peer-Reviewed Journal Publications

Ng, S., Liu, Y., Gaither, S., Marsan, S., & Zucker, N. (2021). The clash of culture and cuisine: A qualitative exploration of cultural tensions and attitudes toward food and body in Chinese young adult women. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 54(2), 174–183. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23459

Hashemi, J., Dawson, G., Carpenter, K. L. H., Campbell, K., Qiu, Q., Espinosa, S., Marsan, S., Baker, J. P., Egger, H. L., & Sapiro, G. (2021). Computer Vision Analysis for Quantification of Autism Risk Behaviors. IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing, 12(1), 215–226. https://doi.org/10.1109/TAFFC.2018.2868196

Rivera-Cancel, A., Nicholas, J., Marsan, S., Herbert, B. M., Bulik, C., Loeb, K., & Zucker, N. (2020). Gut hypervigilance in anorexia nervosa: Implications for treatment. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 54(Suppl. 1), S517–S517. https://doi.org/DOI: 10.1093/abm/kaaa009

Zucker, N., Rivera-Cancel, A., Datta, N., Erwin, S., Julia, N., Caldwell, K., Ives, L., Romer, A., Marsan, S., Farber, M., & Maslow, G. (2020). Feeling and body investigators: A randomized controlled trial of a treatment for young children with functional abdominal pain. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 54(Suppl. 1), S515–S515. https://doi.org/DOI: 10.1093/abm/kaaa009

Sabatos-DeVito, M., Murias, M., Dawson, G., Howell, T., Yuan, A., Marsan, S., Bernier, R. A., Brandt, C. A., Chawarska, K., Dzuira, J. D., Faja, S., Jeste, S. S., Naples, A., Nelson, C. A., Shic, F., Sugar, C. A., Webb, S. J., McPartland, J. C., & Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical Trials. (2019). Methodological considerations in the use of Noldus EthoVision XT video tracking of children with autism in multi-site studies. Biological Psychology, 146: 107712. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2019.05.012

Campbell, K., Carpenter, K. L., Hashemi, J., Espinosa, S., Marsan, S., Borg, J. S., Chang, Z., Qiu, Q., Vermeer, S., Adler, E., Tepper, M., Egger, H. L., Baker, J. P., Sapiro, G., & Dawson, G. (2019). Computer vision analysis captures atypical attention in toddlers with autism. Autism, 23(3), 619-628. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361318766247

Zucker, N., Mauro, C., Craske, M., Wagner, H. R., Datta, N., Hopkins, H., Caldwell, K., Kiridly, A., Marsan, S., Maslow, G., Mayer, E., Egger, H. (2017). Acceptance-based interoceptive exposure for young children with functional abdominal pain. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 97, 200–212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2017.07.009

Hashemi, J., Campbell, K., Carpenter, K., Harris, A., Qiu, Q., Tepper, M., Espinosa, S., Borg, J. S., Marsan, S., Calderbank, R., Baker, J., Egger, H., Dawson, G., & Sapiro, G. (2015). A scalable app for measuring autism risk behaviors in young children: A technical validity and feasibility study. EAI Endorsed Transactions on Scalable Information Systems, 3(10), 23–27. https://doi.org/DOI 10.4108/eai.14-10-2015.2261939

Faulkner, M. L., Baldner, C. S., Marsan, S., & Boettiger, C. A. (2014). Increased attentional bias for alcohol related images in heavy binge drinkers compared to moderate social drinkers. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 38(Suppl. 1), 279A-279A. https://doi.org/10.1111/acer.12451

Manuscripts in preparation

Marsan, S., Mann, C., Hernandez, A., Bahnson, K., Russell, K., Zucker, N., Whicker, D., Marinkovic, M., Adkins, D., Hamilton, M., Ingledue, G., Ebuengan, G., McLaughlin, K., Henke, D., & Reeve, B. (2023). A conceptual framework of gender dysphoria for trans youth through a developmental lens [Manuscript in preparation]. Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University.

Marsan, S., Dean, C., Christian, H., & Zucker, N. (2023). Gaps in measurement of body image in children with gender dysphoria [Manuscript in preparation]. Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University.

Marsan, S., Mann, C., Hernandez, A., Bahnson, K., Henke, D., Daniell, E., Ehle, K., Biswas, S., Rivera-Cancel, A., Nicholas, J., Russell, K., Marinkovic, M., Whicker, D., Adkins, D., Reeve, B., & Zucker, N. (2023). Experience of body image in transgender youth: A thematic analysis approach [Manuscript in preparation]. Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University.

Marsan, S., Mann, C., Hernandez, A., Bahnson, K., Henke, D., Daniell, E., Ehle, K., Biswas, S., Rivera-Cancel, A., Nicholas, J., Russell, K., Marinkovic, M., Whicker, D., Adkins, D., Reeve, B., & Zucker, N. (2023). Definition of body image from transgender youth perspectives: A thematic analysis approach [Manuscript in preparation]. Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University.

Citron, K., Marsan, S., Sundar, K., Dillon, A., Izquierdo, N., Mohamedali, L., & Zucker, N. (2023). Definition and experience of gender euphoria from transgender adult perspectives [Manuscript in preparation]. Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University.

Selected Talks and Presentations

Blacklock, C., Buzwell, S., Elphinstone, B., Tollit, M. A., Pace, C., Zwickl, S., Cheung, A. S., Citron, K., Zucker, N., Marsan, S., Pang, K., (2023, November 2-4). The gender euphoria scale (GES): Development of a tool to measure gender euphoria [Oral abstract]. AusPath Biennial Conference 2023, Melbourne, Australia.

Sundar, K., Marsan, S., & Zucker, N. (2023, November 1-6). Gender transgressed: Felt Pressure to conform to gender stereotypes, gender typicality, and mental health in transgender vs. cisgender adults [Oral abstract]. USPATH 2023, Westminster, CO, US.

Marsan, S., Mann, C., Hernandez, A., Bahnson, K., Henke, D., Daniell, E., Ehle, K., Biswas, S., Rivera-Cancel, A., Nicholas, J., Russell, K., Marinkovic, M., Whicker, D., Adkins, D., Reeve, B., & Zucker, N. (2021, November 4-7). Definition of body image from transgender youth perspectives: A thematic analysis approach [Oral abstract]. USPATH 2021, Virtual Scientific Symposium.

Citron, K., Marsan, S., Long, J., & Zucker, N. (2020, November 6-10). “When a stranger called me sir” from haircuts to hormones, binders to clothes: Gender euphoria in transgender adults [Oral abstract]. WPATH 26th Scientific Symposium, Virtual Scientific Symposium.

Marsan, S., Dean, C., Christian, H., & Zucker, N. (2020, November 6-10). Gaps in measurement of body image in children with gender dysphoria [Oral abstract]. WPATH 26th Scientific Symposium, Virtual Scientific Symposium.

Egger, H., Campbell, K., Carpenter, K., Hashemi, J., Espinosa, S., Tepper, M., Schaich Borg J., Qiu, Q., Marsan, S., Dawson, G., Bloomfield, R., & Sapiro, G. (2017, May 10-13). Feasibility of a mobile phone-delivered study of social and emotional behaviors in young children at risk for autism. In B. Chakrabarti (Chair), Evaluating social attention and reward in young children with ASD [Symposium], 2017 Annual Meeting of the International Society for Autism Research (IMFAR), San Francisco, CA, United States, https://insar.confex.com/insar/2017/webprogram/Paper24644.html

Hashemi, J., Campbell, K., Espinosa, S., Marsan, S., Qiu, Q., Tepper, M., Carpenter, K., Schaich Borg, J., Dawson, G., Bloomfield, R., Egger, H. & Sapiro, G. (2017, May 10-13). A researchkit app with automatic detection of facial affect and social behaviors from videos of children with autism [Conference session]. 2017 Annual Meeting of the International Society for Autism Research (IMFAR), San Francisco, CA, United States, https://insar.confex.com/insar/2017/webprogram/Paper25176.html

Kumm, A.J., Campbell, K., Marsan, S., Hashemi, J., Espinosa, S., Bloomfield, R., Dawson, G., Sapiro, G., Egger, H., & de Vries, P. J. (2017, May 10-13). Feasibility of a smartphone application to identify young children at risk for autism spectrum disorder in a low-income, community setting in South Africa [Conference session]. 2017 Annual Meeting of the International Society for Autism Research (IMFAR), San Francisco, CA, United States, https://insar.confex.com/insar/2017/webprogram/Paper25659.html

Campbell, K., Carpenter, K., Hashemi, J., Espinosa, S., Marsan, S., Harris, A., Schaich Borg, J., Chang, Z., Qiu, Q., Tepper, M., Calderbank, R., Baker, J. P., Sapiro, G., Egger, H., & Dawson, G. (2016, May 11-14). Computer vision detects delayed social orienting in toddlers with autism [Conference session]. 2016 International Meeting for Autism Research, Baltimore, MD, United States, https://insar.confex.com/insar/2016/webprogram/Paper21470.html