Background Caitlin Elsaesser, PhD., LISCW, is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Connecticut
Affiliate Profiles
Affiliate Profile: Latoya Haynes-Thoby
Background Latoya Haynes-Thoby, PhD, NCC, LPC, is an Assistant Professor of Counselor Education in the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut focused on trauma, resilience, and thriving
Steering Committee Member: Ravit Stein
Background Ravit R Stein, PhD, BCBA-D, NCSP, is the Director of Psychological and Behavioral Consultation at EASTCONN
Affiliate Profile: Rocio Chang-Angulo
Background Rocio Chang-Angulo, Psy.D. is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at UConn Health and is a researcher, teacher, and clinician who focuses on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of psychological trauma in children, adolescents and adults
Affiliate Profile: Emma Zuk
Background Emma Zuk will soon receive her PhD from UConn in the Department of Kinesiology, focusing on physical activity engagement in children
Affiliate Profile: Michelle Cole
Background Michelle Cole, DNP, MSN, RN, CPN, is an Associate Clinical Professor in the UConn School of Nursing. Her main areas of scholarship involve global health, global learning, and pediatric health
Affiliate Profile: Kathleen Williamson
Background Kathleen Williamson, Ph.D. is a Postdoctoral Research Associate with both CSCH and the Neag School of Education’s Department of Educational Psychology
Steering Committee Member: Damion Grasso
Background Damion Grasso, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist and Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine
Steering Committee Member: Jean S. Coffey
Background Dr. Jean S. Coffey Ph.D., APRN, CPNP, FAAN is a Clinical Professor in the UConn School of Nursing and has worked in the clinical setting for over 40 years
Affiliate Profile: Rachel Chazen Cohen
Background Dr. Rachal Chazan Cohen Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Human Development and Family Sciences Department at the University of Connecticut. Her main research interest is in how early childhood programs support children’s development and family well-being
Affiliate Profile: Eileen Condon
Background Dr. Eileen Condon Ph.D., APRN, FNP-BC is an Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing. Her interests are in promoting health and health equity among children and families who are socially and economically marginalized
Affiliate Profile: Preeti Sandhu
Background Preeti Sandhu PsyD, is a pediatric psychologist in the division of Pain and Palliative Medicine at Connecticut Children’s Hospital. Her main research interest is in chronic pediatric pain management and she has past experience in providing education on the utilization of trauma-based therapy.
Affiliate Profile: Christina Ross
Background Christina Ross PhD, RN, is an Assistant Professor in the UConn School of Nursing. Her main research interests focus on the promotion of sexual and reproductive health among vulnerable youth, specifically African-American girls in foster care.
Affiliate Profile: Sudha Srinivasan
Background Sudha Srinivasan PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Physical Therapy program within the Department of Kinesiology in the UConn College of Agriculture Health and Natural Resources.
Affiliate Profile: Ido Davidesco
Background Ido Davidesco, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Learning Sciences in the Department of Educational Psychology at UConn’s Neag School of Education
Affiliate Profile: Jessica Koslouski
Background Jessica Koslouski, PhD is a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Collaboratory on School and Child Health at UConn and in the Department of Educational Psychology in the UConn Neag School of Education
Affiliate Profile: Valerie Duffy
Background Valerie Duffy, PhD is a registered dietitian, Professor, and Director of the Graduate Program in Health Promotion Sciences, the Department of Allied Health Sciences
Affiliate Profile: Gio Iacono
Background Gio Iacono, PhD is an Assistant Professor in UConn’s School of Social Work and is a psychotherapist and clinical social worker by training
Affiliate Profile: Fumiko Hoeft
Background Fumiko Hoeft MD, PhD is a Professor of Psychological Sciences, Director of the Brain Imaging Research Center (BIRC) at UConn, and Director of Laboratory for Learning Engineering and Neural Systems (brainLENS) at UConn/University of California San Francisco. She is a psychiatrist and neurophysiologist by training, turned developmental cognitive neuroscientist
Affiliate Profile: Caitlin Lombardi
Background Caitlin Lombardi, Ph.D is an Assistant Professor in UConn’s Department of Human Development and Family Sciences . Her primary research interests are the role of family, early care and education, school, and community in promoting cognitive, language, socioemotional, and health outcomes and the ways in which socioeconomic disadvantage is related to children’s development
Affiliate Profile: Emily Iovino
Background Emily Iovino, Ph.D. is a Postdoctoral Research Associate for the UConn Collaboratory on School and Child Health (CSCH) and is also a school psychologist. Her primary areas of research are centered on the primary caregivers of children with developmental disabilities
Affiliate Profile: Jesse Mala
Background Jesse Mala is an Assistant Visiting Professor in the UConn Department of Educational Leadership sports management program. He studies how sport can be used to promote positive development among Black and Latinx youth in poverty.
Affiliate Profile: Jessica Hollenbach
Background Jessica Hollenbach, Ph.D. is Co-Director of the Asthma Center at Connecticut Children’s and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. Her primary research interests include the implementation and dissemination of effective asthma programs in underprivileged communities
Affiliate Profile: Maria LaRusso
Background Maria LaRusso, EdD is an Assistant Professor in UConn’s Department of Human Development and Family Sciences. Her primary research concerns how children’s growth and well-being is shaped by relationships and supports across different contexts
Affiliate Profile: Jon Phillips
Background Jon Phillips, PhD is an Assistant Professor at UConn’s School of Social Work. His primary research concerns inter-professional collaboration in people-serving systems. Phillips is particularly interested in the child welfare system
Affiliate Profile: Julian Ford
Background Julian Ford, Ph.D is a board-certified clinical psychologist and Professor at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and School of Law. He is also the Principal Investigator and Director of two Treatment and Services Adaptation Centers in the National Child Traumatic Stress Network
Affiliate Profile: Jaci VanHeest
Background Jaci L. VanHeest, Ph.D is an Associate Professor in the Neag School of Education’s Department of Educational Psychology. Her primary research interest is the endocrine control of bodyweight and how that is impacted by physical activity among elite female athletes and children at risk of obesity.
Affiliate Profile: Ran Xu
Background Ran Xu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Allied Health Sciences and is interested in using statistics to address various social science problems. After earning his bachelor’s degree in mathematics, Dr. Xu became interested in how math and statistics can be applied to model human behavior and improve public outcomes.
CSCH Features Affiliate Dr. Ryan Watson
CSCH highlighted the work of HDFS Assistant Professor Ryan Watson in December and January. We interviewed Dr. Watson for a two-part podcast about his research. In Part 1 Watson discussed his research on disparities in access to HIV prevention tools among young men who have sex with men. In Part 2 he discussed his research […]
Steering Committee Member: Marlene Schwartz
Background Marlene Schwartz is Director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity and Professor of Human Development and Family Sciences. She studies how food policy can be used to improve the nutrition environment, especially for children.
Steering Committee Member: Beth Russell
Background Beth Russell is an Associate Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences and is the Director of the Center for Applied Research in Human Development (CARHD), a CSCH partner. Russell studies self-regulation, in particular the regulation of psychological distress.
Steering Committee Member: Sandra Chafouleas
Background Sandra Chafouleas is the Co-Director of CSCH as a well as a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of Educational Psychology in the Neag School of Education at UConn. Before turning to research, Chafouleas was a school psychologist in a variety of settings
Steering Committee Member Profile: Jeana Bracey
Background Jeana Bracey is Director of School and Community Initiatives at the Child Health and Development Institute of Connecticut, Inc., a CSCH partner organization. Bracey’s background and training is as a clinical community psychologist and her work focuses on improving policy and systems work across Connecticut, particular to children’s mental health
Steering Committee Member Profile: Deborah Cornman
Our profile of Deborah Cornman was originally written in 2018. In celebration of her 2022 retirement we have added the final section, Future Plans.
Steering Committee Member Profile: Michele Femc-Bagwell
Background Michele Femc-Bagwell is Associate Professor in Residence in the Department of Educational Leadership in the Neag School of Education at UConn. She is a former high school English teacher, middle school assistant principal, principal, and holds a Connecticut Superintendent’s certificate
Steering Committee Member Profile: Ruth Lucas
Background Ruth Lucas, RN, is an Assistant Professor in UConn’s School of Nursing. She began her career as a maternal child nurse and spent much of it working with mothers as they tried to breastfeed
Steering Committee Member Profile: Jennifer McGarry
Background Jennifer McGarry is Professor in and Head of the Department of Educational Leadership at UConn’s Neag School of Education. She has been an athlete and coach and has studied sport throughout her professional career
Steering Committee Member Profile: Alice Forrester
Background Alice Forrester is the Chief Executive Officer of Clifford Beers Clinic in New Haven, CT. She graduated with a BA in Art History and was a performance artist in the East Village of New York City before her interest in drama and group work led her to get a Masters Degree in Drama Therapy
Steering Committee Member Profile: Kathryn Libal
Background Kathryn Libal is an anthropologist who has a joint appointment between the UConn School of Social Work and Human Rights Institute (HRI) and directs HRI. Her early love for learning language and travel led her to anthropology
Steering Committee Member Profile: Lindsay DiStefano
Background Lindsay DiStefano is the Athletic Training Program Director and an Associate Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at UConn. With a background in athletic training and sports medicine and an appreciation of working with children, DiStefano found that “working to prevent sport-related injury in a youth athlete population was a natural fit.”
Steering Committee Member Profile: Lisa Sanetti
Background Lisa Sanetti is an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology within the Neag School of Education. Her primary area of research relates to implementation science, specifically how interventions are implemented in schools
Steering Committee Member Profile: Kerri Raissian
Background Kerri Raissian is an Assistant Professor in the UConn Department of Public Policy who studies policies that relate to kids and the family. She has a particular interest in policies designed to reduce family violence, either between parents/adults or directed towards children
Steering Committee Member Profile: Carol Polifroni
Our profile of Carol Polifroni was originally written in 2017. In celebration of her 2022 retirement we have added the final section, Future Plans.