CSCH Affiliates

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Rebecca Acabchuk

Postdoctoral Research Associate

Psychological Sciences

Mindfulness-based programs to improve mental health, resilience & self-compassion: Diverse populations & athletes

Keywords: BCTs, concussion, mental health, meta-analysis, mindfulness

Community InvolvementCounseling, Psychological and Social ServicesEmployee WellnessHealth EducationHealth ServicesPhysical Education and Physical ActivitySocial and Emotional Climate

Jorge Aguero

Associate Professor

Economics and El Instituto

Focused on socioeconomic factors affecting school learning and health behaviors in developing countries

Keywords: developing countries, Health behaviors, school learning, Test

Family EngagementHealth EducationHealth ServicesNutrition Environment and Services

Tatiana Andreyeva

Associate Professor

Agricultural and Resource Economics, Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity

Focused on economic policies to improve food choices and prevent chronic disease and obesity

Keywords: child care, child nutrition programs, fiscal policy, obesity

Nutrition Environment and Services

Nneka Arinze

Graduate Student

Educational Leadership (Neag)

Abiodun Atoloye

Postdoctoral Fellow

Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity

Emily Auerbach

Graduate Student

Educational Psychology (Neag)

Graduate Research Assistant focused on caregiver well-being, behavior change interventions, and education policy

Keywords: Behavior Interventions, Caregivers, Education Policy

Community InvolvementCounseling, Psychological and Social ServicesFamily EngagementSocial and Emotional Climate

Joel Behar

Clinical Social Work/Therapist, PhD, BCD, ABMP

Private Practice

Counseling, Psychological and Social Services

Patricia Bellamy

Assistant Director for Programming and Partnerships

Educational Leadership (Neag), UConn Husky Sport

The impact of Sport Based Youth Development on elementary school students’ health and wellness, as well as school-wide climate & culture

Keywords: Climate/Culture, Social Work, Sport-Based Youth Development

Community InvolvementCounseling, Psychological and Social ServicesFamily EngagementHealth EducationNutrition Environment and ServicesPhysical Education and Physical ActivitySocial and Emotional Climate

Margaret Bennett

Graduate Student

Communication

Maggie Bennett studies interpersonal communication, specifically examining sexual communication and its effects

Keywords: Sexual Communication, Sexual Development

Community InvolvementCounseling, Psychological and Social ServicesFamily EngagementHealth EducationHealth ServicesSocial and Emotional Climate

S. Megan Berthold

Associate Professor and Director of Field Education

School of Social Work

Focused on the human rights and well-being of torture survivors, refugees, and asylum seekers

Keywords: child migrants, human rights, refugees, torture survivors

Community InvolvementCounseling, Psychological and Social Services

Rebecca Boehm

Economist

Union of Concerned Scientists

Applied economics research focused on improving the sustainability and nutritional quality of U.S. diets

Keywords: economics, food systems, nutrition, Policy, sustainability

Health EducationNutrition Environment and Services

Jeana Bracey

Associate Vice President of School and Community Initiatives

Child Health and Development Institute of Connecticut

Dr. Bracey’s expertise is in school mental health, juvenile justice diversion, and systems development

Keywords: community partnerships, mental health, schools

Community InvolvementCounseling, Psychological and Social ServicesFamily EngagementHealth ServicesSocial and Emotional Climate

Melissa Bray

Professor

Educational Psychology (Neag)

Alaina Brenick

Assistant Professor

Human Development and Family Sciences

Jeffrey Burke

Associate Professor

Psychological Sciences

I study the disruptive behavior disorders and factors that affect service engagement by parents and families

Keywords: Chronic Irritability, Disruptive Behavior, Help-seeking

Community InvolvementCounseling, Psychological and Social ServicesFamily EngagementSocial and Emotional Climate

Lisa Butler

Associate Research Professor

Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy (InCHIP)

Maternal-Child and Adolescent HIV Prevention and Treatment and Child Nutrition and Development in sub-Saharan Africa

Keywords: child health, HIV, maternal health, Media, mHealth

Community InvolvementCounseling, Psychological and Social ServicesFamily EngagementHealth EducationHealth ServicesNutrition Environment and ServicesPhysical EnvironmentSocial and Emotional Climate

Rebecca Campbell-Montalvo

Research Assistant II

Curriculum and Instruction (Neag)

Focused on linguistic, racial, and ethnic group K-12 school equity and underrepresented engineering undergraduates

Keywords: Anthropology, Engineering Undergrads, Equity, K-12 Education

Community InvolvementCounseling, Psychological and Social ServicesFamily EngagementHealth EducationHealth ServicesSocial and Emotional Climate

Noel Card

Professor

Human Development and Family Sciences

Sandra Chafouleas

Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor

Educational Psychology (Neag)

Dr. Chafouleas serves as CSCH Co-Director, with primary expertise in school mental health and behavior assessment.

Keywords: Data-Based Decision Making, School Mental Health, WSCC

Community InvolvementCounseling, Psychological and Social ServicesFamily EngagementSocial and Emotional Climate

Clewiston Challenger

Assistant Professor

Educational Psychology (Neag)

Rocio Chang

Assistant Professor

Psychiatry (UCHC)

Focused on prevention, diagnosis and treatment of psychological trauma in children, adolescents and adults

Keywords: coping, developmental trauma, emotional dysregulation, PTSD

Community InvolvementCounseling, Psychological and Social ServicesFamily EngagementSocial and Emotional Climate

Jesse Chiero

Graduate Student

Nutritional Sciences

Research focuses on the school food environment and school-based nutrition interventions using local food

Keywords: Behavior, Health, Local Food, nutrition, obesity, School

Community InvolvementHealth EducationNutrition Environment and Services

Jun Cho

Graduate Student

Educational Leadership (Neag)

Casey Cobb

Professor of Educational Policy

Educational Leadership (Neag)

Examines education policies and their implications for educational equity

Keywords: Desegregation, Equity, leadership, Policy, School choice

Community InvolvementFamily EngagementSocial and Emotional Climate

Melissa Collier-Meek

Assistant Professor

UMass Boston, Counseling and School Psychology

Assistant Professor at University of Massachusetts Boston focused on intervention fidelity assessment and support

Keywords: implementation science, intervention fidelity

Counseling, Psychological and Social ServicesEmployee WellnessSocial and Emotional Climate

Xiamei Cong

Professor and Director

School of Nursing and Center for Advancement in Managing Pain

Focused on bio-behavioral pain and stress assessment and management, brain-gut-microbiome mechanism in health

Keywords: genomics, neurodevelopment, pain, self-management, stress

Family EngagementHealth EducationHealth Services

Joanne Conover

Professor

Physiology and Neurobiology

Keywords: developmental neurobiology, neurogenesis, stem cell biology

Health Education

Kristen Cooksey Stowers

Postdoctoral Fellow

Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity

I study how to achieve equitable macro- and micro-level food environments through policy and community engagement

Keywords: Food Environments, Food Insecurity, Health Equity, Policy

Community InvolvementHealth ServicesNutrition Environment and Services

Deborah Cornman

Associate Director & Associate Research Professor

Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy (InCHIP)

Foster multidisciplinary collaborations as InCHIP Associate Director and conduct health behavior change research

Keywords: Health Behavior, Intervention Development, Treatment Adherence

Community InvolvementCounseling, Psychological and Social ServicesEmployee WellnessHealth EducationHealth Services

Yael Dai

Graduate Student

Psychological Sciences

Sharde Davis

Assistant Professor

Communication

Dr. Davis’s research examines how Black women’s complex identities influence their communication with others

Keywords: Gender, Identity, intergroup/interpersonal dynamics, Race

Community InvolvementHealth EducationSocial and Emotional Climate

Johanna deLeyer-Tiarks

Graduate Student

Educational Psychology (Neag)

Graduate Student and Research Assistant in the School Psychology program

Keywords: LGBTQ, Minority Stress, Transition Planning

Community InvolvementCounseling, Psychological and Social ServicesFamily EngagementSocial and Emotional Climate

Erin DeMaio

Graduate Student

Educational Psychology (Neag)

Focused on implementing new ways to promote student success while creating a healthy, positive school climate

Keywords: child health, Climate/Culture, Help-seeking, School Services

Community InvolvementCounseling, Psychological and Social ServicesFamily EngagementHealth EducationHealth ServicesNutrition Environment and ServicesSocial and Emotional Climate

Laurie Devaney

Instructor

Kinesiology

Focused on cervical spine and upper extremity injury prevention, assessment, and best practice management

Keywords: Cervical spine, injury risk, measure, overhead athletes

Health ServicesPhysical Education and Physical Activity

Jennifer Necci Dineen

Assistant Professor in Residence

Public Policy

Survey methodologist with experience surveying children, parents/guardians, educators, and medical professionals

Keywords: public opinion, stakeholder attitudes, surveys

Community InvolvementEmployee WellnessSocial and Emotional Climate

Lindsay DiStefano

Associate Professor

Kinesiology

Focused on promoting youth physical activity by preventing musculoskeletal injury and developing physical literacy

Keywords: physical literacy, sports injuries, youth athletes

Community InvolvementFamily EngagementPhysical Education and Physical Activity

Shaun Dougherty

Associate Professor

Public Policy & Education (Vanderbilt University)

Dr. Dougherty’s research focuses on the impacts of educational policies and programs on student outcomes

Keywords: Education Policy, Public Policy, quantitative analysis

Community InvolvementCounseling, Psychological and Social ServicesSocial and Emotional Climate

Valerie Duffy

Professor

Allied Health Sciences

Professor focused on taste, food preference, healthy eating, and obesity prevention in cross-disciplinary research

Keywords: food preference, healthy eating, obesity, prevention, taste

Community InvolvementHealth EducationHealth ServicesNutrition Environment and Services

Alica Dugan

Assistant Professor

Medicine (UCHC)

Carrie Eaton

Assistant Professor / Director, Simulation-Based Education

School of Nursing

Director of Simulation Education

Keywords: Disordered Eating, Eating Disorders, OB Nursing

Community InvolvementCounseling, Psychological and Social ServicesEmployee WellnessFamily EngagementHealth EducationHealth ServicesNutrition Environment and ServicesPhysical Education and Physical ActivityPhysical EnvironmentSocial and Emotional Climate

Caitlin Elsaesser

Assistant Professor

School of Social Work

Dr. Elsaesser’s work focuses on the correlates and consequences of traumatic experiences among adolescent youth

Keywords: adolescence, community violence, cyberbullying, trauma

Community InvolvementFamily EngagementSocial and Emotional Climate

Justin Evanovich

Assistant Clinical Professor / Managing Director, Husky Sport

Educational Leadership (Neag)

Leadership of campus-community partnership and service-learning courses centering equity and justice through sport

Keywords: College Student Development, Sport-Based Youth Development

Community InvolvementHealth EducationPhysical Education and Physical Activity

Megan Feely

Assistant Professor

School of Social Work

Michele Femc-Bagwell

Associate Professor in Residence

Educational Leadership (Neag)

Engaged scholarship focuses on family and community engagement in schools

Keywords: community, family, teacher/ leadership stress and wellness

Community InvolvementEmployee WellnessFamily Engagement

Alice Forrester

CEO

Clifford Beers Clinic

CBC is a family integrated mental health clinic that provides office based as well in the community services

Keywords: adverse childhood experiences, family, integrated, trauma

Community InvolvementCounseling, Psychological and Social ServicesFamily EngagementHealth EducationSocial and Emotional Climate

Tammy Freeberg

Vice President

The Village for Families & Children

Organizational strategy and development focused on behavioral health, child welfare, and family strengthening

Keywords: child and family services, program development

Community InvolvementCounseling, Psychological and Social ServicesFamily EngagementHealth ServicesSocial and Emotional Climate

Ruth Freeman

Peace at Home Parenting, LLC

Kim Gans

Professor

Human Development and Family Sciences

Studies interventions in home, work, school, childcare and community settings to prevent obesity in diverse groups

Keywords: Diversity, family, Interventions, nutrition, Physical Activity

Community InvolvementEmployee WellnessFamily EngagementHealth EducationNutrition Environment and ServicesPhysical Education and Physical ActivityPhysical Environment

Adrian Garcia-Sierra

Assistant Professor

Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences

Development of infants’ and adults’ speech perception and its relationship to social/linguistic input and language

Keywords: Bilingualism, language development, Speech processing

Family EngagementHealth EducationPhysical Education and Physical Activity

Nicholas Gelbar

Assistant Professor

Community Medicine and Health Care/UCEDD

Assistant Professor and Research Director of the UConn Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities

Keywords: Autism Spectrum Disorder

Counseling, Psychological and Social Services

Jessica Goldstein

Director

Boulevard Research Partners LLC

Connecting policy to practice through research

Keywords: assessment, Early Childhood, K-12, program evaluation

Community InvolvementFamily EngagementSocial and Emotional Climate

Jose-Michael Gonzalez

Graduate Student

Human Development and Family Sciences

Patricia Grace-Farfaglia

Lecturer

Nutritional Sciences

Adjunct lecturer in nutritional sciences focused on health promotion and wellness in chronic disease

Keywords: celiac disease, digital health, healthy lifestyle, nutrition

Employee WellnessHealth EducationNutrition Environment and ServicesPhysical Education and Physical Activity

Bernard Grela

Associate Professor/ Department Head

Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences

Associate Professor in SLHS with a focus on language impairments and reading disabilities

Keywords: language & reading impairments

Counseling, Psychological and Social ServicesFamily EngagementHealth EducationHealth Services

Jessica Guite

Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, UConn School of Medicine

Conneticut Children's Medical Center

Dr. Guite is a pediatric psychologist with expertise in chronic illness, pain coping and family-based intervention

Keywords: behavioral change mechanisms, disability, pain, stress

Counseling, Psychological and Social ServicesFamily EngagementHealth EducationHealth ServicesPhysical Education and Physical ActivitySocial and Emotional Climate

Linda Halgunseth

Associate Professor

Human Development and Family Sciences

Research examines parent-child interactions across ethnic groups in the U.S.

Keywords: Children of Immigrants, Latino Parenting

Family EngagementSocial and Emotional Climate

Roeland Hancock

Assistant Research Professor

Psychological Sciences, Brain Imaging Research Center

Associate Director at the Brain Imaging Research Center focused on individual differences in language and reading

Keywords: EEG, fMRI, Language Processing, Neurolinguistics

Community InvolvementCounseling, Psychological and Social Services

Ofer Harel

Professor

Statistics

Professor & Director of admissions, Department of Statistics. A biostatistician, applied statistician

Keywords: Biostatistics, missing data, observational studies, RCT

Jennifer Harris

Professor

Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, Allied Health Sciences

Jennifer Harris studies the impact of food marketing on health, focusing on children, teens and parents

Keywords: Food marketing, health disparities, public health nutrition

Community InvolvementHealth EducationNutrition Environment and ServicesSocial and Emotional Climate

Rachel Hildrey

Graduate Student

Allied Health Sciences

Alexander Hogan

Associate Professor of Pediatrics

Connecticut Children's Medical Center

Pediatric Hospitalist dedicated to improving the quality of care given to children with asthma

Keywords: Asthma, Hospital Medicine, pediatrics, Quality Improvement

Family EngagementHealth Services

Jessica Hollenbach

Director of Asthma Programs, Instructor of Medicine

Pediatrics (UCHC)

Lisa Honigfeld

Vice President, Health Initiatives

Child Health and Development Institute (UCHC)

Dr. Honigfeld works to increase the contribution of pediatric primary care to children’s health and development

Keywords: children's health, pediatrics, primary care

Community InvolvementCounseling, Psychological and Social ServicesHealth Services

Matthew Hughey

Associate Professor

Sociology

Professor Hughey examines the relationship between racial inequality and collective understandings of race

Keywords: Identity, Media, Organizations, Politics, Race

Physical Education and Physical ActivitySocial and Emotional Climate

Oliver Johnston

Graduate Student

Psychological Sciences

Doctoral Candidate in Clinical Psychology focused on the identification and development of behavioral disorders

Keywords: callous-unemotional traits, oppositional defiant disorder

Counseling, Psychological and Social ServicesSocial and Emotional Climate

Devin Kearns

Associate Professor

Educational Psychology (Neag)

Kyounghae Kim

Assistant Professor

School of Nursing

Expertise includes research on health disparities, health literacy, and chronic condition prevention and managemen

Keywords: Cancer Prevention, Empowerment, Pain Management

Community InvolvementFamily EngagementHealth EducationHealth Services

Taylor Koriakin

Graduate Student

Educational Psychology (Neag)

Caroline Kuo

Assistant Professor/Assistant Dean

Behavioral and Social Sciences (Brown University)

Shabnam Lainwala

Assistant Clinical Professor

Connecticut Children's Medical Center

Focused on nutrition and growth and long term growth and neurodevelopmental outcomes of preterm infants

Keywords: growth, neurodevelopment, nutrition, preterm

Community InvolvementFamily EngagementHealth ServicesNutrition Environment and Services

Maria LaRusso

Assistant Professor

Human Development and Family Sciences

Elaine Choung-Hee Lee

Associate Professor

Kinesiology

Harold Lee

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Social and Behavioral Sciences (Harvard University School of Public Health)

Focused on the genetic influence on physical activity and its psychological mediators (e.g., hedonic response) as well as social epidemiology focused on positive psychological factors

Keywords: behavioral economics, cumulative genetic score, Exercise, positive psychology, social epidemiology

Health EducationPhysical Education and Physical ActivitySocial and Emotional Climate

Leah Lessard

Postdoctoral Fellow

Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity

Focused on how relational and contextual factors affect the schooling experiences of socially marginalized youth

Keywords: Achievement, adolescence, Peer Relations, School Context

Health EducationPhysical EnvironmentSocial and Emotional Climate

Yayu Li

Graduate Student

Plant Science and Landscape Architecture

Soil Chemistry with a focus on the transformation and transformation of soil pollutants

Keywords: Ion-Exchange Modeling, Soil Chemistry, Soil Remediation

Employee WellnessNutrition Environment and ServicesPhysical Environment

Yujia Li

Graduate Student

Educational Psychology (Neag)

Kathryn Libal

Associate Professor

School of Social Work, Human Rights Institute

Professor Libal works on human rights frameworks as applied to social policy, child welfare, and humanitarianism

Keywords: children's rights, forced migration, human rights, refugees

Community InvolvementCounseling, Psychological and Social Services

Carolyn Lin

Professor

Communication

Studies the content, uses and effects of digital/social/mobile media & strategic/risk/environmental communication

Keywords: Social/Mobile Media, Strategic/Risk Communication & Campaigns

Community InvolvementFamily EngagementHealth EducationPhysical Education and Physical ActivitySocial and Emotional Climate

Ana Cristina Lindsay

Associate Professor

UMass Boston, Exercise and Health Sciences

Associate Professor at the University Massachusetts Boston focused on addressing health disparities among Latinos

Keywords: maternal and child health, mixed-methods research, nutrition

Community InvolvementFamily EngagementHealth EducationNutrition Environment and ServicesPhysical Education and Physical Activity

Margaret Lloyd

Assistant Professor

School of Social Work

Parental substance use disorders in child welfare

Keywords: child welfare, foster care, Parental substance abuse

Counseling, Psychological and Social ServicesFamily Engagement

Caitlin Lombardi

Assistant Professor

Human Development and Family Sciences

Dr. Lombardi examines the roles of family, early care, and education for promoting children’s early development

Keywords: Child development, Early care, Education, Parenting, Policy

Community InvolvementEmployee WellnessFamily EngagementPhysical EnvironmentSocial and Emotional Climate

Alysse M. Loomis

Assistant Professor

University of Utah, College of Social Work

Research focused on understanding and mitigating the impact of early childhood adversity, particularly within early childhood settings such as preschools

Keywords: early trauma, Self-regulation, Trauma-informed schools

Counseling, Psychological and Social ServicesFamily EngagementSocial and Emotional Climate

Virgilio Lopez

Graduate Student

Kinesiology

Ruth Lucas

Assistant Professor

School of Nursing

Assistant Professor at the School of Nursing focused on mother-infant health and nutrition

Keywords: biobehavioral measurements, Breastfeeding, genetics

Community InvolvementFamily EngagementHealth EducationNutrition Environment and Services

Hao-Jan Luh

Graduate Student

Educational Psychology (Neag)

Hao-Jan Luh’s research interests include implementation science and social emotional learning

Keywords: implementation science, social emotional learning

Counseling, Psychological and Social ServicesSocial and Emotional Climate

Jesse Mala

Graduate Student

Educational Leadership (Neag)

Barris Malcolm

Associate Professor Emeritus

School of Social Work

Jennifer Manganello

Associate Professor

University of Albany, School of Public Health

Jennifer Manganello is a health communication professor who does research on health literacy and media influences

Keywords: ehealth, health communication, health literacy, Media

Health Education

Lisa Marcinkowski June

Graduate Student

Educational Leadership (Neag)

Helene Marcy

Program Manager

Collaboratory on School and Child Health

Focused on connections across research, policy, and practice arenas relevant to school and child health

Keywords: community partnerships, poverty, survey research

Community InvolvementFamily Engagement

Alison Marinelli

Graduate Student

Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences

Caroline Mavridis

Assistant Research Professor

Human Development and Family Sciences

Dr Caroline Mavridis is an Assistant Research Professor (HDFS) focused on self-care of parents and family workers

Keywords: employee training, evaluation, self-care, stress

Community InvolvementCounseling, Psychological and Social ServicesEmployee Wellness

Robert McCarthy

Professor and Dean Emeritus

Pharmacy Practice

Professor focused on ethical issues facing pharmacy practitioners and the practical aspects of leadership

Keywords: health care ethics, leadership, pharmacy ethics

Paula McCauley

Associate Clinical Professor

School of Nursing

Jennifer McGarry

Professor, Department Head, Executive Director of Husky Sport

Educational Leadership (Neag)

Individual level impacts of SBYD on pre-adolescents and the reciprocal impact on college student mentors

Keywords: Gender and Race, Sport, Sport Based Youth Development (SBYD)

Community InvolvementHealth EducationNutrition Environment and ServicesPhysical Education and Physical ActivitySocial and Emotional Climate

Rory McGloin

Associate Professor

Communication

Exploring the use of virtual exer-gaming technology and its ability to promote physical activity among youths

Keywords: immersion, Interactive and virtual exer-gaming, realism

Community InvolvementFamily EngagementHealth EducationPhysical Education and Physical Activity

Timothy McKay

Graduate Student

Human Development and Family Sciences

Research Assistant to Dr. Ryan Watson; my research focuses on gender minority youth health and well-being

Keywords: Gender, LBGTQ, Non-binary, Sexual minority, Transgender

Counseling, Psychological and Social ServicesFamily EngagementHealth EducationHealth ServicesSocial and Emotional Climate

Sarah McKee

Graduate Student

Human Development and Family Sciences and Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity

Graduate student focused on developmental approaches to preventing childhood obesity

Keywords: childhood obesity prevention

Nutrition Environment and Services

Erin Mead

Assistant Professor

UConn Health Center School of Medicine

Focused on risk factors for tobacco use and polyuse in young people, and tobacco regulatory science

Keywords: Polyuse, Regulatory Science, Tobacco, Vulnerable Populations

Health Education

Amy Mobley

Associate Professor

Health Education and Behavior (University of Florida)

Associate Professor focused on nutrition education and obesity prevention

Keywords: nutrition education and behavior, obesity prevention

Community InvolvementFamily EngagementHealth EducationNutrition Environment and Services

Cristina Mogro-Wilson

Associate Professor

School of Social Work

Strengthening Latino families through parenting, focusing on fathers, and the resiliency of the Latino culture

Keywords: culture, fatherhood, Latinos, Parenting, substance use

Community InvolvementCounseling, Psychological and Social ServicesFamily Engagement

Christin Munsch

Assistant Professor

Sociology

Katie Newkirk

Postdoctoral Fellow

Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Center for Behavioral Health

My research focuses on parents’ and their children’s mental health in the context of families and work

Keywords: Gender, mental health, Parenting, perinatal, work-family

Community InvolvementHealth Education

Christine Ohannessian

Professor, Director of the Center for Behavioral Health at CCMC

Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Pediatrics, Psychiatry (Medicine),

My research primarily focuses on adolescent substance use, internalizing problems, and technology use

Keywords: adolescence, anxiety, depression, substance use, technology

Community InvolvementHealth Education

Sue Peters

Director

School Health Centers &
Dental Program, New Haven Public Schools

Health Services

Carol Polifroni

Professor

School of Nursing

Professor in School of Nursing with research focus on joy and meaning in nursing and workforce diversity

Keywords: health policy, meaning and joy, workforce diversity

Community InvolvementEmployee WellnessHealth EducationHealth ServicesPhysical EnvironmentSocial and Emotional Climate

Rebecca Puhl

Professor

Human Development and Family Sciences and Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity

My research broadly addresses weight-based bullying, bias, and discrimination experienced by children and adults

Keywords: bullying, discrimination, obesity, weight stigma

Health ServicesSocial and Emotional Climate

Kerri Raissian

Associate Professor

Public Policy

Focused on child and family policy analysis, specifically promoting child well-being and reducing family violence

Keywords: children and families, quantitative analysis, social policy

Counseling, Psychological and Social ServicesFamily EngagementHealth Services

Danielle Rathey

Adjunct Professor

New York University, Southern Connecticut State University

I am working on research that joins the disciplines of ballet and psychology

Keywords: ageism, ballet, character strengths, motivation, Wellness

Physical Education and Physical ActivitySocial and Emotional Climate

Deborah Redford-Badwal

Associate Professor

Craniofacial Sciences, Pediatric Dentistry (UCHC)

Director of Pediatric Dental Clinic in West Hartford seeing inner city children with high incidence of caries

Keywords: childhood obesity, dental caries

Health Services

Jordan Rees

Graduate Student

Sociology

Kathleen Renna

Undergraduate Student

Allied Health Sciences (Diagnostic Genetic Sciences)

Undergraduate researcher investigating neuroregeneration with an interest in public health genomics and One Health

Keywords: genetics, genomics, Neuroscience, One Health, Public Health

Community InvolvementCounseling, Psychological and Social ServicesHealth EducationHealth ServicesPhysical EnvironmentSocial and Emotional Climate

Gloriana Rodriguez-Arauz

Graduate Student

Psychological Sciences

PhD Candidate in Social Psychology, interested in the role of parenting and culture in childhood obesity

Keywords: childhood obesity, culture, food, food attitudes, Parenting

Family EngagementHealth EducationNutrition Environment and ServicesPhysical Education and Physical Activity

Ari Romano-Verthelyi

Graduate Student

Psychological Sciences

Doctoral Student in Clinical Psychology with a focus on behavior disorders, schools, and Latino mental health care

Keywords: Behavior Disorders, Latina/os, School-Based Interventions

Counseling, Psychological and Social ServicesFamily Engagement

Beth Russell

Associate Professor

Human Development and Family Sciences

Associate professor focused on self-regulation in normative and special populations, using a family systems lens

Keywords: Health/wellbeing, Parent child relationships, Self-regulation

Community InvolvementCounseling, Psychological and Social ServicesFamily EngagementSocial and Emotional Climate

Ron Sabatelli

Emeritus Professor

Human Development and Family Sciences

Lisa Sanetti

Associate Professor

Educational Psychology (Neag)

Associate professor of school psychology focused on educator wellness and implementation science

Keywords: educator wellness, implementation science

Counseling, Psychological and Social ServicesEmployee WellnessSocial and Emotional Climate

Mamta Saxena

Assistant Professor

SUNY Oswego, Human Development

Marlene Schwartz

Professor and Director

Human Development and Family Sciences and Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity

Dr. Schwartz specializes in school wellness and nutrition programs, food insecurity, and federal food policies

Keywords: Food Insecurity, Nutrition in Food Programs, School Wellness

Nutrition Environment and Services

Sudha Srinivasan

Assistant Professor

Kinesiology

Research on developmental disabilities across the lifespan and interventions to improve health-related outcomes

Keywords: Assistive Technology, Children, disability, Rehabilitation

Community InvolvementPhysical Education and Physical Activity

Angela Starkweather

Professor & Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

School of Nursing

Focused on using omic methods to identify the mechanisms of chronic symptoms and develop targeted interventions

Keywords: genomics, metabolomics, microbiome, stress, symptoms

Community InvolvementCounseling, Psychological and Social ServicesEmployee WellnessFamily EngagementHealth EducationHealth ServicesNutrition Environment and ServicesPhysical Education and Physical ActivitySocial and Emotional Climate

Stacey Stearns

Program Specialist

UConn Extension

Focused on the intersection of communication and agriculture (projects include GMOs and local food)

Keywords: Agriculture, Communication, GMOs, Local Food

Community InvolvementFamily EngagementSocial and Emotional Climate

Nidhi Taneja

Graduate Student

Pediatric Dentistry (UCHC)

Resident and Graduate student in Pediatric Dentistry focused on special needs children and behavior management

Keywords: ASD, Behavior Management, Pediatric Dentistry, Special Needs

Community InvolvementCounseling, Psychological and Social ServicesHealth EducationHealth Services

Wendy Ulaszek

Associate Research Professor

School of Social Work

Miriam Valdovinos

Assistant Professor

University of Denver, Graduate School of Social Work

Assistant Professor of Social Work with a focus on health and well-being of Latinx families and children

Keywords: gender-based violence interventions, Latinx families

Community InvolvementCounseling, Psychological and Social ServicesSocial and Emotional Climate

Jeffrey Vanderploeg

President & CEO

Child Health and Development Institute (UCHC)

Policy, system development and practice initiatives in pediatric health care and children’s behavioral health care

Keywords: Behavioral Health, Early Childhood, Pediatric Primary Care

Community InvolvementCounseling, Psychological and Social ServicesFamily EngagementHealth EducationHealth ServicesSocial and Emotional Climate

Jaci VanHeest

Associate Professor, Director of Public Health Learning Community

Educational Psychology (Neag) and Kinesiology

Focuses on the impact of play on bioenergetic, fitness and academic parameters in children and adults

Keywords: academics, bioenergetic, endocrine, exergaming, play

Family EngagementPhysical Education and Physical Activity

Daniel Volk

Graduate Student

Educational Psychology (Neag)

Graduate student in school psychology interested in motivation/school climate, secondary transition, and school-family-community relationships

Keywords: School Climate/Motivation, School-Family-Community Relations

Community InvolvementFamily EngagementSocial and Emotional Climate

Kristina Wagstrom

Assistant Professor of Environmental Engineering Education

Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering

Physical Environment

Emily Wakefield

Pediatric Psychologist

Conneticut Children's Medical Center

Xiaojing Wang

Assistant Professor

Statistics

Assistant Professor of Statistics at University of Connecticut focused on Bayesian Statistics and its applications

Keywords: Latent Variable Models, Time Series Data Analysis

Shannon Wannagot

Graduate Student

Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences

Nicole Watkins

Postdoctoral Fellow

Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Center for Behavioral Health

Ryan J. Watson

Assistant Professor

Human Development and Family Sciences

Dr. Watson explores the health and well-being of sexual and gender minority (i.e., LGBTQ) children and adolescents

Keywords: family, Health, LGBTQ, sexuality

Community InvolvementHealth EducationHealth ServicesSocial and Emotional Climate

Timothy Watt

Graduate Student

Curriculum and Instruction (Neag)

Graduate student and teacher focused on creating a positive, supportive and enriching classroom environment

Keywords: Discourse, restorative practices, trauma, workshop

Community InvolvementFamily EngagementSocial and Emotional Climate

Katie (Katrina) Webber

Graduate Student

Communication

PhD student researching relational/communication/identity outcomes and social support for weight stigma, body image, and fatphobia

Keywords: body image, Health, interpersonal, social support, weight stigma

Community InvolvementCounseling, Psychological and Social ServicesFamily EngagementHealth EducationHealth ServicesNutrition Environment and ServicesPhysical Education and Physical ActivitySocial and Emotional Climate

Jesse White-Fresé

Executive Director

CT Association of School Based Health Centers

CASBHC provides advocacy, technical assistance, and training to the state’s school based health centers.

Counseling, Psychological and Social ServicesHealth EducationHealth ServicesSocial and Emotional Climate

Torri Ann Woodruff

Graduate Student

Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences

Interested in counseling and the application of family-centered care for children who are D/deaf or hard of hearing

Keywords: Audiology, Family-Centered Care

Counseling, Psychological and Social ServicesFamily Engagement

Ran Xu

Assistant Professor

Allied Health Sciences

Expertise includes quantitative methods and systems science, with applications in health and other social sciences

Keywords: ML, Quantitative Methods, Social Networks, Systems Science

Community InvolvementEmployee WellnessFamily EngagementHealth EducationNutrition Environment and ServicesSocial and Emotional Climate

William Zempsky

Director, Pain and Palliative Medicine

Conneticut Children's Medical Center

Yuping Zhang

Assistant Professor

Statistics

Developing statistical methods to address scientific problems in genomics, systems biology, and complex diseases

Keywords: machine learning, network analysis, statistical genomics