Research Team
Alejandra Garcia Isaza
Hometown: Medellin, Colombia
Program: Provost Early Career Fellowship
Previous Degrees: Ph.D. and M.S. in Prevention Science from the University of Oregon; Licensed Professional Psychologist from Universidad de San Buenaventura, Colombia.
Research Interests: Intervention development, adaptation, and testing; culturally responsive measure development; School-based interventions; education system change.
Previous Experience: I worked as a psychologist at a public early education program in Medellin, Colombia. There, I collaborated with researchers from the University of Oregon (UO) to lead a pilot of a two-generation evidence-based group parenting intervention. This experience led me to pursue a Ph.D. in Prevention Science at the UO. As a graduate research assistant, I worked at the Center for Equity Promotion, gaining experience in multiple intervention development studies, some of which I am still involved in today!
Other Interests: Insight Buddhist meditation, DJing, dancing, spending time with friends, petting other people’s dogs.
Avia Bateman
Hometown: San Diego, California
Program: Doctoral Student, School/Clinical Child Psychology
Previous Degrees: BA in Psychology from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Research Interests: Mental health interventions related to child development and mental well-being. Assessing the impact of social relationships on child mental health development. Issues related to racial identity development.
Previous Experience: During my undergraduate program I was a McNair Scholar. I have worked on a project identifying the impact of the quality and quantity of interracial relationships for college aged students. I have also helped conduct qualitative interviews for Board members and caregivers of the LIFT program (longitudinal mentorship program). This past summer, I worked as an Administrative Assistant for a summer camp program for elementary school-aged children.
Other Interests: Exercise, hiking drawing, writing and attending music events
Claudia Reino Santamaria
Hometown: Bedford, NY
Program: Doctoral Student, School/Clinical Child Psychology
Previous Degrees: BA in Psychology from Boston College
Research Interests: Issues facing Incarcerated populations, Latinx populations, and other marginalized groups
Previous Experience: Before graduate school, I worked in 2 psychiatric rehabilitation centers, one in Boston, MA and another in Santiago, Chile. I also worked in a men’s prison during university helping students/inmates attain their GEDs and complete courses for college credit to assist with reentry. During graduate school, I work on local and global projects centered on the corrections system and access to resources
Other Interests: Taking care of my plants, spending time with my friends, and hanging out with my puppy and kitten
Jackie Yang
Hometown: Stafford, Texas
Program: Counseling Psychology, PhD student at University of Texas at Austin
Previous Degrees: BS in Psychology at University of Texas at Austin
Research Interests: Examining both distal and proximal factors contributing to the mental health of marginalized populations, with a specific focus on Asian Americans. Currently, I am investigating the different pathways that may lead to the internalization of the Model Minority Stereotype and aim to clarify the mixed mental health outcomes associated with this internalization.
Previous Experience: L.E.A.P lab research assistant, worked on a clinical trial with the Laboratory for the Study of Anxiety Disorder, Gender, Sexuality, and Behavioral Health lab, and the Work Equity Race Culture lab. I have additional experiences with applying for approval with the IRB, creating surveys, conducting general statistical analysis, and manuscript writing and publishing.
Other Interests: Going to the gym, playing video games, reading, discovering new restaurants, and working with clinical clients.
Katie Mason
Hometown: Jacksonville, FL
Program: Doctoral student, Special Education at University of Texas at Austin
Previous Degrees: MS in Government Analytics from Johns Hopkins University, BBA from Emory University
Research Interests: Prevention science, mathematics and behavioral difficulties, and translational research
Previous Experience: Researcher for the Prevention Program at the Johns Hopkins Center for Prevention and Early Intervention; researcher for NIH-funded Alcohol, Drug and Tobacco studies at Westat; researcher for school-based mathematics interventions Project STAIR and Project SPIRAL at UT Austin; teacher trainer in prevention science at the PAXIS Institute; alumna for the Modern Meta-analytic Research Institute; and fellow for the Translational Visual Abstracts NSF-funded grant
Other Interests: Exploring the world with my son, spending time with family and friends, cycling, and reading
Lavangi Naithani
Hometown: Delhi, India
Program: Doctoral Student, School/Clinical Child Psychology
Previous Degrees: MA in Applied Clinical Psychology from Jamia Millia Islamia, India; Advanced Diploma in Child Guidance and Counseling from NIPCCD, India; BA Honors in Psychology from University of Delhi, India
Research Interests: Dissemination and implementation of evidence-based mental health treatments for diverse youth in low-resource settings
Previous Experience: Interventionist and Researcher at Sangath NGO, involved in training and supervising lay community health workers in an evidence-based intervention for families of children with autism (COMPASS project). Additionally, an implementation science research fellow at the Center for Mental Health Law and Policy on the Suicide Prevention Implementation Research Initiative (SPIRIT project) in Gujarat, India
Other Interests: Hiking and being in nature, traveling, exploring new cuisines, appreciating, and creating different forms of art
J. Mark Eddy
Hometowns: Mankato, Minnesota; Evanston, Illinois; Denton, Texas; Denver, Colorado; Eugene, Oregon
Program: Professor and Area Chair, School/Clinical Child Psychology, Department of Educational Psychology; Professor, Health Behavior and Health Education, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education
Previous Degrees: PhD in Clinical and Community Psychology from the University of Oregon; BS in Psychology from Texas A&M University
Research Interests: Developing and testing preventive interventions for children and families living in stressful circumstances
Previous Experience: Group home parent, Laradon Community Living, Denver, Colorado; researcher at Western Psychiatric Institute at the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; senior scientist at the Oregon Social Learning Center in Eugene, Oregon; research director at Partners for Our Children and faculty in the School of Social Work at the University of Washington in Seattle; and director of community based research at the Family Translational Research Group and faculty in the College of Dentistry at New York University in New York City
Other Interests: Spending time with my family and friends, reading, visiting museums, hiking in the mountains and along the beach, walking, running
Sarah Mason
Hometown: Jacksonville, FL
Program: Postdoctoral Fellow, Texas Center for Equity Promotion, College of Education, The University of Texas at Austin
Previous Degrees: Master of Health Science, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; Master Arts in Clinical Psychology, Case Western Reserve University; PhD in Special Education with a focus on learning disabilities and behavioral disorders.
Research Interests: Developing and testing school-based preventive interventions that promote students’ academic and psychosocial trajectories; Promote teacher resilience and prevent teacher burnout
Previous Experience: Curriculum development on the Latino Education After Public School (LEAPS) to improve post-secondary outcomes for bilingual first-generation Latino students; Interventionist and data manager on The Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction for Reading (SDLMI-R) to improve the outcomes of upper elementary students with or at-risk for reading difficulties; Interventionist on Behavior and Academic Supports: Integration and Cohesion (Project BASIC) to improve the outcomes of early elementary school for students with or at-risk for mathematic difficulties.
Other Interests: Traveling, paddle boarding, spending time with my family
Xiao Liu
Hometown: Hebei, China
Program: Assistant Professor, Quantitative Methods, Department of Educational Psychology
Previous Degrees: PhD in Quantitative Psychology and MS in Applied Statistics from University of Notre Dame; BS in Statistics from Renmin University of China
Research Interests: Developing and applying statistical methods for causal inference about the effects of interventions in the areas of children and families, communities and schools, and educational and health research. This includes but is not limited to mediation and moderation analyses, longitudinal data analyses, sensitivity analysis, and methods for clustered data.
Previous Experience: Research assistant in the Lab for Developmental and Health Research Methodology and the Trustworthy and Ethical Statistical Learning Lab at University of Notre Dame.
Other Interests: Chatting and spending time with families and friends, walking, reading
Ying Yang
Hometown: Suzhou, China
Program: Doctoral Student, Combined School/Clinical Child Psychology
Previous Degrees: B.S. in economics from Zhejiang University; M.A. in Economics of Education from Fudan University; Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Psychology from UC Berkeley
Research Interests: Unpacking the proximal processes through which early childhood experiences affect development into adulthood; evaluating interventions and identifying mediators and moderators.
Previous Experience: Before starting graduate school, I gained experience working with children from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds (e.g., rural students in Guizhou, China; bilingual students in Shanghai; and immigrant children in the U.S.), spanning various developmental stages (e.g., preschoolers, elementary, and middle school students).
Other Interests: Pilates, outdoor activities, and cooking