Alison Miller, PhD
Lab Director
Dr. Miller is a developmental psychologist who studies risk and resilience in children and families. She is Professor in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education (HBHE) in the U-M School of Public Health.
Sara Stein, PhD, LMSW
American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellow
Sara is an American Heart Association postdoctoral fellow. The central aim of her research is to identify mechanisms of trauma-related risk transmission across generations to increase effectiveness of evidence-based treatments and mitigate detrimental long-term physical and mental health outcomes in families and children. Sara is also currently a fully licensed, practicing clinical social worker in the State of Michigan with expertise in the treatment of complex trauma.
Olivia Halabicky, PhD, RN
Postdoctoral Fellow
Olivia is a postdoctoral fellow in the Environmental Toxicology and Epidemiology training program at the UM School of Public Health, with previous training in nursing and child health and wellbeing. The overarching goal of her research is to explain the mechanisms and co-exposures that contribute to differential vulnerability in health and neurocognitive outcomes resulting from early life lead exposure, so that improved strategies can be developed to mitigate long-term adverse health effects. In short, she seeks to understand what social, contextual, and biological factors influence the effect of lead on health and neurocognitive outcomes as children age.
Hurley Riley, MPH
Lab Manager
Hurley received his MPH in Health Behavior and Health Education from the University of Michigan School of Public Health in 2019. He also has a BS in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience from U-M. Prior to rejoining the lab in 2017, Hurley contributed to various projects at the Center for Human Growth and Development involving child media use. He is interested in factors that influence child development such as sleep, eating, and trauma.
Allison Choe
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Allison is an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan majoring in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience, with a minor in Community Action and Social Change. She joined the lab in April 2021. Allison is passionate about youth mental health, and she is interested in creating more equitable mental health care. She is also interested in social determinants of health, and how they can be addressed to improve the physical and mental well-being of children and families.
Chris Giang
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Chris is an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan who plans on majoring in Public Health. He joined the lab in April 2021. His interests center around behavioral responses to grief, loss, and coping seen particularly in children and families.
Cassidy Kearney
Research Assistant
Cassie is a current MPH student in Health Behavior and Health Education at the University of Michigan. She joined the lab in September 2022. She graduated from Middlebury College in 2022, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Global Health. Cassie is interested in maternal and child nutrition, youth and adolescent mental health, and community prevention efforts and health education initiatives for children. Outside the classrooms at SPH and the lab, Cassie is a cross country and track and field athlete at the U of M as well.
Xin Rong Dong
Behavioral Coder
Xin is an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan double majoring in Asian Studies and Psychology. She is interested in how diasporas and multicultural experiences affects child development and health.
Lisset De La Rosa
Behavioral Coder
Lisset is an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan pursuing a dual-major in Biopsychology, Cognition and Neuroscience and Romance Languages and Literatures. She joined the lab in September 2021 because she wanted to learn more about how children and families are impacted by health care disparities and the ways that we can support them to improve health outcomes.
Sarah Lindenbach
Behavioral Coder
Sarah is an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan LSA & SPH pursuing a dual degree in Psychology & Community and Global Public Health She joined the lab in March 2022. Sarah is passionate about developing a greater understanding of how children and families are impacted by health care disparities and how we can better support them by making community improvements.
LuzElena Molina-Medina
Behavioral Coder
LuzElena is an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan pursuing a dual-major in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience (BCN) and Spanish. She joined the lab in May 2022. LuzElena joined the lab because she is interested in understanding and addressing health disparities among multicultural communities. Specifically, the effect that this has on early home experiences of Latinx children and their developmental health.
Gillkaitlyn Palao
Behavioral Coder
Kaitlyn is an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan. She is majoring in Public Health Sciences. She joined the lab in August 2022. Her passion for maternal and child health stems from her experiences in Hawaii, where she was born, and the Philippines, where she grew up. She is interested in integrating public health and medicine to advocate for preventative and quality health care for families.
