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Meet the Team

Director

Rina Das Eiden

Director

I am interested in understanding developmental trajectories for children experiencing multiple adversities linked to parental substance use, as well as early childhood interventions designed to ameliorate these risks and promote competence. Much of my research seeks to understand developmental mechanisms that may explain the association between parental risk factors and child outcomes (e.g., infant-parent attachment, parent-child self-regulation, individual differences in children’s autonomic and stress reactivity, and immune/inflammatory mechanisms). I have a particular interest in prenatal and early childhood interventions for substance using parents, with the goal of understanding developmental mechanisms that promote resilience and positive developmental cascades for children in the context of pre/postnatal risks.

Current projects include a randomized clinical trial to promote co-parenting and reduce father/non-pregnant partner hazardous drinking in expectant parents; a translational (human-animal) study of prenatal tobacco and cannabis exposure effects on middle childhood outcomes in a sample recruited in pregnancy; developmental pathways to violence, victimization, and substance use in a sample exposed to cocaine and other substances in utero; and a collaboration with Dr. Mary Dozier on a clinical trial for opioid-dependent mothers living in poverty. Finally, in collaboration with Drs. Jenae Neiderhiser and Danielle Downs, we are examining risk and protective processes among rural families with the larger goal of understanding rural health disparities.

Lab Manager

Rebecca Lim

Lab Manager

Becca is the lab manager for the Development, Risk, & Resilience Lab at Penn State. She holds her Bachelor’s in Psychology and Education from UC San Diego, where she assisted with research studying child and community wellbeing, child development, and social emotional learning (SEL) in diverse school and community contexts. Becca has worked with children and adolescents in a number of K-12 settings, and she is interested in community-engaged approaches to researching mental health and educational equity. She hopes to eventually attend graduate school to study how school, family, and community-based programs can advance equitable developmental outcomes for children and empower under-resourced communities.

Graduate Students

Miglena Ivanova

Doctoral Student

Miglena Ivanova, M.S., is a fourth-year doctoral student in Developmental Psychology, working with Dr. Rina Eiden and Dr. Jenae Neiderhiser. Miglena is also a Prevention and Methodology Training (PAMT) pre-doctoral fellow, working with Dr. Ashley Linden-Carmichael, and secondary advisor Dr. Qiushi Chen. Her research interests center on the understanding of differential pathways via which early risk and protective factors predict childhood codeveloping internalizing and externalizing behavior problem trajectories and subsequent unique patterns of adolescent substance use and psychological disorders. Miglena is interested in integrating advanced quantitative methodologies, including longitudinal growth modeling and machine learning, to explore her research interests. Her long-term goal is to translate her research into developing individualized evidence-based prevention techniques and early interventions. When not working on her research, Miglena dedicates her time to mentoring students, advocating for more representation of and equity for neurodiverse individuals in academia, and exploring new ideas and novel analytical methods.

Originally from Bulgaria, she received her B.S. degrees in Psychology and in Psychiatric Rehabilitation from Montana State University Billings in 2019, graduating as an Honors Scholar and the 2019 University Golden Merit Award Recipient.

Madison Kelm

Doctoral Student

Madison is a fourth-year doctoral student in the Developmental Psychology program working with Drs. Rina Eiden and Douglas Teti. In 2019 she graduated from the University of Oregon with degrees in Psychology and Spanish where she worked with Dr. Elizabeth Skowron examining the efficacy of a parenting intervention for CPS-involved families. In December of 2022, Madison earned her master’s degree in Developmental Psychology with her thesis titled “Maternal History of Maltreatment, Substance Use in Pregnancy, and Maternal Mood Unpredictability as Predictors of Parenting Behavior.” Madison’s current research interests include intergenerational transmission of risk from mothers to their children across pregnancy, infancy, and early childhood. Specifically, Madison is interested in the effects of childhood maltreatment and substance use on parenting and child outcomes, including behavioral outcomes as well as biomarkers of adversity. When not at work or school, Madison loves to bake, go thrift shopping, and watch movies with her partner and cat.

Rachel Marcus

Doctoral Student

Rachel Marcus is a second-year Developmental Psychology doctoral student working with Dr. Rina Eiden. She graduated from UC Berkeley in Spring 2019 with a BA in Molecular and Cell Biology and Minors in Public Policy and The Developing Child. At Berkeley, Rachel worked under Dr. Alison Gopnik and Dr. Robert Levenson. After graduating, Rachel was a Study Coordinator for Dr. Wei Gao at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA. Under Dr. Eiden, she plans to utilize statistical methods and evidence-based interventions to better understand pathways to adolescent substance use and internalizing symptoms. She is currently evaluating how the interaction of parenting styles and peer engagement is associated with adolescent substance use. She is specifically interested in how early adolescent risk factors predict late adolescent outcomes. In her free time, Rachel enjoys reading, running, and training her puppy, Cali.

Rachel Level

Doctoral Student

Rachel Level is currently working her internship at Allegheny General Hospital. She was a doctoral student in the Child Clinical Psychology doctoral program at Penn State. Rachel received her undergraduate degree at Vassar College, where she worked in an infant lab studying the effects of infant cries on mothers’ emotion regulation and stress response. Her master’s research examined mother-infant relationships in the context of maternal depression and family conflict. Rachel is interested in understanding mechanisms of risk and resilience in the context of parental psychopathology to promote optimal emotional development and regulation within families. She spends her free time cooking, dreaming of traveling, and playing with her dog, Birdie.

Post-Doctoral Scholars

Danielle Seay

Postdoctoral Scholar

Danielle Seay is a postdoctoral scholar in the Gene Environment Interplay Across the Lifespan and the Development, Risk and Resilience Labs at Penn State. She got her B.S in Human Development and Family Science from the University of Texas at Austin, a M.S. in Psychology from the University of Texas at San Antonio, and a Ph.D. in Family and Human Development from Arizona State University. Her research broadly focuses on processes that contribute to risk, resilience, and competence in children, particularly the interplay between genetic, cultural and environmental influences on young children’s socio-emotional development.

Kristin Perry

Postdoctoral Scholar

Kristin Perry is a T32 funded postdoctoral scholar in the Prevention and Methodology Training Program working with Drs. Rina Eiden and Stephanie Lanza. She received her B.A in Psychology from the University of California Santa Barbara and a M.A. in Psychology from San Diego State University. She completed her clinical internship with a focus on child and adolescent populations at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York. Her research broadly focuses on the development of externalizing behavior across development and the risk and protective processes that influence this development.

Research Coordinators

Makenna Luzenski

Research Study Coordinator

Makenna is the research study coordinator for the PA Birth Cohort Study in the Development, Risk, & Resilience Lab and Exercise Psychology Lab at Penn State. She earned her bachelor’s degree with honors in Psychology and Economics from Bucknell University. Her research experience spreads a wide breadth, including experience researching parent-child dynamics, childhood autonomy, emerging adult outcomes, caregiver psychology, gender development, and nature school education. Her goal is attend graduate school to earn her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology in the comings years, exploring her research interests of childhood risk and protective factors, resilience, and parent-child dynamics in relation to socio-economic status as a dynamic system in development and specifically how low-socioeconomic status influences developmental outcomes

Research Assistants

Hannah Brownstein

Hannah Brownstein

Undergraduate Researcher

Hannah Brownstein is a Junior at Penn State majoring in Psychology with a minor in Human Development & Family Studies. Hannah has always had a passion for working with children containing developmental and learning disabilities. After graduation, she aspires to attend graduate school in hopes to become a School Psychologist. Outside of school, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, cooking, traveling, and skiing!
Hannah Brownstein

Keelia Chilberg

Undergraduate Researcher

Keelia Chilberg is a Senior at Penn State majoring in Psychology with a minor in Sociology. Post-graduation she aspires to attend a clinical psychology Ph.D. program so that she may pursue a career as a clinical psychologist. Keelia hopes to specialize in substance abuse and trauma management and is considering work with adolescent populations. During her spare time, she loves to read, workout, collect books, and spend time with friends.
Nine Dillon

Nina Dillon

Undergraduate Researcher

Nina Dillon is a third-year student majoring in psychology and minoring in human development and family studies and global and international studies. Nina loves to work with children and is interested in a variety of career outcomes including child counseling and school psychology. After graduation, she plans on continuing her education to receive her master’s degree. Nina has been involved in the lab for 2 semesters and is a member of the systematic review team and participant recruitment team. In her free time, she enjoys skiing, traveling, and experiencing new things.
Nine Dillon

Judson Dommer

Undergraduate Researcher

Judson Dommer is a third-year student at Penn State pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Post-graduation, he hopes to attend a MD/PhD medical school program for pursuing a career in Psychiatry, in which he hopes to work with children, adolescents, and young adults in mental health treatment. Additionally, Judson hopes to be involved in psychopharmacological research and stay a part of the pursuit of new knowledge. Judson is President of the Blooms and Shrooms club, is an active member of the Nittany Grotto Caving and Competitive Ballroom Dance clubs, and is passionate about rock climbing, theater, and his cat, Riley.
Nine Dillon

Alison Harvey

Undergraduate Researcher

Alison Harvey is a first-year student in the Schreyer Honors College majoring in biobehavioral health. After graduating from Penn State, she plans to attend medical school and eventually specialize in pediatrics. Alison is interested in how physical health and well-being are directly related to the environment a child lives in and the social experiences they have. In her free time, Alison enjoys hiking, snowboarding, working out, and traveling.

Nine Dillon

Kavya Iyer

Undergraduate Researcher

Kavya is a third-year student double majoring in Psychology as well as Human Development and Family Studies. She hopes to work with adolescents and young adults after graduating. She is specifically interested in pursuing a career that combines both of these majors, such as clinical psychology or behavioral health therapy. Her specific interests include anxiety, PTSD, and LGBTQIA+ topics. In her free time, she loves reading, playing tennis, traveling, and being with friends and family.

Leyi Liu

Undergraduate Researcher

Leyi Liu is a junior majoring Psychology with a minor in Korean language. Leyi is interested in social psychology and development psychology. As a career goal, she wishes to work with teenagers and use her knowledge to help them. After graduation, she plans to continue her study on social psychology in graduate school. In her free time, she usually spends time on watching movies, cooking, and traveling with friends. She also loves cats!
Peri Manoff

Peri Manoff

Undergraduate Researcher

Peri Manoff is a third-year student pursuing a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology with a minor in Sports Studies. After graduating from Penn State, Peri hopes to go to graduate school with a focus on clinical/counseling psychology. She wants to work with children and specialize in anxiety, phobias, and other mental health disorders with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as the primary treatment style. Outside of school, Peri loves to read, play and watch sports, be outside, and spend time with her family and friends!
Peri Manoff

Ella McCoy

Undergraduate Researcher

Ella is a Junior majoring in Psychology with a minor in Human Development and Family Studies, as well as a Business Fundamentals Certificate. She intends to go to graduate school to pursue a master’s degree in counseling and work with children and families in the future. Ella spends her free time reading, working out, being outdoors, and getting involved in her THON organization as much as she can.

Christopher Miscannon

Undergraduate Researcher

Chris is a third year student at Penn State majoring in psychology and minoring in early education and development. Chris is interested in educational psychology and after graduation plans to pursue a masters in school psychology. During the summers, Chris works as a camp counselor at an overnight camp in Maine for two months and loves that he is able to fulfill his passion of working with children. Chris is also a member of Psi Chi and Penn State CrossFit where he currently serves as their Family Relations THON Chair.
Yejin Park

Yejin Park

Undergraduate Researcher

Yejin is a second-year student majoring in human development and family studies in the Life span Human service option. She is interested in children’s development and mental health issues in relation to the impacts of parenting and family relationships. As a long-term career goal, she pursues to be a counselor to help children and families. with this interest, she currently plans to go to graduate school to study developmental/clinical psychology. In her free time, she loves listening to music, practicing yoga, and traveling.
Nicole Siciliano

Nicole Siciliano

Undergraduate Researcher

Nicole Siciliano is currently in her junior year of her undergraduate career at Penn State. She is on track to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology with a minor in human development and family studies. Nicole is passionate about developmental psychology and would like to enter a profession that allows her to better the lives of children. Although Nicole is still discovering her interests within the field of psychology, she plans to attend graduate school after graduation and is considering a career as school psychologist. Nicole is excited to be a part of the lab and gain valuable knowledge and skills as a result of this experience.
Nicole Siciliano

Ashley Tarud

Undergraduate Researcher

Ashley Tarud is currently a junior majoring in Psychology (B.S). and double minoring in Rehabilitation and Human Services along with Child Maltreatment and Advocacy Studies. Ashley is still exploring psychology, however she has a desire to work with children or young adults in the future and is excited to gain more knowledge through this lab. Her plan is to attend graduate school for clinical psychology after graduation. Ashley enjoys reading, listening to music, walking, and spending time with friends and family in her free time.
Fabiola Tous

Macy Watkins

Undergraduate Researcher

Macy is a junior in the Schreyer Honors College pursuing a double major in Psychology and Spanish with a minor in Political Science. Macy is fascinated by many fields of psychology but finds developmental psychology particularly interesting as she holds a strong desire to help children. After graduation, Macy plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology. Outside of psychology and the lab, Macy works as a mentor at Penn State’s Public Speaking Center where she enjoys helping her peers feel more comfortable with public speaking. Macy also volunteers with THON and is very passionate about the work THON does to improve the lives of children and families impacted by childhood cancer. Macy is looking forward to Spring 2024 where she will be spending the semester in Granada, Spain immersing herself in Spanish language and culture.

Rachel Weis

Rachel Weis

Undergraduate Researcher

Rachel is a senior student majoring in B.S. Psychology, with additional minors in Sociology and Natural Science. In the future, she hopes to further pursue her passion for understanding the human mind in connection with crimes and deviancy. With an interest in deviance in children as well as childhood trauma, Rachel intends to follow the path to a career of helping troubled children or adults who endured a troubled youth. After her undergraduate, she plans to attend graduate school to obtain her master’s. Outside of school and work, Rachel enjoys reading, baking, and working out.

Collaborating Staff

Meghan Casey Leising

Lab Manager

Meghan is a Lab Manager and Project Coordinator at the University at Buffalo. She is currently managing the Strong Foundations, Maternal and Child Health Study, and Growing Up Healthy projects after working for several years coding observational assessments and managing a prospective study of children of fathers with alcohol problems. She has a particular interest in racial/ethnic disparities in maternal and child health.

Elizabeth Young

Coding Supervisor

Elizabeth has worked in the lab at SUNY at Buffalo for 20 years in the area of child development and on several addiction studies. She started as a research tech after college, conducting assessments with parent-child dyads. With an interest in the education system, she then moved on to become a school coordinator, scheduling and conducting observations in schools across western New York. Elizabeth currently holds a coding supervisor position in the lab. She trains students and staff on various observational coding paradigms from infancy to adolescence.

 

 

Shannon Shisler

Data Manager and Analyst

Dr. Shisler has worked in Dr. Eiden’s lab for over 17 years on multiple studies of child development in substance-exposed children. Her research interests include the impact of cumulative risk on child development, which may be particularly salient for prenatally substance-exposed children as they may be exposed to larger constellations of risk factors. Shannon serves as a data manager and analyst for several of Dr. Eiden’s projects. She also works for the Department of Pediatrics (SUNY at Buffalo) and is a Senior Research Fellow for the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie, London, UK).

 

 

Junru Zhao

Data Analyst

Dr. Zhao is working as a data analyst in the lab and is interested in the role of community violence in predicting child outcomes. She is a developmental scientist by training.

 

 

Additional Collaborators

Stephanie Anzman-Frasca, PhD.

Craig Colder, PhD.

Kurt Dermen, PhD.

Danielle Downs, PhD.

Mary Dozier, PhD.

Mark Feinberg, PhD.

Stephanie Godleski, PhD.

Douglas Granger, PhD.

Karen Grewen, PhD.

Larry Hawk, PhD.

Kai Ling Kong, PhD.

Jenae Neiderhiser, PhD.

Amanda Nickerson, PhD.

Jamie Ostrov, PhD.

Abigail Pauley, PhD.

Lijun Li, PhD.

Pamela Schuetze, PhD.

Payanotis Thanos, PhD.

Xiaozhong Wen, PhD.

Alumni

Kiara Cruz

Laura Levitt

Laura Leavitt

Laura Lucks

Megan Suomela

Sydney Thiem

Wenting Zhu

Wenting Zhu

Tommy Bennett

Yufei Wang

Yufei (April) Wang

Kaylyn Headshot

Kaylyn Clouser

Shannon Greve

Katrina Herrera

Nicolas Cunderlik

Nicolas Cunderlik