People
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Betty Lin, Ph.D.
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Graduate Research Assistants
Amanda Flagg, M.A.
Amanda is a fifth year clinical psychology student at the University at Albany. She earned her B.A. in Psychology with minors in Spanish and Human Development & Family Studies at the University of Delaware. While at UD, Amanda worked as a research associate under the mentorship of Dr. Mary Dozier in the Attachment & Biobehavioral Catch-up lab, which studies the effects of early adversity on child development. Upon graduation, she accepted a full time position with the lab and supervised and tracked fidelity for clinicians implementing both the infant and toddler models of the intervention in the community. She was also involved as a parent coach in the ongoing clinical trial of a modified version of ABC, for families struggling with opioid dependence. In the evenings, Amanda worked as a pediatric extern at Nemours/A.I. DuPont Hospital for Children in the Parent-Child Conduct Clinic. Amanda also volunteered as a Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for children and adolescents in the foster care system. Her primary interests include 1) working with and studying at-risk children who have experienced early adversity/ stress exposure and the effects on self-regulation, health problems, and temperament, 2) the parent-child relationships as both a risk and a protective factor, 3) the intergenerational effect of adverse childhood experiences, 4) perinatal and maternal stress, and 5) improving the dissemination and implementation of interventions aimed to serve high-risk and underserved populations in community, school, and primary care settings.
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Victoria Ledsham, M.S.
Victoria is a fourth year PhD student in the Clinical Psychology program at UAlbany. She completed a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Hispanic Languages at McGill University and earned a M.S. in Children & Young People’s Mental Health & Psychological Practice at the University of Edinburgh. After obtaining her Master’s degree, Victoria served as a research assistant on the Theirworld Edinburgh Birth Cohort– a longitudinal study investigating the effects of preterm birth on neurodevelopmental, cognitive and behavioral outcomes in children. She is primarily interested in studying how early life stressors (e.g., type-1 diabetes, adversity) might impact cognitive and social development in children
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Rachel Middleton, M.A.
Rachel is a fourth year Ph.D. student in the Clinical Psychology program at UAlbany. She completed her B.A. in psychology and a minor in anthropology at Temple University in Philadelphia. After obtaining her degree, Rachel worked as a therapeutic staff support worker assisting children with ASD transition to mainstream classrooms. Looking to hone her research skills, she spent the next few years working at the New York State Psychiatric Institute at Columbia University. While there, she coordinated treatment outcome studies ranging from neuroimaging to industry-sponsored trials. Rachel's primary interests include risk and resilience and the impact of early life adversity on child development.
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Annabelle Armah, M.A.
Annabelle is a third year Ph.D. student in the Clinical Psychology program at the University at Albany. She earned B.As in Psychology and Human Development and Family Science with a minor in Spanish from the University of Georgia. At the University of Georgia, Annabelle was a research assistant in the Development and Psychopathology Lab, investigating risk and protective processes in diverse families using behavioral and psychophysiological methods. She also completed a research internship at the Couples and Relationship Enrichment Lab, which conducts federally funded relationship education programs, and volunteered at the Youth Development Institute, which studies resilience and adjustment in at-risk youth. As a McNair Scholar, Annabelle completed her honors thesis on the effects of racial discrimination on parenting behavior in Black families. She also worked as an America Reads tutor, providing educational support to school-age children. She is primarily interested in how stress impacts parent-child relationships and physiological reactivity in racial minority families.
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Lydia Bierce, M.S.
Lydia is a first year Ph.D. student in the Clinical Psychology program at the University at Albany. She completed her B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience at Wake Forest University and earned a M.S. in Experimental Psychology at William & Mary. While earning her Master’s, Lydia worked under Dr. Madelyn Labella in the RISE lab, coordinating data collection for a multimethod study evaluating contextual predictors of emerging self-regulation skills in toddlerhood. She also assisted with a project assessing the efficacy of a modified version the Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up program for mothers with opioid dependence through a collaboration with the University of Delaware. Lydia is primarily interested in how different perinatal and early life experiences relate to parent-child relationships, self-regulation, and stress physiology.
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Post-Baccalaureate and Undergraduate Research Assistants
Rachel Cole, B.S.Rachel graduated from SUNY Albany in December 2021, with a B.S. degree in Biology. In her last semester at SUNY Albany, she was a research assistant in Dr. Yigit's bio-nanotechnology lab where they conducted research mainly focused on the many uses of nanoparticles and nanotechnology. Upon graduating, she worked as a peer tutor in the Introduction to Biology Academic Support Center at SUNY Albany where she worked with other tutors to assist and support undergraduate students in their introductory biology studies. She was also a member of a nationally affiliated sorority, for whom she served as secretary and community service chair on the executive board. She has been working at Albany Medical Center for about a year as a patient care associate on the vascular surgery unit. Her long-term goal is to pursue a career in healthcare, hopefully obtaining her doctoral degree and specializing in dermatology.
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Kamela CenkoKamela is in her third and final year of undergraduate study at the University at Albany. She is graduating this upcoming Spring 2023 semester with a BA in Psychology and a minor in Social Welfare. She is currently enrolled in the combined Mental Health Counseling Master’s program at the University at Albany and will start her next degree this upcoming summer semester. Upon completing her degree, she hopes to gain field experience doing general counseling and eventually pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology. She graduated as Valedictorian of her high school, has been on the Dean's List throughout her entire time at UAlbany, and is currently the president of the Presidential Honors Society. When not focused on school, she works as a barista and volunteers in a local daycare. In her spare time, she loves baking, reading, and painting.
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Oludayo Ogundimu, B.S.
Oludayo Ogundimu graduated with a B.S. in biology, minor in chemistry in Spring 2023 and is currently a first year master's student in the school of public health at UAlbany. Oludayo transferred to University at Albany in Fall 2021 from Seton Hall University. He has centered his course of study upon his passion and long-term career goal of becoming a doctor. He is passionate about science and hopes to focus on sports medicine in my career. One of Oludayo's interests is to develop my research skills. During the Summer of 2019, Oludayo had the opportunity to participate in an research internship at Columbia University. After the pause from the pandemic, he resumed work with the team and helped complete an article for publication during the fall 2021 semester. Working on this study allowed grow his interest for research, which is why he is happy to be a part of Dr. Lin’s lab.
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