Family Adversity and Resilience Research Program
Our Team
Margaret Briggs-Gowan, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Ph.D., Developmental Psychology, Yale University
M.Phil., Developmental Psychology, Yale University
M.S., Developmental Psychology, Yale University
B.A., Honors Psychology, Brown University
Dr. Briggs-Gowan is a developmental psychologist and professor of psychiatry at the UConn School of Medicine. Her research focuses on: (1) the social-emotional development and well-being of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers; (2) the effects of early life adversity on children’s emotions, behavior, and development; and (3) improving methods for identifying and helping families with young children who are showing early signs of emotional or behavioral problems.
Damion Grasso, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, University of Delaware
M.A., General Psychology, Wesleyan University
B.A., Psychology, Skidmore College
Dr. Grasso is a licensed clinical psychologist and associate professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the UConn School of Medicine. Dr. Grasso’s research focuses on: (1) evidence-based assessment of trauma exposure and symptoms; (2) psychosocial interventions for treating trauma-related symptoms; (3) psychosocial and biological mechanisms associated with trauma-related stress reactivity in children; and (4) intergenerational patterns of cumulative exposure to adversity and trauma and associated risk of psychopathology and impairment. Dr. Grasso also provides clinical treatment of trauma-related problems at the UConn Health Psychological Trauma Clinic.
Carolyn Greene, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, University of Massachusetts Boston
M.A., Clinical Psychology, University of Massachusetts Boston
A.B., Psychology, Health and Development, Stanford University
Dr. Greene is a licensed clinical child psychologist and associate professor of psychiatry at the UConn School of Medicine. She specializes in the treatment of traumatic stress disorders and problems of emotion regulation with children, adolescents, and families. Her current research focuses on investigating how parents and children manage their emotions after very stressful life experiences. Dr. Greene also provides clinical treatment of trauma-related problems at the UConn Health Psychological Trauma Clinic.
Brandon Goldstein, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, Stony Brook University
M.A., Clinical Psychology, Stony Brook University
B.S., Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park
Dr. Goldstein is a clinical psychologist and researcher at the UConn School of Medicine. Dr. Goldstein’s research is currently focused broadly on child maltreatment and intimate partner violence and how these factors influence neuroelectrophysiological, biological, and behavioral responses to stress, family functioning and the development of emotional and behavioral problems in children. Dr. Goldstein’s previous work has focused on the psychosocial, cognitive, and biological markers of developing depression and anxiety in children and adolescents.
Danny Mulligan, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, Wayne State University
M.A., Clinical Psychology, Wayne State University
B.S., Psychology and Music Composition, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Dr. Mulligan is a postdoctoral scholar and clinician at the UConn School of Medicine. His research aims to identify modifiable early-life risk and resilience factors for emotion-related psychopathology, with a focus on the interconnected roles of socioeconomic inequalities, the psychophysiological effects of stress and trauma, family and social functioning, and the development of self-regulation. Dr. Mulligan also provides clinical treatment of trauma-related problems at the UConn Health Psychological Trauma Clinic.
Susie DiVietro, Ph.D.
Research Scientist
Dr. DiVietro is a medical anthropologist and research scientist at the Injury Prevention Center, Connecticut Children's/Hartford Hospital, instructor of Pediatrics at the UConn School of Medicine, and visiting assistant professor of anthropology at Trinity College. Her research focus is intimate partner violence, particularly in the context of health and trauma, and she is a certified domestic violence advocate.
Kimberly McCarthy
Research Associate and Project Director
M.S.W., Social Work, Fordham University
B.S., Psychology, University of Connecticut
Ms. McCarthy has almost two decades of research experience. From research assistant to data manager, she serves as the current project director for the FARR program and has been a key member of Dr. Briggs-Gowan’s young child research team for nearly 20 years. Additionally, Ms. McCarthy is a licensed master social worker and supervises social work interns for the FARR program.
Rocio Chang, M.A., Psy.D.
Investigator
Psy.D., Clinical Psychology, University of Hartford
M.A., Clinical Psychology, University of Hartford
B.S., Neuroscience, Trinity College
Dr. Chang is a practicing Psychologist and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at UConn Health. Her clinical interests focus primarily on psychotherapy with children, adolescents, adults, and biological, foster, and adoptive families, including treatment for mood and co-occurring disorders, PTSD, and complex trauma. Dr. Chang’s research focuses on traumatic stress and addictions. She has served as a therapist, trainer, and co-investigator on multiple studies regarding post-traumatic stress and substance use. She is bilingual and bicultural and deeply committed to building relationships across cultures and communities.
Sarah Gray, Ph.D.
Investigator
Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, University of Massachusetts Boston
M.A., Clinical Psychology, University of Massachusetts Boston
B.A., History, Yale University
Dr. Gray is a licensed clinical psychologist and associate professor of Psychological Sciences at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Gray’s research examines the developmental consequences of trauma and early life adversity, with a specific focus on intergenerational processes.
David FitzGerald, Ph.D.
Investigator
Ph.D., Counseling/Developmental Psychology, University of Notre Dame
M.A., Psychology, University of Notre Dame
B.A., Psychology, University of Notre Dame
Dr. FitzGerald is a licensed psychologist and assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UConn Health. Dr. FitzGerald is the director of the UConn Health Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic, where he provides outpatient therapy and assessments. His research interests focus on social-cognitive and family factors related to typical development and childhood aggressive behavior. Dr. FitzGerald provides clinical support for many of our studies.
Current FARR Staff Members
Olivia Arciero
Olivia Arciero received a B.A. in Cognitive Sciences from the University of Connecticut. Olivia was awarded as a research fellow for the Institute of the Brain and Cognitive Sciences (IBACS) at the University of Connecticut. Her research interests focus on how the brain stores and processes information, specifically emotional and categorical stimuli measured using electroencephalography (EEG).
Matthew Lewin, M.D.
Matthew Lewin earned a B.S. in Biomedical Sciences at Oakwood University and a medical degree from the UConn School of Medicine. His research interests include studying the relationship between trauma exposure and behavioral outcomes in children. His extracurricular interests include mentorship of middle and high school students in his local community.
Lab Members (Current and Former)
*Current lab member.
‡Special thanks to those who have devoted the better part of 2 or more years to working, interning, or volunteering for our studies.
Doctoral Students
UConn Doctoral Students in Psychology
- Ana Barbosa Torreao Dau, Clinical Psychology*‡
- Lexi Crawford, School Psychology
- Olivia Derella, Clinical Psychology
- Christiana Field, Clinical Psychology
- Lauren Haisley, Clinical Psychology
- Kimmia Lyon, School Psychology
- Emily Peters, School Psychology
- Destiny Printz Pereira, Clinical Psychology‡
- Hilary Skov, Clinical Psychology*‡
UConn Postdoctoral Fellows
- Brandon Goldstein, Ph.D., Department of Psychiatry*‡
- Daniel J. Mulligan, Ph.D., Department of Psychiatry*
- Pareek Vikas, Ph.D., UConn Brain Imaging Research Center, Postdoctoral Fellow
UConn Medical Students
- Leah Azab‡
- Divya Bana
- Helen Bian*
- Marisa Boch
- Tyler Chavers*
- Evins Clauthier
- Mario Felix*‡
- Nathaniel Jenkins‡
- Maitreyee Kale
- Mita Kale
- Rebecca Kenney
- Alden Landry‡
- Autumn Leavitt*
- Matthew Lewin‡
- Alexis Lighten
- Alex Luo*
- Lukas McNaboe‡
- Jessica Munck‡
- Sandhya Sanapala
- Sara Levy Schulwolf*‡
- Ethan Thomas Shuster
- Perpetual Taylor
- Andrew Trinh
- Carli Wallace
UConn School of Social Work
- Alexandra Esposito
- Linsday Fresher, Practicum Student‡
- Alysse Loomis‡
- Amanda Weech, LMSW‡
UConn Research Assistants
- Rebecca Burke, UConn Health
- Edith Rivera Gonzalez, UConn Health
- Sophie Kuchel, UConn Health‡
- Lauren Lamberg, UConn Health
- Miranda Marris, UConn Health‡
- Anusha Mohan, UConn Storrs‡
- Julie Mordasiewicz, Volunteer‡
- Sagar Pathani, Volunteer*
- Paige Pikulski, UConn Health
- Mayra Pino, UConn Health, Connecticut Childrens‡
- Arielle Rice, UConn Health
- Ernesto Rodriguez, UConn Health
- Cristal Sampson, Ph.D., Volunteer
- Victoria Scranton, UConn Health‡
- Adriana Sowell, UConn Health‡
- Charles J. Williams, UConn Storrs‡
UConn Undergraduate Students
- Eduardo Abreu
- Hida Ahamed
- Narayani Ballambat
- Alijah Barrett‡
- Vera Bici
- Denise Brown
- Bruno Casanova
- Adyanis Centeno-Perez*‡
- Maria Corcoran
- Ethel Dvoskin
- Armani Edgar
- Isabella Greico
- Deyrdre Hereford
- Caitlin Ith
- Dmytro Kusen
- Cora Lauffer
- Seyenah Lopez
- Tino Marrero
- Miranda Marris‡
- Johana Mateo
- Emily Mohler‡
- Kayceety Mullaj
- Angelica Mushenko
- Yamini Pant
- Mercedez Patrick
- Clarissa Nock*‡
- Sydney Osborne‡
- Neha Pawar
- Augden Shaw
- Emma Skinner
- Sheela Tavakoli
- Stephanie Testa
- Mia Thompson
- Illyana Santiago
- Mikha Shrestha
- Adriana Sowell‡
- Alexa Udell
- Molly vanLuling
- Bo Wicklund‡
UConn Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellows
- Arshpreet Gulati, M.D., UConn Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellow
- Usmani Mohammad, M.D., UConn Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellow
- Sheryl Veliz, M.D., UConn Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellow
Doctoral Students in Clinical Psychology at Other Institutions
University of Hartford
- Sarah Elkind
- Erin Godfrey
- Alana Goodwin*
- Sarah Hamilton‡
- Meredith Hawkins
- Ye Seul Kang
- Kai Mangino
- Jenna Marks‡
- Julia McDonald*‡
- Emily McElfresh
- Kelly Mecozzi‡
- Michael Reiss
- Brea Rivera
- Samantha Santos*‡
- Krista Segreti*
- Samantha St-Aubin‡
- Alexandra Strong
- Cara Wallace
Pacific University
- Kylie Gallo*‡
University of Kansas
- Austen McGuire*‡
Medical Students at Other Institutions
- Adyanis Centeno Perez, University of Puerto Rico*‡
Masters Students at Other Institutions
- Meghan Clough, Central Connecticut State University
Undergraduate Students at Other Institutions
- Ashley Carter, Central Connecticut State University
- Nina Duggal, Fordham University
- Caroline Howell, Trinity College
- Julia Karnes, Fairfield University
- John Marcin, Fordham University
- Gillianne Nugent, Trinity College
- Julia Pines, Vanderbilt
- Morgan Shields, Wheaton College
- Nadia Tarhini, Fairfield University