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Meet the Team

Primary Investigator


Samantha Miadich, Ph.D.

Director and Principal Investigator

Dr. Samantha Miadich is a health psychologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Dayton, her Maser’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Ball State University, and her Ph.D. in Health Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University. Prior to joining the faculty at UMass Lowell, she completed her postdoctoral training at Arizona State University working with the Arizona Twin Project team. Dr. Miadich’s program of research focuses on pediatric health psychology, specifically, examining prevalent chronic conditions (e.g., asthma, sleep problems, recurrent pain) from risk and resilience frameworks to delineate targets of intervention to improve child and adolescent outcomes. She incorporates novel methodologies, objective assessment, and advanced statistical modeling in her work to explicate processes that inhibit or promote health among children.

Graduate Students


Stephanie Madden

Director and Principal Investigator

Stephanie is currently a doctoral student in the Applied Psychology and Prevention Science program at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and is mentored by Dr. Miadich. Stephanie received her B.S. in Psychology from Eastern Connecticut State University in 2016 and began working as a psychiatric technician at Rockville General Hospital, serving patients receiving treatment for eating disorders. She transitioned to a research assistant position at an infectious disease clinic of the Miriam Hospital, an affiliate hospital with Brown University and worked on multiple studies, primarily one study related to HIV, chronic pain, and depression for nearly four years. Stephanie’s current PhD research interest focuses on childhood chronic conditions (e.g., chronic pain, asthma, diabetes) and the role of individuals within a child’s immediate circle (caregivers/family, peers, providers, teachers). Specifically, she concentrates on how those individuals influence health outcomes, such as quality of life, adherence, and mental health in pediatric populations. 

Undergraduate Students


Ally Bernardinelli, Psychology Major

Samantha Colon, Psychology Major and Public Health Informatics Technology Minor

Leslie Gámez, Biology Major, Psychology Minor, and Pre-Med Track

Dunia Gomes, Biology Major, Spanish Minor, and Pre-Med Track

Sameera Jangala, Biology Major, Creative Writing Minor, and Pre-Med Track

Suhani Karki, Applied Biomedical Science Major, Psychology Minor, and Pre-Dental Track

Curie Kundane, Psychology Major (Clinical Concentration), Public Health Minor, and Pre-PA Track

Sephora Leroy, Psychology Major

Jack Oppen, Psychology Major and Exercise Science Minor

Tahina Pierre, Psychology Major (Clinical Concentration), Race and Ethnic Study Minor, and Pre-Med Track

Ashley Rodriguez, Biology Major, Disability Studies Minor and Pre-Dental Track

Carrie Shirley, Psychology Major and Sociology Minor

Kadey Vannett, Biology Major and Pre-Med Track

Former Team Members


Sarah Aldulaimy

Eva Altvater

Stephanie Ayeboafo

Sophie Beauparlant

Taylor Berube

Zil Bhagat

Adrian Castro

Leila Chammas

Natasha Huoth

Hayden Le

Natalie Le

Shannah Lim

Jadhina Lu

John Lynch

Julia McGuire

Momo Muth