Meet the Team

Nicole Cannan

Lab Coordinator

Nicole is a doctoral student in the Psychology program at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and is mentored by Dr. Miadich. Nicole received her B.S. in Psychology from George Mason University in 2020 and began working as a psychiatric rehabilitation specialist at a local Long Term Structured Residence. Here she worked with patients diagnosed with serve mental illnesses who were recently incarcerated and making the transition back into the community. She then shifted to focus her efforts on research and worked as a research specialist in a Neuroscience lab with the University of Pittsburgh for three and a half years. Nicole’s current research interest focuses on adverse childhood experiences and behavioral disorders (e.g., conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, ADHD).  She is specifically interested in how these predict later legal system involvement and how this can be used to inform prevention work with youth.

Lexi Crank

Lab Coordinator

Lexi is a doctoral student in the Psychology program at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and is mentored by Dr. Miadich. Lexi received her B.A. in Psychology from Meredith College in 2024 where she conducted independent research on barriers to on-campus counseling at Meredith College and worked as a research assistant in the Advancing Insight into Maternal Social Support lab. Before starting her PhD program at UMass Lowell, Lexi worked as a Survey Research Specialist in University Data and Analytics at NC State. There, she focused on analyzing responses to open-ended institution-wide survey questions. Lexi’s current research interests focus on how a child’s relationship with their parents affects their health in the short and long term. She is particularly interested in parental warmth, emotional regulation, reactivity, social support, and health outcomes.

Stephanie Madden, Ph.D.

Lab Collaborator

Stephanie received her doctorate degree from the Psychology PhD program at the University of Massachusetts Lowell in 2025 and was 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 research interests focus 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. Stephanie is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Nemours Children’s Health.