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
Lab Coordinator
Stephanie is currently a doctoral student in the Psychology 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.
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 Geroge 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.
Undergraduate Students
Molly Cao, Psychology Major
Mia Czarnecki, Biological Sciences Major and Pre-Med Track
June Em, Psychology Major and Education Minor
Keira Maguire, Exercise Science Major and Psychology Minor
Sabrina Mini, Exercise Science Major
Jack Oppen, Psychology Major and Exercise Science Minor
Riya Patel, Applied Biomedical Sciences Major and Pre-Med Track
Dhanvi Patel, Psychology Major (Clinical Concentration) and Criminal Justice Minor
Elsa Safi, Psychology Major
Megha Saokar, Biology Major, Disability Studies Minor and Pre-Med Track
Former Team Members
Sarah Aldulaimy
Eva Altvater
Stephanie Ayeboafo
Sophie Beauparlant
Ally Bernardinelli
Taylor Berube
Zil Bhagat
Adrian Castro
Leila Chammas
Samantha Colon
Leslie Gámez
Dunia Gomes
Natasha Huoth
Sameera Jangala
Suhani Karki
Curie Kundane
Hayden Le
Natalie Le
Sephora Leroy
Shannah Lim
Jadhina Lu
John Lynch
Julia McGuire
Momo Muth
Nicholas O’Brien
Tahina Pierre
Ashley Rodriguez
Carrie Shirley
Kadey Vannett
Where Former Team Members Have Gone
Boston University Master’s in Social Work Program
Rowan University School of Medicine
Tufts University Master’s in Child Study and Human Development Program
UMass Chan School of Medicine LEAD@Lahey