People

Postdoctoral Fellows

Emily Melnick

Graduate Students

Kenia Rivera

Kenia is a graduate student in the developmental psychology PhD program at the University of Denver. She received her BA in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee in 2015. Afterwards, she volunteered in the Marquette Autism Project lab at Marquette University for 3 years and worked as lab coordinator in the Child Neurodevelopment Research Lab at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee for over a year. Kenia’s research interest broadly focuses on how stress and adversities influence cognitive development and physical health through the lifespan. She is particularly interested in examining the biological and behavioral pathways of how stress influences health and development in the lifespan. Additionally, she is interested in further understanding aspects of resilience and stressors in diverse populations, especially among Latinos.

Deborah Seok

Deborah is a graduate student in the developmental psychology PhD program at the University of Denver. She received her B.S. in Human Development with a concentration in neuroscience at Cornell University in 2017. Before coming to DU, Deborah worked at a non-profit called Child Trends, where she conducted policy-relevant research in early childhood topics such as child care access and quality, positive parenting practices, and social-emotional development. Her research interests include the effects of early adversity and stress on children's development, and social buffering as a protective factor. She is also interested in the development and evaluation of high-quality early care and education programs, policies, and practices.

Nathalie Dieujuste

Nathalie is a graduate student in the Clinical Psychology PhD program at the University of Denver. In 2016, she received her BA in Psychology with a minor in Human Development and Family Studies from Auburn University. Since earning her undergraduate degree, Nathalie worked as a project manager and research coordinator with the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Her research experience spans several topic areas, including trauma, suicidology, health services research, and Black maternal health. As a graduate trainee, Nathalie is interested in investigating the impact of early life trauma and chronic stressors on the physical and mental health of Black girls and women across the lifespan. She is especially interested in examining the impacts of racial trauma and gendered racism on critical periods such as adolescence and the perinatal period. Nathalie is a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow.

Samantha Scott

Samantha Scott is a clinical psychology PhD student in the Doom Lab. She graduated with honors from the University of Puget Sound with a BA in psychology in 2017. Following graduation, she worked as a clinical research coordinator at Seattle Children’s Research Institute in the Palliative Care and Resilience Research Lab, where she worked on studies examining a resilience-based intervention in youth with chronic illness. She also implemented her own study investigating associations between interpersonal relationship experiences and cortisol synchrony in youth with brain cancer and their caregivers. Her research program focuses on associations between resilience resources and clinically-relevant biological processes (with a focus on cardiometabolic health) in healthy youth and youth with severe chronic illness.

Lab Mascots: Frank & Ruth