Faculty & Staff
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Dr. Stephanie Anzman-Frasca leads the Child Health and Behavior Lab. She received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Bucknell University and MS and Ph.D. degrees in Human Development and Family Studies from Penn State University. Her research is focused on making healthy behaviors easier for children and families. Specific areas of interest include promoting early childhood self-regulation abilities, increasing the availability and selection of healthier children’s meal options in restaurants, and examining individual differences in susceptibility to obesity interventions to ensure that prevention efforts address, rather than increase, health disparities. Finally, Dr. Anzman-Frasca is interested in ways in which childhood obesity prevention efforts may benefit other aspects of health and well-being, such as cognitive functioning and socio-emotional development. Outside of work, she enjoys cooking, reading, the outdoors, and spending time with her family.
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Elizabeth Kubiniec is a Research Support Specialist at the Child Health and Behavior Lab. She graduated from the University at Buffalo with a degree in Spanish and a minor in Public Health. Presently, she has a leading role on the INSIGHT coding project. As a student at the University at Buffalo, Elizabeth was a member of the on-campus Amnesty International student group, studied abroad in Cuernavaca, Mexico, and was an undergraduate research assistant in HABLAB for three years. Her primary research interest is early-life obesity prevention efforts that center around health equity and justice. In her free time, Elizabeth loves to keep up on her Spanish (and assist others with learning English) by chatting with her conversation partners and enjoys exploring Western New York through its many cafes as she quests to find the best chai latte in town.
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Juliana Goldsmith is a Research Support Specialist at the Child Health and Behavior Lab. She graduated from the University at Buffalo with a degree in Biomedical Science and a minor in Public Health. Juliana’s main focus in the HABLAB is the Restaurant Project. As a student at the University at Buffalo, Juliana was a member of the Honors College, studied abroad in Jamaica and was an undergraduate research assistant in HABLAB for three years. In her free time, Juliana enjoys going for runs at the park, hiking, traveling and spending time with family and friends.
Postdocs & Graduate Students
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Mackenzie Ferrante is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Child Health & Behavior Lab. She received her B.A. in Economics from the University of Washington, her M.S. in Family and Consumer Science with a concentration in Dietetics from the University of Idaho, and her Ph.D. in Food Science and Human Nutrition from Colorado State University. Mackenzie is a Registered Dietitian and her research focuses on understanding and manipulating the food environment to improve the health behaviors of children and families. She hopes to positively impact at-risk communities through research, education, and outreach to improve health equities. Mackenzie’s main focus in the HABLAB is the Restaurant Project and will work on various other projects, including developing a new line of inquiry related to children’s eating behaviors, under the mentorship of Dr. Anzman-Frasca. Outside of work, Mackenzie loves to cook, travel, is an avid reader, and has a spoiled, orange cat named Cheddar.
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Sara Tauriello is a Graduate Research Assistant at the Child Health and Behavior Lab. She graduated from Haverford College, receiving her Bachelor's Degree in Psychology. She graduated from the Master's in Nutrition Program at Canisius College and hopes to pursue work related to pediatric obesity and eating disorders in the future. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University at Buffalo, with mentors Dr. Stephanie Anzman-Frasca and Dr. Julie Bowker. In the past, Tauriello has worked at Johns Hopkins Medical All Children's Neuroscience Institute and the University of South Florida's Rothman Center for Pediatric Neuropsychiatry. In her spare time, Sara enjoys traveling, cooking, and spending time with friends and family.
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Hope White is a Graduate Research Assistant who is assisting with intervention development for the Play with Me Study. Hope is a Clinical Psychology Ph.D. student at the University at Buffalo working under the mentorship of Dr. Julie Bowker in the Child and Adolescent Relationships Lab. She graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Psychology. Previously, Hope worked as a Project Coordinator at the New York University on a longitudinal evaluation of social-emotional learning intervention. Her current research examines close relationships in childhood and adolescence and their implications for mental health. In additions, Hope is interested in the development and evaluation of preventive interventions. In her free time, Hope enjoys hiking, practicing yoga, and cooking.
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Elizabeth Johnson is a Graduate Research Assistant at the Child Health and Behavior Lab. She is currently a second-year medical student at Jacob’s School of Medicine and Biomedical science and aspires to be a pediatric surgeon. In her free time, she’s a fitness trainer and a hairdresser, and enjoys cooking.
Research Assistants
Mouse over or click the images below to read about each student.
We would also like to thank Parveen Attai, Sarah Bargnesi, Annie Bennett, Jacob Bleasdale, Abbey Braun, Adrianna Calabro, Courtney Cole, Adwoa Dadzie, Julia Drozdowsky, Sarah Ehrenberg, Jessica Gill, John Hagedorn, Delaney Jones, Elizabeth Kaplan, Kaeyla Kerr, Lindsay Lassetter, Andrea Less, Eunice Mak, Lily McGovern, Jamie Morris, Hital Patel, Cheryl Porzi, Grace Power, Jennifer Ratmansky, Kaley Reardon, Malena Savell, Breanna Sharpe, Anita Singh, Sherey Tan, Amber Wedderburn, Laura Weiss, and Richa Zirath for their past contributions. Updates about lab alumni can be found here.
