Child and Family Behavioral Health
CFBH Faculty, Research Support and Staff
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Oliver Tom Massey, PhD
Associate Professor & CFBH Co-Division Director
ITRE Multiple Principal Investigator & Evaluation Director
Research Interests:
Effective behavioral health services for youth and transition age adults, implementation science and practice, program evaluation, integration and sustainability of evidence-based practices, behavioral health services in schools, academic-community partnerships, service learning
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Cathy Sowell, MSW, LCSW
Associate in Research & CFBH Co-Division Director
Research Interests:
Child, adolescent, and family mental health and wellbeing, child welfare and mental
health system innovation and implementation, suicide prevention; transition age youth
and young adult services; mental and physical health service integration; social justice
and service equity
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Anna Abella, PhD
Assistant Research Professor
Research Interests:
Mental health services; child welfare systems; parent education; prevention and early
intervention services; jail diversion programs; behavioral health equity
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Donna Burton, PhD
Research Assistant Professor
Research Interests:
School based mental health services integration; child and adolescent behavioral health
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Linda M. Callejas, PhD
Associate Research Professor
Research Interests:
Reducing the burden of inequities in communities that experience social marginalization;
parents involved in child welfare systems
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Ruby Joseph, MPA
Assistant In Research
Research Interests:
Service implementation of programs that benefit minority populations and communities;
issues that affect the mental, educational, and social development of children and
youth
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Bruce Lubotsky Levin, DrPH, MPH
Associate Professor
ITRE Multiple Principal Investigator & Evaluation Director
Research Interests:
Mental health and substance abuse services delivery; behavioral health policy; mental
health informatics; managed behavioral health care; translational research in adolescent
behavioral health
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Debra Mowery, PhD
Assistant Research Professor, CABH Program Director
Research Interests:
Children and families; behavioral health; system planning; behavior analysis; early
childhood education; cultural competence and health disparities; community based research
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Jessica Rice, PhD
Assistant Professor of Instruction
Research Interests:
Psychiatric hospitalization among youth; child and adolescent trauma; embedding trauma-informed
care treatment practices into mental and behavioral health for young people
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Roxann (McNeish) Taormina, PhD, MSw
Assistant Research Professor
Research Interests:
Mental Health and wellbeing among men and boys; child welfare systems change; prevention
programs
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Amy Vargo, PhD
Assistant Research Professor
Research Interests:
Child welfare systems change; identification of evidence-based and promising practices
within child welfare and children’s behavioral health; childhood trauma
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Connie Walker-Egea, PhD, RDN, LND
Assistant Research Professor
Research Interests:
Development of instruments; survey research; evaluation capacity development
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Svetlana Yampolskaya, PhD
Research Professor
Research Interests:
Prevention adverse outcomes for children in the child welfare system; advanced analytical
and methodological approaches
Staff
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Lisa Coy
Assistant Program Director
Research Interests:
Child welfare, parenting strategies for foster/adoptive parents, relative caregivers
and birth parents
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Flandra Ismajli
Social & Behavioral Researcher
Research Interests:
Family preservations, crossover youth, substance use disorders, pediatric health.
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Pam Menendez
Program Director
Research Interests:
Child welfare, parenting strategies for foster/adoptive parents, relative caregivers
and birth parents
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Lora Moustopoulos
Learning & Development Facilitator
Research Interests:
Child welfare, parenting strategies for foster/adoptive parents, relative caregivers
and birth parents
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Cindi Shockley
Training Support Specialist
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Cassandra Thomas
Social & Behavioral Researcher
Research Interests:
Child welfare, parenting strategies for foster/adoptive parents, relative caregivers
and birth parents