Research Team
Director Zena R. Mello, PhD.
San Francisco State University Psychology Department: https://psychology.sfsu.edu
(she/her)
Affiliations:
Affiliated Research Groups: SOUL Lab
Health Equity Institute:
https://healthequity.sfsu.edu/our-team
is a Professor of Psychology and a first-generation college student. She completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Cognition and Development at the University of California, Berkeley; a Ph.D. and an M.S. in Human Development and Family Studies at the Pennsylvania State University; a B.A. in Psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz; and an A.A. at Santa Rosa Junior College. Dr. Mello has been awarded more than 2 million dollars in funding from the National Institute of Health, National Science Foundation, the American Educational Research Association, and the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program. She has been honored with the Outstanding Dissertation Award from the Human Development Division of the American Educational Research Association, and she has served on the Executive Councils of the International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development and the Society for Research on Adolescence. Dr. Mello is on the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Research on Adolescence, the Journal of Adolescence and the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology.
Lab Manager
Jo Nisa Cabilogan (she/her)
is a 2nd year Psychology master's student in the Social, Personality, Affective Science program. Her research interests include intersectionality among Asian American and immigrant youth.
Jeremiah Sabale (he/him)
is a 2nd year psychology master's student in the Social, Personality, Affective Science program. His research interests include acculturation and the mental wellbeing among Asian Americans.
Bingyue Tan
(she/her)
is a 1st year Psychology master's student in the Social, Personality, Affective Science program. Bing is interested in emotions and social class. She aims to promote resilience and mental health among underrepresented populations.
Jayline Jimenez (she/her)
is a fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in psychology. Her research interests include cultural conceptualization and mental health among Latinx adolescents.
Vanesa Ramirez (she/her)
is a fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in psychology. Her research interests include family dynamics and adolescent social and emotional development.
Abraham Moua
(he/him)
is a second-year graduate student in the Social, Personality, and Affective Science program. His research interests include acculturation and mental health among Asian American adolescents.
Dania Isabella Smith
(she/her)
is a first-year graduate student in the Social, Personality, and Affective Psychology program. Her research interests include immigration development of Chicanx and Latinx adolescents.
Chan Nguyen (she/her)
is a junior undergraduate student majoring in Psychology with a minor in Linguistics. Her interests focus on school-based support systems and the role of language in shaping identity and belonging.
Jesse Wilson (he/him)
is a fifth-year undergraduate student currently pursuing his B.A in Psychology at SF State. His research interests include understanding the effect of interruptions on cognition and how to improve outcomes for children with dyslexia and learning disorders.
Diego Garcia (he/him)
is a fourth-year undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at San Francisco State University. His research interests include examining gender disparities in higher education and improving mental health outcomes within queer and Latine communities.
Alumni
(Name, former position with Dr. Mello, current position)
Vani Kakar, Ph.D., Assistant Professor She/Her, University of Pacific
Manuel Abundis-Morales, Doctoral Student He/Him, University of California, Santa Cruz
Betsy Centeno, Doctoral Student, University of California, Santa Cruz
Hilary Bridges, M.A., Director, LPC Clinical Director, Kids Crossing
Ilke Bayazitli, Doctoral Student, University of California, Berkeley
Jamie Jaramillo, Ph.D., Assistant Research Scientist, Chestnut Health Systems
Laura Finan, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Ilinois State University
Adam Suri, M.A. He/Him, Graduate Student and Graduate Research Assistant
Alexa L. Davidson, Undergraduate Research Assistant, Executive Director at the San Geronimo Valley Community Center
Alyssa Youngquist, M.A. Student, Clinical Research Coordinator, University of California, San Francisco
AnnMarie Stiasny, Undergraduate Research Assistant, Graduate Student, Counseling, Northcentral University
Busra Dogru, M.A. She/Her, Graduate Student and Graduate Research Assistant
Chris Garcia, Undergraduate Research Assistant
Daniel Grafil, Undergraduate Research Assistant, Masters Student, School Psychology, San Francisco State University
Dante D. Dixson, Ph.D., Undergraduate Research Assistant, Associate Professor, Michigan State University
Dilrani Bhadare, Undergraduate Research Assistant, Ph.D., Clinical, Alliant University
Erica Walker, Psychology Honors Program Student, M.A. Student, San Francisco State University
Erick Romero, Psychology Honors Program Student, Edgewood Center for Youth
Isaac C. S. Wiggers, Undergraduate Research Assistant, Graduate Student, Industrial/Organization, Seattle Pacific University
Jay Michael Espinoza, Undergraduate Research Assistant
Juan Carlos Argueta Rodriguez, Undergraduate Research Assistant
Julia Moon, M.A., Student & Graduate Research Assistant & Project Coordinator, Clinical Research Coordinator, University of California, San Francisco
Julie Chandler, Doctoral Student, Clinical Psychology, Central Michigan University
Kara Eytcheson, M.A., Student & Graduate Research Assistant
Laura Yitzzel Alcaraz, Undergraduate Research Assistant, Masters in Science, School Psychology, San Francisco State University
Lee H. Hand, Undergraduate Research Assistant, English Instructor, China USA Society English Centers
Liliana Celesia Moore, M.A., Graduate Student, Clinical Research Coordinator, San Francisco VA Medical Center
Max Harrington, M.A., Student & Graduate Research Assistant
Melissa Jazmin Espana, Undergraduate Research Assistant
Patricia L. Monaghan, Graduate Research Assistant, Ph.D., Clinical, Florida Institute of Technology
Sean Hennigan, M.A. He/They, Graduate Student and Graduate Research Assistant
Tiffany Wong, Undergraduate Research Assistant, Graduate Student, SJSU Research and Experimental Psychology Program
Victoria C. Paoloni, Psychology Honors Program Student, M.A. Student, San Jose State University