WHO WE ARE — RESEARCH
Click on the names below to read their biographies:
Tina Grieco-Calub, Ph.D., CCC‑A
Nicole Russo-Ponsaran, Ph.D.
Research Director, RNBC
Associate Professor, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Education and Training
- Northwestern University, Ph.D., Neuroscience
- Loyola University Chicago, B.S., Biology
- Certified research reliable in administration of the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised, Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS), and ADOS‑2
Areas of Expertise
- Assessment
- Social information processing
- Social-emotional learning and social-emotional wellness
- Bilingualism, Spanish-speaking English language learners
- Autism spectrum disorders, fragile X syndrome, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and language-based learning problems
- Sleep (e.g., actigraphy)
- Neurophysiology (e.g., speech-evoked auditory brainstem response)
- Nonverbal awareness (e.g., prosody, facial affect)
Research Interests
- Improving objective assessment of social-emotional functioning for multilingual youth
- Improving objective assessment of social-emotional functioning for children with and without neurodevelopmental disabilities
- Understanding the influence of school start times on sleep, social-emotional wellness, behavior, and parent-child relationships
- Evaluation of intervention efficacy and the development of new treatment programs
Clark McKown, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Education and Training
- University of California, Berkeley, Ph.D., Psychology
- Stanford’s Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Predoctoral internship
- Yale University, B.A., Psychology
Areas of Expertise
- Child assessment and therapy
- School consultation
- Academic, social, behavioral, and emotional disorders of childhood
- Social development and friendship
Research Interests
- Typical and atypical social development
- Assessment and treatment of social problems
- Instructional environments and children’s well-being
- Program evaluation
Ashley Karls, M.A.
Epi Research Study Coordinator II
Education and Training
- Empire State University, M.A. in Social and Public Policy
- National University, B.A. in Business Management, Minor in Psychology
Research Interests
- Social-emotional and executive functioning skills and deficits
- Assessment and treatment of social deficits in children
- Emotional regulation and self-perception
Matthew Wronski, B.A.
Epi Research Coordinator I
Education and Training
- Lawrence University, B.A. in Psychology and Music, Minor in Neuroscience
Research Interests
-
Interplay between cognition and emotion
-
Emotion regulation strategies across development
- Emotional regulation and self-perception
-
Internalizing psychopathology
- Life stress
- Well-being
Sarah Van Valkenburg, B.A.
Epi Research Coordinator I
Education and Training
- The University of Illinois at Chicago, B.A. in Psychology, Minor in Disability and Human Development
Research Interests
- Mental health disparities
-
Early childhood adversity and emotional regulation
-
Mental health and substance use interventions for youth experiencing homelessness
Dennis Sotelo Martinez, B.A.Associate Clinical Research Coordinator
Associate Professor, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Education and Training
- Macalester College, B.A. in Psychology, Biology
Research Interests
-
- Community-based behavioral and early intervention research
- Social-emotional skills
- Spanish-speaking youth
- Qualitative and quantitative research
Tina Grieco-Calub, Ph.D., CCC‑AAdjunct Associate Professor, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Education and Training
- Northwestern University, Ph.D., Neuroscience
- Vanderbilt University, M.S., Hearing and Speech Sciences
- Marywood University, B.S., Communication Sciences & Disorders
Areas of Expertise
- Auditory neuroscience
- Clinical audiology
- Implantable hearing devices, cochlear implants
- Speech perception and word recognition
Research Interests
- Effects of childhood hearing loss on language, literacy, and cognitive development
- Effects of background noise on spoken language processing and learning
- Visual attention during face-to-face communication
- Audiovisual speech perception
In memory of Jason Johnson, B.A.
Research Study Supervisor (2008–2016)
Education and Training
- Monmouth College, B.A., Biology and Chemistry
Research Interests
- Development of assessment tools to identify children and adolescents at risk for social- emotional difficulties
- Direct assessment of social-emotional learning skills and self-regulation in typically-developing and clinical pediatric populations
- Evaluation of intervention efficacy and the development of new treatment programs, specifically facial emotion recognition
- Sociometrics and Peer rejection