Our people

Meet the lab familia.

The CREAR Lab is a community of researchers, students, and collaborators committed to studying what helps youth and families thrive. Get to know the people behind the work.

Director of the CREAR Lab

Andrea S. Medrano, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh

Director / Directora del Laboratorio CREAR

Dr. Medrano is a developmental psychologist committed to examining how youth and women exposed to violence make sense of, survive, and resist trauma in their daily lives. She is the Director of the CREAR Lab and Assistant Professor in the Developmental Psychology Program at the University of Pittsburgh, with an affiliation in Clinical Psychology. Her research focuses on poly-victimization, gender-based violence, and structural inequalities, emphasizing resilience processes such as familismo, hope, religiosity, and educational persistence. She leads international, community-engaged studies across Honduras, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, and the U.S. using mixed methods to ensure that voices and data inform the lab's work.

Lab Staff

Sofia Adame

Project Coordinator

Sofia Adame has been working with CREAR since 2023, where she started as a volunteer Research Assistant. She is a Summa Cum Laude graduate from the University of Pittsburgh, with a B.S. in Psychology and Anthropology, a minor in Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies, and a Global Studies certificate. Her primary areas of interest surround contextual factors related to gender-based violence, particularly the role of institutional, cultural and colonial rhetorics that promote gender norms, help-seeking and reproductive resources. She is particularly interested in examining sexual violence and femicides experienced by Latin American women both in their home context and throughout the immigration journey. As a third culture Mexican immigrant, CREAR Lab provides a space to examine a wide array of these issues through extensive collaboration and community-based work. She believes in transforming “data” to reflect real experiences in the hopes of developing policies, interventions and education programs that are culturally relevant for directed communities. Sofia has demonstrated her dedication to this work in multiple settings outside of CREAR ranging from volunteering for poverty alleviation in Honduras, social work among refugees in Spain, and medical translation in hospital settings.

Grace Elena Dupree

Administrative Assistant

BSN prepared Psychiatric-Registered Nurse at the Pittsburgh Veterans Affair Hospital. Aspires to be a psychiatric nurse practitioner supporting underserved communities.

Ángel Oros

Lab Manager

Ángel Alfredo Oros joined CREAR in July 2025 to rebuild the lab's website from the ground up. As Digital Manager, he oversees the website, an internal research management system, and lab operations support. He is originally from Nogales, Sonora, and is based in the Pittsburgh area. He recently completed a BBA in Business Administration and has built the technical infrastructure that supports the lab's research workflows and community-facing presence. He is committed to building digital systems that are seamless, cohesive, and representative of the people and communities CREAR serves.

Geraldine Cisneros

Graduate Student Researcher

Geraldine Cisneros is a second-year Developmental Psychology Ph.D. student at the University of Pittsburgh, where she is a recipient of both the K. Leroy Irvis Fellowship and the LRDC Director’s Fellowship. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Harvard College, with a focus on Cognitive Neuroscience and Evolutionary Psychology and a minor in Social Anthropology. Following her undergraduate studies, Geraldine worked as a research associate and research specialist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center under the mentorship of Dr. Annie Cohen, where she conducted neuropsychological and cognitive research focused on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Her present research centers on understanding how sociocultural contexts shape youth and family experiences with psychopathology, particularly in relation to recognizing and responding to internalizing symptoms and help-seeking behaviors. She is especially interested in how cultural values, family dynamics, and structural factors influence the ways in which young people and caregivers interpret and respond to psychological distress. Her work often focuses on Mexican and Mexican American communities, with attention to how cultural identity and intergenerational experiences inform both risk and resilience processes. Through a developmental psychopathology and cultural psychology lens, she aims to examine how these processes unfold across adolescence, with a particular interest in early adolescence as a critical period for shaping mental health trajectories. She is also committed to applying a public health framework to her research, with the goal of informing the development of accessible, culturally responsive interventions and prevention efforts. She is motivated by a commitment to bridging research and community needs, ensuring that mental health resources and interventions are grounded in the lived experiences of the populations they are designed to serve.

Sydni Davila

Graduate Student Researcher

I am a second-year doctoral student in the Developmental Psychology program at the University of Pittsburgh. Additionally, I’m pursuing a Global Health certificate from the School of Public Health at Pitt. Before joining the lab, I received my Bachelor's of Science in Health Sciences and Neuroscience as well as my Bachelor's of Arts in Psychology from Cleveland State University. Before joining CREAR Lab, I worked in Clinical and Social Psychology labs examining how childhood adversity manifests in communication and conflict behaviors for young adults in relationships. I joined the CREAR Lab in 2023 as a Hot Metal Bridge Post-Bacc Fellow where I began studying the link between household stressors, such as financial hardship and family conflict, and mental health outcomes with data collected in rural Mexico. My research has since shifted to focus more generally on traumatic experiences, event centrality, and protective factors for Latin Americans and across the Latinx diaspora. Additionally, I’m actively involved in mentoring through programs such as Hot Metal Bridge Post-Bacc Fellowship, Psychology Partnership for Undergraduate and Graduate Students (PUGS), and Women in Research. Outside of academia, I can be found spending time with my dog Murphy or my family. I also love to bake, experiment with new recipes, and watch my favorite shows on repeat.

Courtney Medina

Graduate Student Researcher

Courtney (she/her) is a third-year developmental psychology PhD student at the University of Pittsburgh. She is co-mentored by Dr. Sophie Choukas-Bradley and Dr. Andrea Medrano. She was awarded the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship in 2025. Courtney graduated with highest honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2021, where she double majored in Psychology and Human Development and Family Studies and minored in Latina/o Studies. Following her graduation, she worked as a research project coordinator in UNC’s Department of Psychology and Neuroscience under Drs. Eva Telzer and Kristen Lindquist. Using intersectional feminist and youth-centered approaches, Courtney explores the impact of gendered harm across digital and in-person contexts on adolescent development and mental health. Her work examines sociocultural factors, such as gender role beliefs, as potential risk and protective factors. She aims for her work to inform culturally grounded interventions for Latine victims of gendered and sexual violence. Outside of work, she enjoys trying new coffee shops and playing board games with her friends and family.

Patrick Quintero

Graduate Student Researcher

Patrick is a first-year doctoral student in the joint Clinical–Developmental Psychology PhD program at the University of Pittsburgh. His research investigates how trauma exposure influences developmental processes in Latino/a communities, with an emphasis on identifying risk and resilience factors that shape mental health, academic trajectories, and social development across Latin America and border regions between the United States and Mexico. Additionally, Patrick is dedicated to promoting mental health equity for Latino/a and other historically underrepresented communities through a strengths based framework that prioritizes culturally adapted interventions and equitable access to care.

Jade Cespedes

Research Assistant

Jade is a Post Baccalaureate Student from the University of New York New Paltz with a bachelor's in psychology and a Minor in Latin American Caribbean and Latinx Studies Before attending SUNY she went to the Univeristy of Massachusetts Boston. She plans to go into an accelerated Bachelor of Science in nursing (ASBN) program and become either a Pediatrics or Labor and Delivery nurse with a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) certification but is open to exploring different possibilities in the field. She aspires to be an addition to the medical services by providing her own experiences and emphasizing equity in the workplace. She is currently enrolled in a nursing assistant program to gain experience.

Zhiyu Cheng

Post Baccalaureate Researcher

Zhiyu Cheng is a junior majoring in Psychology. Research interests focus on developmental psychology, community mental health, and cultural influences on health outcomes. Joined the CREAR Lab to build research skills and contribute to community-based projects that support youth resilience. Outside academics, enjoys playing badminton and working out.

Yadira Estrada

Post-Baccalaureate Researcher

Yadira (HMB Fellow 2024-2025) earned an M.S.W. in Interpersonal Practice in Integrated Health, Mental Health & Substance Abuse and a B.S. in Biopsychology, Cognition & Neuroscience from the University of Michigan. Former Lab Manager of the CASA Lab (UM). She studies how adverse childhood experiences shape brain/behavioral development and how policy, community, and family intersect in youth well-being.

Dollar Ganu

Post-Baccalaureate Researcher

Dollar earned a master's degree in Marriage & Family Therapy at the University of Oregon. She is curious about how identities intersect with daily life, with prior work on belonging in classroom/social settings and on pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches to depression and epilepsy.

Mia Hernandez

Post-Baccalaureate Researcher

Originally from Tucson, Arizona, Mia graduated from Johns Hopkins University in May 2025 with a BA in Public Health and Medicine, Science, and the Humanities. She is now a first-year MSPH student in the Social and Behavioral Interventions program in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she is also pursuing a certificate in Maternal and Child Health. Her previous research examined the intersection of unstable housing and mental health among transgender women. She is currently conducting a review of mental health policy in Bogotá, Colombia, to support cross-sector collaboration and inform efforts to integrate mental health into public policy. Her future research interests focus on women's sexual and reproductive health, particularly how social and structural determinants shape access to care and health outcomes. She aims to use community-engaged approaches to expand access to quality sexual and reproductive health services in rural and Indigenous communities across Latin America.

Kaitlyn Irizarry-Vega

Post-Baccalaureate Researcher

Kaitlyn Irizarry-Vega earned her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin, with a minor in Philosophy of Mind and Language. Her research interests include understanding how resilience can be cultivated across development to promote well-being and motivation, particularly among youth in underserved communities. She is especially interested in identifying protective factors that buffer against adversity and promote positive personal and professional development. In the CREAR Lab, she is contributing to studies that investigate how traumas shape the identity formation and mental health of Puerto Rican college students. Kaitlyn plans to pursue a PhD in psychology to investigate resilience and well-being across both developmental and applied contexts. Outside of academia, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, distance running, and making pottery.

Zainab Kabir

Post-Baccalaureate Researcher

Zainab Kabir is a recent graduate from the University of Pittsburgh, where she earned a degree in Psychology with a minor in Sociology. Her research interests include trauma, mental health, and social behavior, with a focus on how cultural and community factors influence psychological well-being. Through her work in the CREAR Lab, she examined the relationship between community violence exposure and mental health outcomes in rural Mexican communities. Zainab plans to pursue a Master's degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology to study workplace behavior and promote employee well-being within organizations.

Amelia F Leonard

Post-Baccalaureate Researcher

Amelia Leonard graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor of Philosophy in Psychology and a minor in Economics. She joined the CREAR Lab at its inception and currently works with the lab remotely as a research assistant. She previously served as the lab’s Administrative Research Assistant, where she coordinated a team of undergraduate researchers and helped organize research tasks and lab operations. Through her work in the lab, Amelia has conducted literature reviews, assisted with scale validation, contributed to conference submissions, and supported the dissemination of research findings. She also managed the lab’s social media presence and helped coordinate communication and project organization among members of the undergraduate research team. Amelia completed her Honors Thesis within the CREAR Lab, where she examined how community violence exposure and intimate partner violence in rural Mexico relate to PTSD symptoms, with gender as a moderating factor. Her broader research interests focus on gender based violence and sexual harassment and the ways these experiences shape psychological well being and mental health outcomes. She is particularly interested in understanding how social, cultural, and gender related dynamics influence experiences of harassment and violence and how these experiences contribute to disparities in mental health. Outside of her research work, Amelia enjoys spending time outdoors, especially bike riding, swimming, traveling, and spending time around animals. She also enjoys creative hobbies such as painting and drawing, as well as spending time with her loved ones.

Ashley Lopez

Post-Baccalaureate Research Collaborator

Ashley Lopez holds a B.A. in Psychology (Honors) and an M.A. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from NYU, with minors in Social Work and Child & Adolescent Mental Health Studies. Former Lab Manager of the CREAR Lab. She is interested in studying how distinct forms of social support shape academic and workplace outcomes for minoritized communities and plans to pursue a Ph.D.

Angela Martinez

Post-Baccalaureate Researcher

Angela Martinez earned her Bachelor’s of Science, majoring in Biomedical Sciences and Psychology, at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in 2023. After undergrad, she joined the Hot Metal Bridge (HMB) Post-Baccalaureate Fellowship program where she worked in the Department of Neuroscience. In January 2024, she joined Dra. Andrea Medrano’s Community Research Exploring Adolescent Resilience (CREAR) Lab to gain further experience in strength-based approaches to research. After Angela’s HMB year, she transitioned to work in a neuroimaging lab at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center studying how neurodevelopmental processes take place during adolescence to support the transition to adulthood. In parallel, she has continued to work in the CREAR Lab contributing to projects that study protective factors and mental health outcomes in youth facing contextual adversity. Angela is driven to understand how biological, psychological, and social systems converge to shape mental health and to translate that understanding into equitable, community-based interventions. Her long-term goals are to continue collaborative interdisciplinary research and implementation while advancing novel approaches toward access to essential health resources.

Anthony Medina

Post-Baccalaureate Researcher

Anthony Medina is a graduate of Mercy University, where he earned his Master of Science in General Psychology. He is also a graduate of Fordham University where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Psychology. He currently serves as a Postgraduate Research Associate under the mentorship of Dr. Carla Stover within the Yale Child Study Center. Anthony is interested in examining the factors that contribute to trauma among at-risk Latiné youth. In particular, he is interested in investigating protective factors (e.g., parent-child relationships, mentorship, and familismo) that may act as a pathway to resilience. He is also interested in adapting and developing interventions for Latiné families that draw upon cultural strengths to promote resilience in the face of adversity. In his free time, Anthony enjoys traveling to New York City, listening to music, trying new restaurants, and spending time with his family.

Isabella Pina

Post Baccalaureate Researcher

Senior nursing student also pursuing Psychology; experience in TBI rehab. Interested in supporting underserved adolescents at the intersection of care and mental health.

Fabiola Wah

Post Baccalaureate Researcher

Senior majoring in Chemistry with a minor in Neuroscience; born in Aibonito, Puerto Rico. Volunteers as an interpreter and plans to attend medical school.

Kmaura White

Post Baccalaureate Researcher

Kmaura (she/they) is a senior pursuing a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience and certificates in Conceptual Foundations of Medicine and Gender, Sexuality & Women's Studies. Aims for a Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology to support higher-acuity mental health needs.

Isabel Contreras-Naranjo

Research Assistant

Isabel Contreras-Naranjo is a Senior at the University of Pittsburgh, currently pursuing a degree in Psychology with a minor in Spanish. She plans to continue her education and obtain a Master's in Clinical Psychology.

Cinthya Garcia Cortes

Student Research Assistant

Cinthya Garcia Cortes is a sophomore at the University of Pittsburgh. She was born and raised in southern Mexico and moved to Pittsburgh 8 years ago. Cinthya intends to pursue a double major in Neuroscience and Psychology. She is interested in psychopathology and its relation to neuroscience as well as social development and its intersection with sociocultural components.

Himani Kharod

Student Research Assistant

Sophomore majoring in Neuroscience and Psychology. Plans to specialize in psychiatry and clinical psychology. Interested in healthcare and interdisciplinary research.

Hannah Kravets

Research Assistant

Hannah Kravets is a third-year undergraduate in Psychology and Film and Media Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. She has extensive research experience and a strong interest in clinical and neuropsychology. Hannah serves on executive boards for psychology and research organizations at Pitt, works as an undergraduate teaching assistant, and has co-authored peer-reviewed publications indexed on PubMed. She plans to attend graduate school with goals of teaching psychology and working professionally in the field.

Audrey Maize

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Audrey is from Beaver, Pennsylvania, and is currently in her final year of undergraduate study at the University of PIttsburgh, majoring in Political Science and Arabic and pursuing a Bachelor's of Philosophy in Latin American Studies. With a concentration in international conflict and rebel groups, her thesis research focuses specifically on the FARC in Colombia. After graduation she hopes to pursue a master's degree in conflict resolution. Outside of academia, she is a volunteer ESL teacher, a semi-regular runner, and a pretty terrible cook.

Janeyra Maldonado

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Janeyra Maldonado is a second-year student at the University of Pittsburgh double majoring in Neuroscience and Psychology on the pre-med track. Raised in Westchester, New York, she is interested in the intersection of psychological processes and neuroscience in the development of adolescents. As a first-generation college student, she is passionate about serving underserved communities and improving access to healthcare. She currently volunteers at UPMC Presbyterian in addition to local animal shelters. Outside of academics and volunteering, she is a member of the Pitt Club Powerlifting team, enjoys crocheting, baking, and trying out new restaurants and coffee shops with friends.

Nikita Sundaram

Student Research Assistant

Junior (Class of 2027) majoring in Psychology with a minor in Sociology. Plans to conduct research and work as a clinical psychologist.

Campbell Toler

Student Research Assistant

Campbell Toler is a senior at the University of Pittsburgh, pursuing a Psychology major with a minor in Spanish. She volunteers as a research assistant in the CREAR Lab and the Behavioral Medicine Research Group, and serves as a PantherWELL peer health educator. After completing her undergraduate degree, Campbell plans to apply to Clinical Psychology PhD programs with the goal of becoming a licensed clinical psychologist.