Child and Family Behavioral Health
CFBH Faculty, Research Support and Staff
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
Cathy Sowell, MSW, LCSW
Assistant 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
Anna Abella, PhD
Research Assistant Professor
Research Interests:
Mental health services; child welfare systems; parent education; prevention and early
intervention services; jail diversion programs; behavioral health equity
Donna Burton, PhD
Research Assistant Professor
Research Interests:
School based mental health services integration; child and adolescent behavioral health
Linda M. Callejas, PhD
Research Assistant Professor
Research Interests:
Reducing the burden of inequities in communities that experience social marginalization;
parents involved in child welfare systems
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
Monica Landers, PhD, MSW
Assistant Research Professor
Research Interests:
Systems of care; commercial sexual exploitation of children; out-of-home care; child
welfare; cross-over youth; adolescent parenthood
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
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
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
Roxann (McNeish) Taormina, PhD, MSw
Research Assistant Professor
Research Interests:
Mental Health and wellbeing among men and boys; child welfare systems change; prevention
programs
Amy Vargo, PhD
Research Assistant Professor
Research Interests:
Child welfare systems change; identification of evidence-based and promising practices
within child welfare and children’s behavioral health; childhood trauma
Connie Walker-Egea, PhD, RDN, LND
Assistant Research Professor
Research Interests:
Development of instruments; survey research; evaluation capacity development
Svetlana Yampolskaya, PhD
Research Professor
Research Interests:
Prevention adverse outcomes for children in the child welfare system; advanced analytical
and methodological approaches
Staff
René Anderson
Human Services Program Specialist
Research Interests:
Child welfare, juvenile justice, special education and mental health systems
Lisa Coy
Assistant Program Director
Research Interests:
Child welfare, parenting strategies for foster/adoptive parents, relative caregivers
and birth parents
Areana Cruz, MSEd
Social and Behavioral Researcher
Research Interests:
Family preservations, crossover yout, substance use disorders, pediatric health.
Flandra Ismajli
Social & Behavioral Researcher
Research Interests:
Family preservations, crossover youth, substance use disorders, pediatric health.
Pam Menendez
Program Director
Research Interests:
Child welfare, parenting strategies for foster/adoptive parents, relative caregivers
and birth parents
Lora Moustopoulos
Learning & Development Facilitator
Research Interests:
Child welfare, parenting strategies for foster/adoptive parents, relative caregivers
and birth parents
Cassandra Thomas
Social & Behavioral Researcher
Research Interests:
Child welfare, parenting strategies for foster/adoptive parents, relative caregivers
and birth parents
