People

Our team of faculty, staff, graduate students and undergraduate students develop research that generates novel understanding about intergenerational pathways of risk and resilience in diverse families. Read more about our current team, our collaborators and our lab alumni.

Our Team

• Faculty Director, Angela J. Narayan, PhD, LP
  

  Angela J. Narayan, Ph.D., L.P.

  Angela Narayan, Ph.D., L.P., is an Associate Professor in the Clinical Child Psychology Ph.D. Program in the Department of Psychology at the University of Denver (DU). She is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Child Psychology from the Institute of Child Development at the University of Minnesota and completed a predoctoral internship and post-doctoral fellowship in the Department of Psychiatry and Child Trauma Research Program at UCSF. Narayan directs a program of research that examines how childhood adversity and positive childhood experiences have enduring effects on development across adolescence, adulthood and parenthood. She is particularly interested in understanding intergenerational pathways of psychopathology and resilience in socioeconomically-, ethnically-, and culturally-diverse populations.

  Dr. Narayan is currently the PI of two large studies. One study is a multi-wave prospective study of over 250 low-income Denver families that began during pregnancy and includes both gestational and non-gestational caregivers. This study assesses the lifespan and intergenerational pathways of childhood experiences and relationships into parenthood and the next generation, as well as the role of multi-system resilience in protecting against the intergenerational transmission of trauma and psychopathology from parents to children. Within this study, Dr. Narayan and her team have followed families through three- and 12-months postpartum, and are currently beginning subsequent follow-up waves during preschool and kindergarten. The second study is a large survey-based study that assessed the associations between childhood experiences and relationships and young adulthood mental health and high-risk behaviors in 1,750 U.S. young adults, including before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  Broadly across both studies, Dr. Narayan's research focuses on uncovering resilience processes in development as they apply to theory, measurement, and translation of science to practice. An overarching goal of her work is to identify how basic research on family adversity, intergenerational transmission of trauma, and resilience processes may inform clinical practice, assessment and screening, and the development of practical tools for clinical practitioners and community mental health providers to use with parents, children, and families.

  Dr. Narayan is a licensed clinical psychologist in Colorado and a clinical supervisor in the Center for Child and Family Psychology (CCFP) in the DU Department of Psychology. She has authored or co-authored more than 50 peer-reviewed papers and over 10 book chapters. She is on the editorial board of three peer-reviewed journals, Development and Psychopathology, Child Abuse & Neglect, and Adversity and Resilience Science. Dr. Narayan has also been hired as an expert witness.

• Graduate Students
  

  Carly Girnun, Graduate Student

  Carly Girnun, M.A., is a fourth-year clinical psychology doctoral student in the DU Graduate School of Professional Psychology (GSPP). She received a B.S. in psychology from the University of Florida (UF) in 2019. During her time at UF she served as president of the Life Satisfaction and Excellence Lab. In her first year of doctoral training, Carly began working with teens from underserved communities. Following her first year, Carly was accepted into the Colorado Opiate and Substance Use Training (COST) Program, where she worked at the Caring for yoU and Baby (CUB) Clinic providing services for perinatal clients and their young children. Carly completed her third-year externship at the Ardent Grove Foundation and is currently working at Colorado State University with mandated students involved in significant substance use. Carly is passionate about working with families from underserved communities who have experienced trauma.

  Carly began working at the PROTECT Lab in her third year of training. Her research interests include intergenerational transmission of trauma, parent-child relationships, and early childhood adversity. She is currently a clinical research interviewer for the DU Pregnancy Study and conducts interviews for families during pregnancy through preschool. As part of this study, she is also trained in observational coding of Angels in the Nursery narrative memories.

  

  Jacqueline Jacobs, Graduate Student

  Jacqueline Jacobs, M.A., is a fourth-year clinical psychology doctoral student in the DU Graduate School of Professional Psychology (GSPP). She received a B.S. in psychology from Tulane University in 2017.

  After graduating from Tulane, Jacqueline spent two years working at Tulane University School of Medicine in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. There, she worked with families referred by the Department of Children and Family Services who had validated cases of abuse and neglect of children ranging in ages from birth to 18 years. In her first year of doctoral training, Jacqueline was accepted into the Colorado Opiate and Substance Use Training (COST) Program, where she focuses on the intersection between substance use disorders and perinatal, infant, and early childhood mental health. Through the COST program Jacqueline worked at the Caring for yoU and Baby (CUB) Clinic and the Addiction Research and Treatment Services (ARTS) where she provided services for perinatal clients and their young children. Jacqueline completed her second-year externship at the Mental Health Center of Denver with Child and Family Outpatient Services. In her third year of training, Jacqueline worked at Children’s Hospital Colorado on the Child Clinical Rotation. In her fourth year of training, Jacqueline will work at the Young Mothers Clinic, an integrated primary care clinic providing services for young mothers and their children.

  Jacqueline began working at the PROTECT Lab in her third year of training. Her research interests include perinatal substance use, intergenerational transmission of trauma, parent-child relationships, and early-childhood adversity. She is currently a clinical research interviewer for the DU Pregnancy Study and conducts interviews for families during pregnancy through infancy. As part of this study, she is also trained in observational coding of romantic relationship quality, including relationship conflict and conflict recovery.

  

  Arianna Lane, Graduate Student

  Arianna Lane, B.A., is a second-year clinical child psychology doctoral student in the PROTECT Lab. She completed her B.A. in Psychology at the University of Southern California in 2018. Following graduation, she spent three years coordinating research at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. There, she studied associations between trauma and mental health in children with critical illness, as well as dissemination of digital interventions to improve pediatric mental health outcomes. She also served as a volunteer crisis counselor at the Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center.

  Arianna is interested in processes of risk and resilience underlying pathways between early experiences (ACEs, BCEs) to mental health outcomes in individuals and couples. In her free time, she loves getting to explore all that Colorado has to offer.

  

  Jill Merrick, Graduate Student

  Jill Merrick, M.A., is a sixth-year clinical child psychology doctoral student in the PROTECT lab. She received her BA in psychology from Macalester College in 2016. Following graduation, she spent a year working as project coordinator for Project Competence Research on Risk and Resilience at the University of Minnesota under Ann Masten, PhD.

  Jill's research focuses on the role of protective factors, such as positive childhood experiences and parenting, in promoting resilient outcomes for families experiencing adversity. She is also interested in how parents can capitalize on these protective influences to deter the intergenerational transmission of risk and shape a positive trajectory of intergenerational resilience for their children. Jill has successfully defended her dissertation, and she is currently completing her APA-accredited predoctoral clinical psychology internship at Lurie Children's Hospital.

  

  Laura River, Graduate Student

  Laura River, M.A., is a sixth-year doctoral student in the clinical child psychology program at DU. She received a BA in psychology from Pomona College in 2015. For two years following graduation, she coordinated a longitudinal study of perinatal emotion and relationships at the University of Colorado, Boulder under Sona Dimidjian, PhD.

  Laura's research interests center on attachment and parenting in the context of stress, trauma and psychopathology, and interventions to promote greater parent-child and romantic relationship quality during the transition to parenthood. Laura is also an expert coder of several behavioral coding systems, including the ABCD classification system for infant attachment, the narrative coherence (NC) coding system, and an observational coding system of romantic relationship conflict and support that was originally developed by the Minnesota Longitudinal Study of Risk and Adaptation (MLSRA). Laura is currently completing her APA-accredited predoctoral clinical psychology internship Right Start for Infant Mental Health at WellPower / Mental Health Center of Denver (MHCD).

  

  Cassandra Svelnys, Graduate Student

  Cassandra Svelnys, M.A., is a fourth-year clinical child psychology doctoral student in the PROTECT lab. She received a BA in psychology from the University of Connecticut in 2016. Following graduation, she worked as a clinical research specialist with Michelle Bosquet Enlow, PhD, at Boston Children’s Hospital. There she coordinated two longitudinal studies examining intergenerational effects of stressful and traumatic experiences on children’s biological, cognitive and psychological development.

  Cassandra is excited to continue examining how lifetime experiences and early parenting behaviors affect children’s development and how to intervene to optimize parent and child health. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and baking.

• Undergraduate Students

  Caroline Polak, Undergraduate Student

  Caroline Polak is a fourth-year undergraduate student originally from Indianapolis, Indiana. Caroline is majoring in Psychology and minoring in Sociology. She is currently in the Departmental Distinction Honors Program for Psychology, and she is completing her honors thesis in the PROTECT Lab. After graduation, she plans to pursue graduate school with a focus in counseling psychology. Outside of academics, she enjoys backpacking, creative writing and playing guitar.

  Brooke Robillard, Undergraduate Student

  Brooke Robillard is originally from Sisters, Oregon. She is a fourth-year student and is currently completing her undergraduate degree in Psychology with a minor in Critical Race and Ethnic Studies. She has a specific interest in youth-focused mental health education and outreach, which led her to join the PROTECT Lab. After graduation, she plans to gain  experience abroad that is centered around mental health before pursuing graduate school. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends, hiking, cooking and painting. 

• Alumni

  PROTECT Lab Graduate Alums:

  • Vicky Atzl, PhD '22, University of Denver. Current Position: Clinical Research Postdoctoral Fellow, TRANSFORM Research Center / Mount Hope Family Center, University of Rochester.

  • Rebecca Spear, PsyD '22, University of Denver. Current Position: Clinical Psychology Postdoctoral Fellow, Birch Psychology, Denver, CO.

  PROTECT Lab Undergraduate Alums:

  • Miriam Castillo, BA '19, University of Denver. Current Position: ABA therapist, Firefly Autism, Denver, CO.

  • Emma Cole, BA '20, University of Denver. Current Position: Postbac Premed Program, Columbia University.

  • Nicole Honnen, BA '20, Baylor University (Summer 2019 Research Assistant in the PROTECT Lab). Current Position: Clinical Psychology PsyD program, Graduate School of Professional Psychology, University of Denver.

  • Nina Lillehei, BA '19, University of Denver. Post-Bac Position: Research assistant in the Neurodevelopmental Research Program, Department of Psychology, University of Denver. Current Position: Master of social work program, Graduate School of Social Work, University of Denver.

  • Maddy Ober, BA '18, University of Denver. Post-Bac Position: Eating disorder Technician, the Emily Program, Minneapolis, MN. Current Position: Clinical Psychology PsyD program, Graduate School of Professional Psychology, University of Denver.

  • Maria Rodriguez, BA '19, University of Denver. Post-Bac Position: Professional research assistant, Autoimmune Screening for Kids (ASK) Research Program, University of Colorado School of Medicine.

  • Maddie Schmidt, BA '18, University of Denver. Post-Bac Position: Clinical research coordinator, UCLA Depression Grand Challenge. Current Position: Clinical Psychology PhD program, Department of Psychology, Northwestern University.