Principal Investigator
Elizabeth Skowron, Ph.D.
Dr. Elizabeth Skowron is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Oregon where she directs the Family Biobehavioral Health Lab. Together with her students and collaborators, she studies the impact of early adversity on children’s developing emotion and behavioral regulation, and parenting interventions like Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) to help vulnerable families. Along these lines, her work examines biomarkers of emotion regulation and self-control that support optimal parenting. Her research team uses longitudinal and clinical trial designs to examine how child and family-based interventions improve health outcomes and prevent child maltreatment. Dr. Skowron is a certified PCIT trainer and therapist, and a licensed psychologist in Oregon. She has served on and chaired National Institutes of Health grant review panels, and her work has been funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Current Members
Keegan Alvarado
Keegan is the lab manager for Dr. Skowron’s Family Biobehavioral Health Lab. He earned his B.S. in psychology from the University of Oregon in 2023. Keegan hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, where he is interested in researching the biobehavioral patterns that underlie chronic behavioral health struggles. He hopes to identify physiological and dietary interventions to reduce inflammation, improve metabolic function, and supplement the efficacy of existing psychotherapies. Keegan’s long-term goal is to use a holistic approach to help at-risk youth and families achieve and maintain lasting wellness in the Eugene community.
Kate Kwasneski
Kate is a Clinical Psychology doctoral student working under the supervision of Dr. Elizabeth Skowron. She earned a B.A. in psychology at Grinnell College and an M.Ed. in Child Studies from Vanderbilt University. She is interested in the ways that parents and children interact, with a particular focus on how parents’ thoughts and feelings about their children influence their interactions with them. She also has an interest in the neurobiology of parenting behaviors, especially how interventions can influence the neural processes involved in parenting. Kate’s long-term goal is to study the active ingredients of family and parenting interventions. In her free time, Kate enjoys reading, exploring local parks, and most kinds of crafts.
Julia Ruggiero
Julia is a graduate student in the clinical psychology Ph.D. program working under Dr. Elizabeth Skowron. She graduated from Amherst College in 2021 with a B.A. in mathematics and psychology and spent her post-college years working at the Columbia Center for Eating Disorders in New York City. Julia is interested in studying how parenting and other support networks impact the behavioral features of emotion dysregulation in children, specifically examining the effects of parental psychopathology and high-risk behavior on children. Julia’s long-term hope is to work in a field where she can pursue equitable access to mental health care for high-risk and low-income families. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, baking, reading mysteries, and open-water swimming.
Alexus Rock
Alexus is a psychology master’s student working under the supervision of Dr. Elizabeth Skowron. She earned a B.S. in neuroscience from Ohio State University in 2022. After the completion of her master’s degree, Alexus plans to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, hoping to one day open her own clinical practice to work with underprivileged children who have experienced childhood adversity. In her free time, Alexus loves to hike with her dog Mia and binge-watch TV shows.
Yuzuha Koyama
Yuzuha is an undergraduate student at the University of Oregon majoring in psychology, and minoring in business administration and Korean. She plans on pursuing a Ph.D. in clinical psychology to become a clinical psychologist that works internationally, mainly working in the U.S. and her home country of Japan. She minors in Korean in hopes to help the Korean minority that lives in Japan as well. Outside of the lab, Yuzuha teaches language arts, math, and English to Japanese students at a Japanese advanced school based in Portland.
Mia Lauder
Mia is a research assistant who joined the lab Summer 2023. She is a post-baccalaureate student at UO pursuing Neuroscience. She was awarded her first bachelor of science degree in political science in 2022. After completing her post-baccalaureate degree she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in behavioral neuroscience and hopes to research criminality and alternatives to incarceration. In her free time she is a legal assistant for public defenders at Brouhard & Gouge, LLC. She enjoys hiking, reading, yoga, baking, and spending lots of time with her border collie, Luna.
Lab Alumni
Kadie Johnson, M.A., M.S., Ph.D.
Kadie was a PCIT coach and graduate research assistant at CAPS. She received her Ph.D. in the Counseling Psychology program and is currently on internship. Kadie’s research interests include parenting interactions, stress, and the processes of change. When not at the FABB lab, she enjoys cooking, crafting, biking, and spending time with her friends and pets.
Fiona Byrne, B.A.
Fiona was an undergraduate lab assistant studying Family and Human Services in the College of Education. She was a student in the Robert D. Clark Honors College and is passionate about working with children who have experienced violence and trauma. She loves to travel when she has the opportunity, and her favorite destination is Mexico City.
Mekael Daniel
Mekael attends Colorado College in Colorado Springs, CO with a prospective major of Sociology. She was an NIDA (National institute on Drug Abuse) Summer intern at the U of O, and it is her first experience working in a research lab. This program first drew her attention because she is interested in parenting, family processes, and counseling. Her hobbies include drawing, reading, and listening to music.
Lisa Shimomaeda, B.S.
Lisa was the Assessment Coordinator for the CAPS Project. Currently, Lisa is a Clinical Psychology doctoral student at the University of Washington. She is interested in studying the creation and dissemination of preventative interventions and how these interventions can alter the developmental trajectories of high–risk children. In her free time, she enjoys spending hours on end wandering through libraries and bookstores, gardening, and listening to podcasts.
Ryan Giuliano, M.S., Ph.D.
Ryan graduated with a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Oregon and is currently an assistant professor at the University of Manitoba. His primary research interest is in examining the interaction between stress physiology and EEG measures of cognition across the lifespan, with a focus on how the experience of chronic stress and adversity impacts this relationship. In his free time, he enjoys being a new dad and taking every opportunity to explore nature.
Natasha Horsch, B.S.
Natasha was a Psychology and General Social Science major at the University of Oregon and a research assistant on the CAPS study. In her free time she enjoys reading, traveling, cooking, and hanging out with her friends and family.
Mackenzy Mingal
Mackenzy was a psychology student at the University of Oregon and a research assistant on the CAPS study. She hopes to pursue graduate school to become a therapist. In her free time she enjoys hiking, photography, and spending time with friends and family.
Carter Gilmore
Carter was a Psychology student at the University of Oregon. She hopes to attend graduate school in order to pursue her goal of becoming a Marriage and Family Therapist. Outside of work she likes to play with her dog, binge watch Netflix, and bake.
Carter Gilmore
Carter was a Psychology student at the University of Oregon. She hopes to attend graduate school in order to pursue her goal of becoming a Marriage and Family Therapist. Outside of work she likes to play with her dog, binge watch Netflix, and bake.
Margaret Stelzner
Margaret was an undergraduate research assistant and a junior at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. She was a neuroscience studies major with a psychology emphasis. She was an intern through the National Institute on Drug Abuse. She enjoys running, hiking, and spending time with her dog.
Sam Meyer
Sam is a graduate from the Psychology program at the University of Oregon. His main interests in the field are related to interactions among different individuals, and underlying biological reasons as to why humans do what they do. His interests outside of the lab include being out in nature, playing sports, and hanging out with friends and family.
Jackie Harden
Jackie was an undergraduate research assistant. She majored in psychology and is planning on pursuing a career as a couples and family therapist. She spends most of my time outside of school working at the Museum of Natural and Cultural History and hanging out with friends. She loves to cook, read, and watch Netflix.
Bernadette Brady
Bernie was an undergraduate at the University of Oregon studying Family and Human Services as well as Psychology. She would like to get her license in Occupational Therapy and use that to be an OT for children with disabilities. She loves children, helping people, and cows more than anything!
Chanel Brisbane
Chanel was an undergraduate student majoring in Psychology with a Special Education minor. When outside of work, she can be found hanging out with friends, reading (She will read any Gillian Flynn or Harry Potter book put in front of her!), binge-watching Grey’s Anatomy, or eating pizza. After graduation, she hopes to go to grad school and eventually become a Family and Marital therapist.
Tess Arthur
Tess was a Psychology major at the University of Oregon. She wants to further her education and attend Grad school with an interest in working in a Psychiatric hospital for adolescents. She enjoys going to the beach, skim boarding, playing with her dogs, eating In-and-Out, and being around her family and friends.
Tasha Campbell
Tasha was an undergraduate research assistant and studied Psychology and Special Education. She has a passion for working with children and their families. She plans on continuing her educating in graduate school for Family and Child Therapy. On her free time she loves to sing, watch movies, and read books!
Elizabeth Nguyen
Elizabeth Nguyen was a Family and Human Services major in the Early Childhood Emphasis Program. She enjoys all things about living in Oregon: the weather, nature, and ducks. Her greatest passion is music. She hopes to one day incorporate music as a form of therapy into her work with children and families.
Sarah Dole
Sarah was a Family and Human Services major. Her interests in children and families began when she started working at The Relief Nursery, a local child abuse and neglect prevention agency. Her goal is to continue working to strengthen families and pursue a doctoral degree in counseling psychology. She feels this lab is a perfect fir for her! She is an avid distance runner and loves to do yoga and cook in her free time.