The Team

Tiffany Yip, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator

Tiffany Yip, Ph.D. is a Professor of Psychology at Fordham University. She received her undergraduate degree in Psychology at Cornell University, earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Psychology at NYU, and completed a NIMH and NSF-funded postdoctoral fellowship in the Psychology Department at the University of Michigan. Her research on ethnic identity, discrimination, and sleep among minority adolescents and young adults has been published in American Psychologist, Child Development, Developmental Psychology, and Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. Dr. Yip currently serves as an Associate Editor for Child Development and the Asian American Journal of Psychology. Dr. Yip is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, Division 7 (Developmental Psychology) and Division 45 (Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity and Race) and her research has been funded by NICHD, NIMHD, NIMH, and NSF.

Heining Cham, Ph.D.

Co-Investigator

Heining Cham, Ph.D., is a Professor of Psychology at Fordham University. He received his B.S. degree in Psychology at Peking University and earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in Quantitative Research Methods (Quantitative Psychology) at Arizona State University. His research on quantitative methodologies, including latent variable interactions, propensity score analysis, and missing data analysis, has been published in Psychological Methods, Psychological Assessment, Multivariate Behavioral Research, and Educational and Psychological Measurement. Heining currently serves as an Associate Editor for Frontiers in Psychology - Quantitative Psychology and Measurement and on the Editorial Board of Multivariate Behavioral Research and Psychological Assessment. Heining is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, Division 5 (Quantitative and Qualitative Methods), the recipient of the Anne Anastasi Distinguished Early Career Contributions Award of the American Psychological Association, Division 5, and the recipient of the Rising Star designation of Association for Psychological Science. He serves as a co-investigator in research funded by NCI, NIA, NIMHD, NIMH, IES, and other agencies.

Nidia Ruedas-Gracia, Ph.D.

NIH Diversity Supplement Recipient (R01MD015715)

Nidia Ruedas-Gracia, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She received her undergraduate degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in Psychology and Sociology, earned her MA from New York University (NYU) in Human Development and Social Intervention, and her PhD from Stanford University in Developmental and Psychological Sciences.
Her research seeks to develop a nuanced understanding of what it means to "belong" and how this sense of belonging impacts life outcomes such as academic performance and mental health. Together with her research team, she focuses on exploring these concepts among culturally diverse populations, and examining how sense of belonging is associated with various social identities (gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, etc.). Her research is published in American Psychologist, Emerging Adulthood, and Teachers College Record and has been funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and National Institute of Minority Health Disparities (NIMHD).

Angela Zhao, M.A.

Lab Manager/Project Director

Angela Zhao received her M.A. in Human Development Research and Policy and her B.S. in Applied Psychology at New York University. As an undergraduate, she worked with Drs. Sumie Okazaki and Doris Chang on issues of identity, belonging, and individual & community well-being among Asian Americans at the CARA/ABRA Project. As a graduate student, she also coordinated a machine-learning project to classify hate speech on social media at the CARA/ABRA Project and an independent survey research project on interpersonal curiosity and stereotyping with Dr. Niobe Way. Her research interests include how discrimination and inequality shape individuals'  interactions, relationships, and identity, especially in online contexts. She plans to pursue her Ph.D. in Social Psychology.

Enrique Dimagiba, M.S.,  M.D.

Data Manager

Enrique Dimagiba received his M.S. in Biostatistics at New York University, and he earned his diplomate in Internal Medicine, his Doctor of Medicine at St. Luke's Medical Center College of Medicine, and his B.S. in Health Sciences at Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines. His research interests include healthcare disparities, clinical epidemiology, time-to-event analysis, and patient-centered outcome research.

G. Alice Woolverton, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow

G. Alice Woolverton, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Psychology Department at Fordham University and the Department of Pediatrics at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She received her doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Suffolk University and completed her predoctoral clinical training at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she worked with children and families. Dr. Woolverton’s research focuses on: (1) the complex psychological effects of witnessing distressing content, (2) mental health help-seeking and treatment engagement, (3) increasing anti-oppressive behaviors among White individuals, and (4) the social determinants of health disparities.

Youchuan Zhang, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow

Youchuan Zhang received her doctoral degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Michigan State University, a Master of Social Science in Psychology from the University of Hong Kong, and Bachelor of Medicine from Sun Yat-sen University. Her research centers on disadvantaged adolescent populations, particularly ethnic-racial minority adolescents in the U.S. and adolescents from low-income families in rural China. Specifically, she investigates how risks and resilience at structural and neighborhood levels, as well as within school and family contexts, shape adolescents’ development in sleep, stress biology, and mental health.

Jiawei (Ada) Wu

Graduate Research Assistant

Jiawei (Ada) Wu is a 2nd-year graduate student in the Applied Developmental Psychology program at Fordham University. She is especially interested in mental health problems and related physical conditions among minority groups in society. She hopes to learn more about the research process and gain a better understanding of health concerns in minorities. Ada hopes to become a professor to educate future generations about the importance of mental well-being in the future.

Xiaoping (Eric) Yu

Graduate Research Assistant

Xiaoping (Eric) Yu is a 1st-year graduate student in the Applied Developmental Psychology program at Fordham University. He attended Macalester College majoring in Psychology and Political Science. He is interested in conducting research on intersectional identity development in marginalized youth.

Douglas Gelman

Graduate Research Assistant

​Douglas Gelman (he/him/his) is a second-year master’s student in the Applied Psychological Methods program, specializing in Tests and Measures. He is particularly interested in how stereotype threat, stereotype consciousness, and intergroup bias influence identity development and self-expression in adolescents and emerging adults. After completing his master’s, he hopes to pursue a PhD in developmental psychology to explore these topics further and examine their long-term personal and interpersonal effects.

Emma Eitmann

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Emma Eitmann is a senior at Fordham University’s Rose Hill campus, majoring in psychology. She is passionate about understanding systemic barriers experienced by minority populations and exploring institutional belonging among individuals with disabilities. Her research interests include autism spectrum disorder (ASD), child and adolescent development, and the implementation of school-based interventions. Emma plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a focus on ASD.

Saniya Jasani

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Saniya Jasani is a senior at Fordham University Lincoln Center, majoring in psychology on the pre-health track. Her research interests focus on exploring mental health disparities among minority communities. After graduation, Saniya plans to apply to medical school, where she aims to improve health outcomes for underserved populations.

Cindy Liu 

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Cindy Liu (she/her) is a senior at Fordham University Rose Hill, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Mandarin Chinese and Computer Science. Her research interests include: child/adolescent development, social determinants of Asian-American mental health, discrimination, and community-based health interventions. After graduation, she plans on pursuing a career working to improve the mental health outcomes of historically marginalized youth.

Sara Anna Venturini

Undergraduate Research Assistant

​Sara Anna Venturini is a fourth-year student at Fordham University’s Rose Hill campus, pursuing a degree in Integrative Neuroscience with a concentration in Cellular and Molecular neuroscience on the Pre-Med track. She is also minoring in Psychology and completing an honors concentration in American Catholic Studies. After graduation, she hopes to attend medical school or physician assistant school. Outside of the lab, she is president of the Integrative Neuroscience Student Association (INSA), a member of the Sports Medicine team working with the Fordham football program, and an EMT with FUEMS.

Rucha Kulkarni

Undergraduate Research Assistant

​Rucha Kulkarni is a junior at Fordham University Rose Hill majoring in psychology and minoring in biology. Rucha’s research interests include developmental and cross-cultural psychology; more specifically, she is interested in how healthcare disparities within minoritized populations and how racial and ethnic identity influences the academic experiences and outcomes of minority college students. She hopes to become a therapist and work to improve access to culturally competent mental health care for underrepresented communities. Outside of the lab, she is the Vice President of Fordham's Psychology Club, a representative for the Psychology department's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council, and co-founder of Mischief Managed, Fordham's Harry Potter club.

Gabrielle Diaz

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Gabrielle Diaz is a junior at Fordham University Rose Hill majoring in Psychology with a minor in the Biological Sciences. Her research interests include: how genetics influences the presentation of psychological disorders specifically ADHD and its presentation in young girls and women. Additionally, she is interested in how stress can effect neurological functioning. She is also interested in studying biopsychology and genetic neurodivergent and neurodegenerative disorders.

Charlene Weis

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Charlene Weis is a sophomore at Fordham University's Rose Hill campus pursuing a BS in Biological Sciences. She's interested in how identity, environment, and systemic inequities shape mental health and well-being. At the YDDC Lab, she's excited to contribute to research highlighting the social and structural factors influencing development and health. After graduation, Charlene plans to pursue an MD/MPH and continue working at the intersection of clinical care, advocacy, and public health research.

Lee Loveland

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Lee Loveland is a second-year student at Fordham College at Lincoln Center. She is majoring in psychology and minoring in business. She is very excited to gain research experience in the YDDC lab! After graduation, she plans to pursue an MS or EdS in school psychology. Her research interests include developmental and environmental factors that influence youth cognition and behavior.

Christy Wu

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Christy Wu (she/they) is a freshman at Lincoln Center pursuing a B.S in Psychology. She is interested in studying the concept of developmental and how trauma from childhood can affect adulthood as well as multicultural psychology, focuses on understanding and addressing the unique mental health experiences of individuals from BIPOC communities. She hopes to pursue a career in child and adolescents psychology, focusing on the mental, emotional, and social development of children from infant through adolescence.