The Early Childhood Research Lab
ECRL
Principal Investigator
Dr. Greta Doctoroff is an associate professor of psychology at the Ferkauf Graduate School. She is a clinical psychologist who conducts research at the intersection of developmental, educational, and clinical psychology. Her research has focused on the assessment, development, and prevention of behavioral and emotional problems in young children, as well as ways to improve early learning. She is particularly interested in research to improve caregiver-child relations and in prevention programs for families and teachers. Dr. Doctoroff is an expert on disruptive behavior disorders and anxiety in young children, and has studied parent and teacher training programs and their dissemination in preschool settings. In recent years, Dr. Doctoroff has become involved in research in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) working to learn about family experiences in order to promote better attachment and care in the NICU for premature babies and their families. Dr. Doctoroff received her undergraduate degree from Haverford College and her doctoral degree in clinical psychology with a concentration in children, adolescents and families from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She completed her internship at NYU Child Study Center and Bellevue Hospital, and a post-doctoral fellowship in early childhood from Brown Medical School and Rhode Island Hospital.
Current Graduate Students
Abi Martel is a third-year doctoral student in the School-Clinical Child Psychology Program. She received her B.S. in Child Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience from the University of Minnesota. Here, she was involved in research at the Institute of Child Development and Center for Neurobehavioral Development. She then received a master’s in Counseling Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University. In addition to research, Abi has her Mental Health Counseling licensure and provides cognitive behavioral therapy to children and families. Abi’s research interests include positive parent-child interactions, emotion regulation and behavioral strategies, and comorbid presentations of childhood anxiety disorders and ADHD.
Katie Lawson is a third year doctoral student in the School-Clinical Child Psychology Program. She received her B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies from New York University. She then received a master’s in psychology from The New School, where she assisted in research through The Center for Attachment Research. There, she was involved in a research project evaluating long-term efficacy of a peer play psychotherapy intervention for preschool age children. Katie’s research interests include dyadic interventions aimed at enhancing parent-child relationships, promoting developmental outcomes for the child, or improving parental self-efficacy. Katie is also interested in understanding and addressing perinatal mental health concerns.
Maria Guerrero is a third-year doctoral student in the School-Clinical Child Psychology program. She received her B.A. in psychology from St. John’s University. Here, she was in The Collaborative Health Integration Research Program (CHIRP) where she researched how social environments influence psychophysiological and behavioral processes and its effects on health status and health behavior. She was also a research assistant in Northwell’s Recognition and Prevention (RAP) Program, where she aided in the investigation of preventative intervention for young adults and adolescents who are at risk of developing psychosis. Her research interests include understanding resilience in young children.
Sasha Engelman is a third-year doctoral student in the School-Clinical Child Psychology program. She received her B.S. in Behavior and Health Sciences from Boston University. She then received a master’s in Mental Health Counseling from Baruch College. Sasha’s research interests include the parent-infant relationship as it pertains to infant development, early childhood mental health and research in attachment-based treatment interventions. Sasha is also interested in preconception care and maternal mental health, specifically the study of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, or perinatal distress and its effects on child development.
Alexandra Chalfin is a fourth year doctoral student in the School-Clinical Child Psychology Program. She received her B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Hispanic Studies from Trinity College. Alexandra’s research interests include parent-training and school-based interventions for externalizing and internalizing disorders in young children. Her doctoral research project is focused on preschool teachers' mental health and experiences in the context of the pandemic.
Katie Connolly is a fourth year doctoral student in the School-Clinical Child Psychology Program. She received her B.S. in Psychology and B.A. in Spanish from Tulane University, along with a minor in Sociology. Katie's research interests include empowering parenting efforts through evidence-based practices as well as peer mentorship. Katie views both of these methods as integral to intervening and preventing early developmental and behavioral challenges.
Ellie Rabinovitz is a fourth year doctoral student in the School-Clinical Child Psychology Program. Ellie received her bachelor’s degree from Emory University where she majored in Psychology and minored in Sociology. Following graduation, Ellie spent a year in Durham, North Carolina working as a research assistant at the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development. Her research interests include understanding emotion regulation in early childhood, as well as exploring parent preferences for early intervention programs.
Sabrina Udwin is a fourth year doctoral student in the School-Clinical Child Psychology Program. She received her B.A. in Psychology and Linguistics with a minor in Educational Studies from Emory University. Sabrina's current research interests include fostering healthy early parent-child relationships to improve family functioning and parent-based prevention/intervention programs for early childhood behavior and developmental difficulties.
Sara Guttentag is a fifth year doctoral student in the School-Clinical Child Psychology Program. She received her B.A. in Psychology and English from the University of Michigan. After graduating, Sara’s interest in clinical psychology led her to begin working at the NYU Child Study Center at Langone Health as a research assistant, where she assisted in both neuroimaging and psychoeducational evaluations of children with autism spectrum disorder and/or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. In Dr. Doctoroff’s lab, Sara’s research focuses on teachers supporting emotion regulation during the pandemic.
Jevian Joseph is a fifth year doctoral student in the School-Clinical Child Psychology Program. She graduated Cum Laude from CUNY City College with a B.A. in Psychology. After graduating, Jevian spent two years working as a research assistant in the parent-infant communications lab at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, and as a mental health and substance use counselor at NYC Well. As part of Dr. Doctoroff’s lab, she explores the development of a peer-mentor training program to increase support for parents in the NICU.