https://yddclab.com/team/Recent content in The Team on YDDC LabHugo -- gohugo.ioenYouth Development in Diverse Contexts (YDDC) Lab, Fordham UniversityMon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000Tiffany 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.Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000Heining 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.Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000Nidia 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.Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000G. 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.Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000Youchuan 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.Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000Enrique 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.Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000Angela 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.Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000Jiawei (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.Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000Xiaoping (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.Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000Rucha 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.Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000Gabrielle 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 affect neurological functioning. She is also interested in studying biopsychology and genetic neurodivergent and neurodegenerative disorders.Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000Charlene 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.Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000Christy Wu (she/they) is a freshman at Lincoln Center pursuing a B.S in Psychology. She is interested in studying developmental psychology and how trauma from childhood can affect adulthood, as well as multicultural psychology, focusing on understanding and addressing the unique mental health experiences of individuals from BIPOC communities. She hopes to pursue a career in child and adolescent psychology, focusing on the mental, emotional, and social development of children from infancy through adolescence.https://yddclab.com/team/research-opportunities/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://yddclab.com/team/research-opportunities/Applications for Fall 2026 are open. Fill out the YDDC Lab Undergraduate Research Assistant Application The Youth Development in Diverse Contexts (YDDC) Lab, directed by Dr. Tiffany Yip, is seeking undergraduates to assist with a longitudinal study of sleep, health, and academics during the college transition through graduation. Research Assistants (RAs) will be integral to many aspects of the study, including working with participants for in-person lab visits while helping with data collection and management.https://yddclab.com/team/lab-pets/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://yddclab.com/team/lab-pets/Our lab’s furry family members! Photos coming soon – drop pet pictures into static/img/pets/ and add them below. 🐶 Teddy — Tiffany’s dog 🐱 Peach — Charlene’s cat 🐱 Pan & Cake — Ada’s cats 🐱 Spooky — Kelsey’s cat 🐶 Koda — Rucha’s dog 🐶 Hunter — Emma’s dog 🐱 Smoky — Douglas’ cat 🐶 Maxine & Leo — Douglas’ dogs 🐶 Tess — Angela’s dog