Our Team

Joanna Kim, Ph.D.

Dr. Joanna Kim is an Assistant Professor at the REACH Institute at Arizona State University. She completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles in 2019. She completed an APA-accredited predoctoral internship at the University of California, San Diego and T32 Postdoctoral Fellowship at Arizona State University. She is currently the recipient of a NIDA-funded K01 mentored career development award. Broadly, Dr. Kim’s research aims to reduce disparities in behavioral health risk, identification, and service utilization for low-income, immigrant, and ethnoracial minority youth. She is particularly interested in strategies to increase caregiver use of evidence-based skills outside of intervention sessions. In her clinical work, Dr. Kim’s passions are in parent management training, exposure response prevention, and evidence-based assessment.

Fun Recommendation: Almost There Rescue in Phoenix, AZ

Post-Doctoral Student

Carlie Sloan, Ph.D.

Carlie is a postdoctoral research fellow in the REACH institute working with Drs. Joanna Kim and Abi Gewirtz. Carlie completed her BA in Psychology from the University of Notre Dame in 2018 and went on to receive her MS and Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from the Pennsylvania State University. She is interested in understanding how the family context, such as parenting and parent-child relationships, influence adolescent mental health and propensity for risky behaviors like substance use. Carlie is interested in applying this work by developing and evaluating family-based interventions, as well as improving the effectiveness of existing evidence-based practices by enhancing their reach and engagement levels. 

Fun Recommendation: Use Spotify Blends to share music with your friend

Graduate Students

Mary Kuckertz, M.A.

Mary is a doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program at Arizona State University. She graduated from the University of San Diego with her B.A. in Psychology and Spanish. Mary is interested in using implementation science to improve access to and overall intervention experience with evidence-based mental health services. She is particularly interested in understanding parent and adolescent intervention engagement for families with minoritized racial/ethnic identities. While she is not working, Mary enjoys cheering on her favorite soccer team and following her favorite corgis on social media.

Fun recommendation: Proof Bread in Downtown Mesa

Sydni Basha, M.A.

Sydni is a graduate student at Arizona State University working toward her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in Community and Prevention Science (Doctoral Advisor: Dr. Abigail Gewirtz). She joined ASU after completing her Bachelor's in Psychological Sciences and minor in Conflict Analysis and Trauma Studies in 2019. After undergrad, Sydni worked as a Mental Health Case Manager for a non-profit in Minneapolis, MN as part of the Social Security Administration's national, multi-site, Supported Employment Demonstration study. Her research interests relate to the dissemination, implementation, and evaluation of evidence-based interventions for at-risk or highly stressed populations. She investigates how clinicians, therapists, and facilitators (or other mental health practitioners) interact with and influence participants' engagement with these evidence-based interventions in her projects with Dr. Gewirtz as well as in the Engaging Families Lab. When not working, Sydni enjoys spending time with her husband and black lab hiking and camping, or relaxing at home reading.  

Fun Recommendation: Renegade Coffee Company

Melissa Uribe, M.A.

Melissa is a graduate of the Applied Psychology Undergraduate program at the University of Illinois at Chicago and a current Clinical Psychology PhD student at Arizona State University (Doctoral Advisors: Abigail Gewirtz & Rick Cruz). In her projects with Drs. Gewirtz & Cruz, Melissa aims to understand the mechanisms of treatment adherence in Latinx and BIPOC for internalizing conditions like anxiety and depression. Her goal is to take an Ecological approach to mood and anxiety by considering environmental issues like neighborhood violence, acculturation, immigrant status, racial discrimination, and family dynamics. She brings this unique lens to the Engaging Families lab projects to engage BIPOC families in interventions. In her free time, she practices yoga and meditation, and she loves trying new foods!

Fun Recommendation: BEEF on Netflix

Lindsey Rosenthal, B.A.

Lindsey is a graduate student in the Clinical Psychology PhD program at Arizona State University. Prior to attending ASU, she earned a BA in Neuroscience from Smith College and completed a post-baccalaureate fellowship at the Yale Child Study Center. Broadly, Lindsey is interested in mental health disparities and how family dynamics influence psychopathology. Lindsey is particularly interested in understanding how culture and daily experiences impact intervention utilization and efficacy in ethnoracial minority youth. Lindsey's clinical interests involve families in high-stress populations and/or circumstances. In her free time, Lindsey enjoys going to farmers markets, painting, and hiking.

Fun Recommendation: Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story on Netflix 

Lab Management

Vijaya Nandiwada-Hofer, B.S.


Project Coordinator

Vijaya graduated spring 2023 from Arizona State University with a B.S. in Psychology. During her time at ASU, she gained research experience in two developmental psychology labs and wanted to continue growing her skills and research interests. She hopes to continue her education with a PhD in Clinical Psychology. Some of her current research interests are looking at how to help build parent-child relationships to prevent mental health problems and support healthy child development. During her free time, Vijaya likes to bake/cook, rewatch her favorite shows, and spend time with her friends and family. 

Fun Recommendation: Making browned butter chocolate chip cookies

Bella Andrade


Lab Manager

Bella is an undergraduate student at Arizona State University double majoring in Psychological Science (B.S.) and Family and Human Development (B.S.). Bella will be graduating in the Spring of 2025, but she plans to further her education in clinical psychology. Bella’s current research interests include how to improve accessibility to preventative parenting interventions among minorized populations, especially parents of children with neuromuscular disorders. Bella is also interested in how interventions could be tailored or adapted to fit the unique experiences of these families. In the future, Bella hopes to continue doing research within these fields. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, trying out local coffee shops, and hanging out with her dog, Blaine.

Fun Recommendation: A Court of Thornes and Roses by Sarah J. Maas and Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia ice cream

Research Assistants

Arbella Kasim, B.S.

Arbella is a graduate of Arizona State University with a degree in Psychology (B.S.) and a minor in Organizational Leadership (B.A.). She plans to further her education in clinical psychology. Some of Arbella's current research interests include the intricate relationship between parent and child. Her long-term career interests are to help research interventions aimed to better parent and child mental health. In her free time, Arbella enjoys reading and playing volleyball.


Fun Recommendation: Matcha Cafe Maiko in Tempe

Laney Karpel

Laney is an undergraduate student at Arizona State University studying Biological Sciences (B.S.) with a minor in Family and Human Development (B.A.) on the pre-medical track. Laney will be graduating in Spring of 2026, however she hopes to further her education in medical school. Some of Laney’s current research interests include gaining a personal knowledge and understanding of adolescent mental health and to further understand how familial and societal dynamics influence child and adolescent development. Laney hopes to excel in clinical research, diversifying and broadening her ideas to bring into her future career. In her free time, she enjoys being outdoors, trying new foods, and spending time with family and friends.

Fun Recommendation: Rom-Coms and homemade chocolate chip cookies

Hannah Honda, B.A.

Hannah graduated in 2020 with a B.A in Psychology from Texas A&M University. After graduating, she spent several years working abroad in Japan while continuing to remain involved in research in the field of psychology. She recently returned to the U.S. and currently works as a research coordinator at a non-profit organization in Phoenix (Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center). Hannah was motivated to join the Engaging Families Lab to gain more research experience related to family dynamics and the role of caregivers in meaningful interventions. Her long-term career interests are to further her education and develop and disseminate interventions that support the mental health and well-being of autistic individuals and their families living in Japan. On the weekends, Hannah loves to find new spots to hike and explore, self-study, and to try new recipes for her husband and friends. 

Fun Recommendation: Lunch specials at Sushi Sen in Scottsdale

Dana Cadena

Dana is an undergraduate student at Arizona State University studying Global Studies (B.A.). She will be graduating in Spring of 2027, and hopes to pursue a master’s from there. Her research interests include immigration policy, developmental psychology, and exploring how various social disparities can influence adolescent development. She also intends to apply and further develop her language skills to become a translator. In her free time, you can probably find her working out, perfecting a matcha recipe, or hanging out with her friends.

Fun recommendation: Everything Everywhere All At Once. Any A24 movie rocks.

Zara Farooqui

Zara is a high school senior at BASIS Chandler. She will graduate in May 2025 and plans to go to ASU Barrett in the fall, majoring in Biochemistry with a focus on Medicinal Chemistry. She is working on a senior project at BASIS that focuses on the effects of caregiver involvement in behavioral interventions for middle schoolers, and she is interning at Engaging Families to help her with her research. In the future, she hopes to be a pharmacologist or psychiatrist.  In her free time, Zara enjoys reading, baking, and going on walks. 

Fun Recommendation: “Test Drive” from How To Train Your Dragon

Jane Li

Jane is an undergraduate student at Arizona State University studying Psychology and Secondary Education. Jane is passionate about research centered around families and community-related influences on adolescents/teens. She loves to explore different facets within psychology, and has multiple interests in hormonal changes as a response to emotional wellbeing as well as impacts of food on developmental and psychological changes in adolescents. In the future, Jane plans to continue psychological research and earn a doctoral degree while narrowing her scope of interest within the field. In her free time, she enjoys working out, watching new tv shows, and trying out new cafes around the city.

Fun recommendation: Food Roulette with friends and late-night movie runs.

Lab Alumni

  • Sarah Nesbit

    Undergraduate Research Assistant

  • Sun-Kyung Lee, Ph.D.

    Postdoctoral Scholar

  • Maya Swift, B.S.

    ASU Class of 2024
    Undergraduate Research Assistant

  • Nalani A. Thomas, M.S.

    Graduate Student

  • Madison Wolff

    Undergraduate Media Specialist

  • Ana Maria Meléndez Guevara

    T32 Postdoctoral Scholar

  • Vanessa Herrera, B.S.

    ASU Class of 2023
    Undergraduate Research Assistant

  • Brooke Johnson, B.S.

    Project Coordinator | Evaluator
    ASU Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics