The Developmental Risk and Cultural Resilience Laboratory
Harvard Medical School | Brigham and Women's Hospital
Meet the Team
Cindy H. Liu, PhD
Principal Investigator
Cindy H. Liu, Ph.D. is currently an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School. Her areas of investigation include the measurement and mechanisms of psychosocial stress, cultural differences in socio-emotional development, and developmental and culturally based interventions that reduce mental health disparities. She received her degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Oregon. After completing her clinical internship at McLean Hospital, following a postdoctoral fellowship at Boston Children's Hospital, she served as the Director of Multicultural Research at the Commonwealth Research Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center for six years prior to her current position as the Director of the Developmental Risk and Cultural Resilience Program within Pediatric Newborn Medicine and Psychiatry at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
Candice Ma, BA
Research Assistant
Candice received her B.A. in Psychology and minor in Chinese from the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her undergraduate honors thesis on children's endorsement of myths. Before joining the DRCR lab, she worked as an undergraduate research assistant in a cognitive development lab and a sexual psychophysiology lab. She is currently interested in developing a culturally sensitive understanding of early childhood experiences, wellbeing, and resilience. In the future, she hopes to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology with a focus on working with Asian immigrant families and children.
Postdoctoral Fellows
Ritika Rastogi, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Ritika Rastogi earned her PhD in Developmental Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles and her BA from Northwestern University. As a scholar, she is interested in applying Critical and multidisciplinary approaches to supporting marginalized (BIPoC and immigrant-origin) young people’s positive development and mental health. Her current research examines adolescents’ peer relationships, namely friendships as spaces for youth to develop resilience and resistance to school-based manifestations of structural oppression (e.g., discrimination, under-funding). She is also interested in unpacking the diversity within communities often viewed as homogeneous (e.g., Asians, Latino/a/x/es), with an emphasis on identifying young people's innate cultural strengths as targets for institutional support.
G. Alice Woolverton, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
G. Alice Woolverton earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Suffolk University and her BA in English from Amherst College. She completed her predoctoral clinical training at Massachusetts General Hospital working with children and adolescents. As a scholar, Alice is focused on reducing and preventing the high costs of racism on youths’ mental wellbeing; her current work evaluates a caregiver-child antiracism program for white families. She is also interested in unpacking promotors of youth psychological health during periods of stress, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. She has particular expertise using qualitative and mixed research methods.
Qingyu Jiang, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Qingyu Jiang received her PhD in human sciences with a focus on child, youth, and family studies from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and her BA in psychology from Michigan State University. Her research focuses on investigating the long-term impacts of early contexts (e.g., family, culture) and experiences (e.g., early adversity, resilience, immigration, poverty) on children’s and adolescents’ socio-emotional development and mental health. She is also interested in understanding the role of contemplative practices (e.g., compassion, mindfulness, reflection) in enhancing caregivers’ wellbeing and children’s healthy development. She is passionate about translating research into practice (e.g., interventions, program evaluation) that supports early childhood development, education, and mental health.
Psychiatrists
Natalie Feldman, MD
Psychiatry Resident
Natalie Feldman, M.D., is a BWH Women's Mental Health Fellow who received an HMS Dupont Warren to study perinatal anxiety. Originally from Northern California, she completed her undergraduate degree at Harvard University and medical school training at the University of Chicago. Her interests include women's mental health as well as digital mental health. She is a Leadership Fellow through the APA/APAF Leadership Fellowship, as well as a Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry Fellow. Natalie co-writes a monthly advice column on digital psychiatry for the Massachusetts Psychiatric Society. She plans to pursue a fellowship in Women's Mental Health.
Scott Lee, M.D.
Psychiatry Resident
Scott Lee, M.D. is a resident physician at Harvard South Shore Psychiatry. A native Marylander, he completed college and medical school at Baylor University & Baylor College of Medicine. His interests have ranged from studying the intersection between medical ethics and psychiatry to now exploring the cultural and psychosocial factors that affect mental health outcomes in minority populations. In addition to his work with the DRCR lab, Scott serves as an Assistant Editor at the Harvard Review of Psychiatry. He plans to pursue a Child & Adolescent Psychiatry fellowship following completion of his Adult Psychiatry training.
Amanda Koire, MD, PhD
Psychiatry Resident
Amanda Koire, M.D., Ph.D. is a PGY-3 Research Track Psychiatry resident at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School. She received her degrees from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, where she completed a Ph.D. in Quantitative and Computational Biosciences. She is a co-founder of the National Reproductive Psychiatry Trainee Interest Group (www.repropsychtrainees.com) and has published research on perinatal mental health in the Archives of Women’s Mental health and BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. Amanda plans to pursue a career as a perinatal psychiatrist and researcher.
Katharine Brieger, MD, PhD
Psychiatry Resident
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Katharine Brieger, M.D., Ph.D. is a PGY-2 Psychiatry Resident on the Research Track at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. She completed her degrees at the University of Michigan Medical School and School of Public Health, where her research in epidemiology focused on gene-environment interactions relevant to neurodevelopment and on modifiable behaviors impacting women’s health. With the DRCR lab, she plans to work with the CARES data to explore the relationships between physical and mental health behaviors in young adults. Ultimately, she plans to pursue a career as both a researcher and clinical psychiatrist.
Medical Students
Jessica Wang, BS
Medical Student
Jessica Wang is a medical student at Harvard Medical School interested in the intersections of social justice, mental health, and marginalized identities. She received her BS in Public Health with highest distinction from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill where she was a Morehead-Cain Scholar. At UNC, Jessica worked as a case manager for community members experiencing homelessness and poverty and as a Mandarin Interpreter for the uninsured at a free clinic. Jessica’s work with underserved populations has inspired her to further explore how systemic oppression impacts the physical and psychosocial health of people in marginalized communities.
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Ivo Cerda, MSE
Medical Student
Ivo Hector Cerda is a medical student at Harvard Medical School and a Walter Byers Scholar interested in mental health inequities and the use of technology to improve the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of neuropsychiatric conditions. Originally from Santiago, Chile, Ivo attended the University of Michigan, where he received a BS in Cellular & Molecular Biology and Biomedical Engineering, and a MSE in Biomedical Engineering. As a graduate student, he developed a novel digital phenotyping system to predict antidepressant responses in animal models of depression. He has held teaching positions both at UofM and Harvard College. He now plans to investigate mental health inequities affecting traditionally marginalized populations that he hopes to serve as a clinician in the future, particularly Black, Latinx, and immigrant communities.
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Andrew Chang, MM
Medical Student
Andrew Chang is an MD student at Harvard Medical School interested in health systems innovation, particularly as it relates to childhood health and mental health. Born in Taipei and raised in Shanghai, Andrew came to the United States for high school. Andrew studied Biology and Health Policy at Harvard College and Public Policy for his Master’s at Tsinghua University as a Schwarzman Scholar. Interested in global health, he has worked as the chief executive of a global nonprofit, a project lead in the slums of Peru, a case manager at an LGBTQ+ center in Taiwan, and a health advocate with Partners in Health in rural Mexico. Andrew aspires to deliver interventions that care for vulnerable children.
Graduate Research Assistants
Emily Zhang, MA
Graduate Research Assistant
Emily received her bachelor’s degree in Community Health and Child Development and her Master's degree in Clinical Developmental Health and Psychology from Tufts University. She is the study coordinator for several community based studies within the DRCR lab. She is interested in culturally-sensitive and community-based research with children and families regarding mental health prevention, education, and interventions. In her spare time, Emily also does community prevention work as a volunteer with the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center. She is hopes to pursue a doctorate in clinical psychology.
Yu-Tien Hsu, MD, MPH
Graduate Research Assistant
Yu-Tien is a second-year PhD student in Population Health Sciences/Social & Behavioral Sciences at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health/Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Yu-Tien's research interest is the health disparities in cognitive health and psychiatric diseases. Yu-Tien was born and received her medical education in Taiwan. Her experience as an international student in the United States inspires her interests in improving immigrants' wellbeing and mental wellness.
Sylvie Wong, BA, EdM
Graduate Research Assistant
Sylvie Wong is a fourth year doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology PhD program at Teachers College, Columbia University. She was born and raised in Hong Kong, and completed her B.A in Psychology and Sociology at Bates College and her Ed.M. in Human Development and Psychology at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her research broadly examines how familial and cultural factors shape the identity development and mental health of racial/ethnic minority and immigrant youth (with a particular focus on Asian youth and families). Ultimately, she hopes to improve access to culturally sensitive, trauma-informed care for underserved youth and families through her research and clinical work.
Pei Wang, EdM
Graduate Research Assistant
Pei Wang earned her Ed.M. in Education and Human Development from Boston University. She is passionate about children’s and adolescents’ socioemotional functioning, parenting and family dynamics, and ethnic-racial socialization processes, with a specific interest in the Chinese cultural context. Previously, she worked in the Strategic Investment Department of China Construction Bank for 17 years. Pei aspires to pursue a Ph.D. in Human Development, with a specialized focus on Chinese immigrant families and children.
Meirong You, MS
Graduate Research Assistant
Meirong is a fifth year PsyD student in Clinical Psychology at Long Island University Post, and a current psychology intern at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She was born and raised in Shanghai China, received her B.A. in General Psychology at University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, and completed her M.S. in Clinical Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University. As a clinician, she is dedicated to serving individuals with severe mental illness who have limited access to mental health resources. Her research interest lies in exploring the development of more culturally sensitive and person-centered care for the Asian American community.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Anjeli Macaranas
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Anjeli Macaranas is currently a second-year at Harvard College studying Neuroscience and History of Science. She is passionate about utilizing psychiatric research to combat mental health stigma within the Asian-American community. She serves as the Education Director of the Harvard Philippine Forum and works to stimulate conversation surrounding mental health advocacy among Filipino youth. She is also a violinist in the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra and hopes to use her artistic background to enhance her ability to connect with patients as a medical professional in the future.
Michael Zhang
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Michael Zhang is currently a fourth-year student at Harvard College studying Chemical and Physical Biology. He is passionate about the intersection of mental health and underserved populations and plans on applying to medical school after graduating college. Before joining the DRCR lab, Michael interned at the nonprofit Doc Wayne, where he led sports based mental health therapy for youths in the Boston area and furthered his interest in promoting mental health awareness in his community.
Ema Noonan
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Ema is a third-year student at Northeastern University pursuing a degree in Human Services and Psychology. She is interested in the physical health outcomes of poor mental health and the biology of stress. Ema has worked as a social worker at Walker Inc. a group home for children and learned many trauma-based counseling techniques. In the future, she hopes to attend medical school and use her background in psychology to be able to provide comprehensive treatment.
Research Trainees
Vivian Wang
Research Trainee
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Vivian is a junior at Lexington High School. She is passionate about studying mental health among Asian American youth and finding ways to engage the Asian American community with research. Besides working in the lab, she is also an editor for her school's cultural and political review and a competitive figure skater.