CIRCLES Study

Dr. Marshall is a Professor of Psychology and is the Principal Investigator of several studies, including the CIRCLES study. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Indiana University. She completed a postdoctoral clinical research fellowship at the National Center for PTSD, Behavioral Sciences Division as well as the NIH K12 Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH) program. She has two boys, ages 10 and 13. She used to race cars and now enjoys restoring classic cars. She is currently restoring a 1969 BMW 2002 and has her eyes set on a 1959 Chevy pickup.

Dr. Gallagher earned her PhD in Family and Human Development with a specialization in Measurement and Statistical Analysis from Arizona State University. Her dissertation examined the longitudinal associations between family and friendship dynamics and sibling relational aggression in adolescence. Her research interests include family and sibling conflict and aggression, youth adjustment, and the development and evaluation of evidence-based intervention and prevention curricula. Dr. Gallagher earned a BS in Human Development and Family Studies at Penn State and enjoyed being back at her alma matter in the lab as a postdoctoral scholar from 2021-2023. She has two sons, two rescue dogs, and enjoys baking in her spare time.

Angie earned a B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies from Penn State and has enjoyed working with families through various social service agencies and non-profit organizations including the AmeriCorps, the YMCA, the Centre County Youth Service Bureau, and Care for People. She has assisted with research for over 13 years and joined Dr. Marshalls lab in 2019.  She is a mother of boy/girl twins, her favorite season is summer, and she enjoys running in her spare time.

KC received her B.A.in Psychology from the University of New Mexico in 2018. She has enjoyed working in various psychology research labs over the last 6 years. She has experience in labs focused on the mental health consequences of early trauma experiences as well as early intervention and prevention efforts for at-risk children and families. KC loves being a dog mom to her 2-year-old corgi, Obi, and enjoys baking, crafting, and binge watching The Office in her free time. 

Kelsey graduated with a B.S. in Psychology emphasizing Life Sciences. Her interests include the psychological impacts of trauma and conflictual life events during development. When she is not doing schoolwork, Kelsey enjoys reading, being outside on a nice day, and spending time with her family, friends, and dog, Piper. She plans on pursuing a Ph.D. in Child Clinical Psychology.

Adriana Méndez-Fernández (she/her) finished her bachelor’s degree from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus in June 2022. She did her major in Special Education with emphasis in behavioral and emotional disorders.  Her research interests include Intimate Partner Violence and Post Traumatic Stress Disorders. She aspires to do a PhD in Clinical Psychology. During her free time, she enjoys baking, playing bowling, visiting the beach, spending time with her loved ones, and going out to have brunch or dinner.  She is continuing her advanced education at the State University of New York in Binghamton.

Liz graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a B.A. in Psychology. During her time there, she enjoyed being an undergraduate research assistant for professors whose research focused on the psychophysiology of emotions, cognitive appraisals, and mind-wandering. While she eventually plans on attending graduate school, her time right now is focused on expanding her knowledge of different research fields within psychology, and enjoying post-grad life.

Cathy received her B.S in Psychology from The Pennsylvania State University in 2022.  Cathy is currently working towards a master’s degree in psychology and plans to eventually get a PHD in Educational Psychology.  In her free time Cathy loves practicing yoga and hiking.

Abigail graduated from the Pennsylvania State University in 2019 with BA’s in Psychology and Criminology, and minors in Child Maltreatment and Advocacy Studies and Italian. After receiving her degree, Abby worked as a Milieu Therapist at Western Psychiatric Hospital. She is interested in studying the long term consequences of childhood trauma and is attending the University of Alabama at Birmingham to obtain a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology. In her free time, Abby enjoys baking, cooking, and photography!

Kiara graduated from the Pennsylvania State University this past spring and earned a B.S. in Psychology. She is now attending graduate school at Virginia Commonwealth University in the developmental psychology PhD program. Her research interest is in how the impact of neighborhood factors, such as crime and inconsistent social support, may impact the emergence of internalizing and externalizing behavior. In Kiara’s free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and traveling the world.

Marley graduated from Penn State majoring in Psychology and minoring in Rehabilitation and Human Services. Her research interests include trauma and PTSD. She currently works for Merakey as a Psych Technician in their in-home behavioral health sector and interns at Ayama Psychotherapy. She is Vice President of Psi Chi, the International Psychology Honor Society, as well as a hotline counselor at Centre Safe. Marley plans to work as a research assistant in the Briarcrest Eating Disorders Clinic at Hershey Medical Center, and pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.

A. Jean Cordner Edwards is a retired Occupational Therapist with a degree in OT from Colorado State University and a BS in Psychology from PSU in 1971. She currently lives in Zion, PA and is a busy grandmother in addition to working at Penn State.

Dr. McGuier earned his Ph.D. in Child Clinical Psychology from Penn State University. His dissertation examined the impact of hypothetical students’ foster care status on elementary school teachers’ judgments and decisions in the classroom. His research interests include examining the factors that influence children’s academic achievement, better understanding and supporting parents, and identifying and addressing barriers to communication and collaboration between systems that serve youth. Dr. McGuier has worked on multiple parenting studies and works as a therapist for children, adolescents, adults, and families. He grew up on a farm an hour south of Pittsburgh and is a huge fan of the Steelers as well as Penn State Wrestling. In his spare time, he practices Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Dr. Grassmyer is a postdoctoral scholar at The Pennsylvania State University, where she also earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. She has focused her research and clinical interests on delivering evidence-based care to underserved communities and families. After completing her dissertation on coping skills used by children in foster care, she held a year-long internship at Milton Hershey School, where she delivered school-based mental health services in a residential school for low-income students. Over the next five years, she hopes to do clinical work full time, providing psychological services, including treatment, assessment, and consultation, within underserved communities.

Metzli (She/Her/Hers) is a current graduate student at PSU in the child clinical track. She earned her B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley and worked as the lab coordinator at Child HELP Partnership, Dr. Elissa Brown’s lab at St. John’s University. Her research interests include the measurement and classification of childhood maltreatment, the role siblings play in family violence, and cognitive processes impacted by exposure to family violence/maltreatment. 

 Katherine graduated from Lock Haven University in 2017 with B.S. in Psychology. Prior to working in the lab, she worked at CenClear Child Service in the Behavioral Health Department as a Behavioral Health Technician/Therapeutic Support Staff and as an OVR Transitions Worker and is currently employed at the Psychological Clinic at Penn State.  Her research interests include behavioral health and neuroscience psychology. Over the next five years, she plans to work on her Masters in Psychology and eventually a Ph.D. In her free time, Katherine enjoys video games, anime/manga, crafts, and cooking.

Tawni earned her B.A. in Psychology from Wesleyan University in Connecticut and is currently a graduate student in the Clinical Psychology department at Penn State. She previously worked as a research assistant in the National Center for PTSD at the VA Boston Healthcare System. Her research interests include home environments and children’s socioemotional development. Tawni has a dog named Scooby-Doo who she adores. She has lived in 5 states and visited 13 others, as well as 3 foreign countries. She is secretly a New England Patriots fan.