​Amy L. Stamates, Ph.D. (she/her)

Dr. Stamates is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology and a Faculty Core in the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program at the University of Rhode Island. In the Department of Psychology, she is a faculty member of the Behavioral Science concentration and teaches graduate research methods, graduate F31 seminar, undergraduate cognition, and undergraduate alcohol use and misuse. Her research interests primarily include to examine risky decision making while drinking and factors that heighten risks associated with alcohol use. Dr. Stamates is a first-gen student, and she graduated from the Applied Experimental Psychology doctoral program at Old Dominion University in 2019 and received her B.S. in Psychology (Honors) from Northern Kentucky University in 2010. She joined URI in Fall 2019. She enjoys spending time with her family and dog, Belle, gardening, home renovation, and reading. Learn more about Dr. Stamates.

​Sabrina Todaro, M.A.

Sabrina is a doctoral candidate in the Behavioral Science Ph.D. program. After earning her bachelor’s degree in psychology from The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) in 2016, she became an integral member of both the Cardiac Neuroscience Laboratory and the Athlete Health and Neuroscience Laboratory at the Rutgers Center of Alcohol and Substance Use Studies. During her time as an RA, she earned her master’s in psychology from Rutgers University – Camden, defending her thesis on the effects of treatment engagement on substance use outcomes. In the HARP lab, she is continuing to explore her research interests in risk and protective factors for substance use. Sabrina was awarded the F31 application from NIAAA assessing protective behavioral strategies on alcohol and cannabis co-use occasions, which will serve as her dissertation project. Outside of the lab, her interests include animals & the environment, baking (and really anything involving sugar), puzzling, party planning, and playing ultimate frisbee. She will gladly chat for hours about any of the above!

Melissa Rothstein, M.A.

Melissa Rothstein is a doctoral student in the Behavioral Science Psychology program. Melissa graduated from SUNY Purchase College in 2021 with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and with the Purchase College Natural and Social Sciences Service Award. Her master’s thesis focused on perceived norms and impulsivity facets in young adults who co-use alcohol and cannabis simultaneously. Her primary research interests include the impact of peer influence and personality traits on individuals who co-use alcohol and cannabis, both concurrently and simultaneously. Melissa has also developed a niche for quantitative methods in psychology and enjoys reading, painting, and traveling in her free time (when she finds any).

Anna Sherman, B.S.

Anna Sherman is a graduate student in the Behavioral Science PhD program. After obtaining her bachelor’s degree for URI in 2017, she spent four and a half years working at Butler Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island. While at Butler she assisted in running studies investigating the epigenetic impacts of early life stress (ELS), coordinated multiple studies involving neuromodulation for OCD, impulsivity, and depression, and acted as clinical coordinator in the OCD Neurosurgery program. Her primary research interests include impulsivity’s relationship to negative health behaviors and outcomes (alcohol/substance use, obesity, binge eating, gambling, etc.). In her free time she enjoys reading, portrait drawing, painting, and spending time with her dog Laika.

Christina Schulz, Ph.D. (she/her)

Christina Schulz graduated from the Behavioral Science program in Spring 2022 with a certificate in the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Certificate program. Christina was a postdoctoral student in the DART NIAAA T32 program at the University of Pittsburgh and is currently a Health Program Administrator at the RI Executive Office of Health and Human Services.