People
Principal Investigator/Faculty Lead
Lyn Stein, PhD is a faculty member in the Psychology Department at The University of Rhode Island (URI), part of the Social Sciences Research Center (SSRC), and head of the STRIDE lab. Dr. Stein is also an Adjunct Professor within the Behavioral & Social Sciences Department of Brown University’s School of Public Health and is a member of the training faculty at Brown’s Center for Alcohol/ Addiction Studies (CAAS).
Her primary area of interest is in treatment and assessment of health risks, including issues related to ethnic/ racial bias; detection of under/ over-reported substance use; enhancing treatment engagement; family intervention/ planning; reducing at-risk behavior following facility release (correctional or hospital setting); and implementation science. Otherwise, you will find her hiking with her family.
For more details on Dr. Stein’s background, current work, research, and curriculum vitae, please visit Dr. Stein’s faculty page.
Lab Staff
Anthony Coetzer-Liversage, Ph.D. – Postdoctoral Fellow
Anthony is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Psychology Department at the University of Rhode Island. He recently joined the STRIDE Lab in September 2022. He completed his Ph.D. in Public Health at Kent State University where he worked as a graduate teaching assistant (TA) and was involved in numerous projects. Anthony’s research interests include implementation science, innovation, and human-centered design, within the realm of mental and behavioral health. His focus has been on substance use and working with underserved populations. Anthony hopes to continue exploring these areas of research and be able to apply them in different settings (e.g., forensic hospital, community mental health settings). Otherwise, you will find him travelling, hiking, or simply exploring local cultures.
Laurel Murphy – Project Coordinator
Laurel began working with Dr. Stein in 2005 as a Research Assistant and holds a BA degree in psychology from the University of Rhode Island. She has extensive experience in overseeing large National Institute of Health (NIH), human subject research grants. Currently, Laurel is the Project Coordinator for all lab projects. She is responsible for staff oversight, data management, screening and assessment procedures, and interfacing with project collaborators. She has co-authored several procedures and assessment manuals and provided numerous program trainings. Laurel’s professional interests include substance use, juvenile justice, public health and statistics. Otherwise, you will find her in her garden.
Nicole Theroux-Kochanek – Research Associate II
Nicole joined the lab in 2012 and holds a Master’s degree in general psychology from Boston University. Nicole has over ten years of experience working with child survivors of sexual and physical abuse. Nicole’s earlier work with the lab included recruitment, assessments delivery and conducting individual treatment sessions with at risk teens. Currently Nicole is responsible for organizing and reviewing assessment data, collaborating with partners, and assisting with program evaluation of multiple projects. Nicole’s professional areas of interest include women’s health, child abuse prevention and intervention, and mechanisms of behavior change. Otherwise, you will find her spending time with her family or her taking photos.
Alexis Piccirillo – Research Assistant III
Alexis joined the lab in 2020 and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and English from the University of Rhode Island. Alexis has experience in legal research related to opioid litigation and the criminal backgrounds of sex traffickers. Alexis is primarily responsible tracking participants, assisting with progress reports, and supporting the day-to-day operations of the lab. Alexis’s professional interests include research around gender equality, work-life balance, and crime and delinquency. Otherwise, you will find her reading or embroidering.
Graduate Research Assistants
Jordann is a 4th year PhD student in the Clinical Psychology PhD program. She joined the lab in 2019 as a graduate research assistant, working primarily on the State Youth Treatment Implementation (SYT-I) and Certified Behavioral Health Clinics- Expansion projects. Jordann’s general research interests are substance use and treatment among underserved populations, with a specific focus on simultaneous alcohol and marijuana (SAM) use and factors impacting substance use post-treatment. Similarly, Jordann’s clinical interests are substance use disorders, depression and anxiety. Future goals include continuing with her research and clinical focuses in a hospital or academic setting. Otherwise, you’ll find her binge-watching K-dramas or singing alone karaoke style.
Irena is currently in her 5th year PhD student in the Clinical Psychology PhD program. She joined the lab in August 2018 and has been working with multiple projects, such as State Youth Treatment Implementation (SYT-I) and Certified Behavioral Health Clinics- Expansion projects. Her research interests include measure validation and treatment evaluation among forensic populations with focuses on adolescents with externalizing disorders (e.g., conduct disorder, ODD). Her clinical interests include conducting interventions and assessments with emerging adulthood and forensic populations. Her future goals include continuing with research and working clinically in a forensic and/or hospital setting.
Esther Quiroz Santos is a 5th year PhD student in the Clinical Psychology program at URI. She has been a part of the lab since August 2018 where she has worked as a research assistant (RA) involved in numerous projects. As and RA, Esther’s role consisted of assisting in writing technical reports for different projects, data management and analysis, and presenting research findings at conferences. Esther’s research interests include implementation of interventions across multicultural and underserved populations, treatment efficacy, and substance use. Clinically, Esther is interested in working with underserved populations, particularly Hispanic individuals in need of mental health treatment in Spanish. Esther hopes to continue exploring these areas of research and clinical interests in her graduate career and be able to apply them in different settings (e.g., forensic hospital, community mental health settings). Otherwise, you will find her on long walks with her dogs, eating tasty meals at restaurants, or having a glass of wine while scrolling on TikTok.
Aradhana (she/her) AH-RUH-DUH-NUH, is a 2nd year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program. She is interested in the intersection of Psychology and Public Health, specifically, investigating risk and protective factors for alcohol and substance use by adopting novel methodologies and mobile technology (JITAIs, EMA) to increase accessibility and dissemination of culturally sensitive interventions. She identifies as first-generation immigrant and her immigrant experiences have shaped her commitment to education, equity, and social justice. Otherwise, you will find her travelling or trying new foods or doing advocacy work through her organization, Psychin’ Out.
Gabriella Epshteyn
Shulamit Sternin
Recent Alumni
Danny graduated from the Clinical Psychology program in 2022. He worked in the lab from 2017 – 2021. Danny’s role in the lab spanned from being a treatment provider to collecting data, data analysis, presenting research findings at conferences and in academic journals, training providers in evidence-based treatments, and report writing. His research interests include examining mechanisms of behavior change in treatments for substance use and risky behavior (e.g., risky sexual behavior). Danny also has research interests in measure validation and meeting the treatment needs of historically marginalized and underserved populations. After completing his predoctoral internship at the VA Boston Healthcare System, he hopes to attain a postdoc position specializing in the research and treatment of addictive disorders.
Coral Shuster is a 5th year PhD student in the Behavioral Science program. Coral worked in the lab from December 2018 to May 2020, assisting with the formation, data collection, and report compilation for the CCBHC program evaluation. Coral also assisted with data analysis and report writing for other programs. Her research interests are to understand the mechanisms associated with emotion regulation difficulties for children with autism spectrum disorder and how these emotion regulation difficulties play a role within parent-child dyads. Coral’s future goals are to build a research program focusing on understanding these emotion regulation difficulties and formulating effective methods for conducting research with autistic families in their naturalistic environments to minimize burden of research participation.