Current Lab Members
Lucia Ciciolla, Ph.D., Director
Dr. Lucia Ciciolla is an Associate Professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology at Oklahoma State University. Dr. Ciciolla earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in child and family science and quantitative science from Arizona State University (ASU), and completed an APA-accredited internship at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill School of Medicine in the Child-Community track. Dr. Ciciolla was trained as a clinical scientist with specializations in infancy and early childhood, perinatal and maternal mental health, parenting, trauma, and longitudinal methodology.
Dr. Ciciolla is passionate about the health and well-being of women, children, and families. She is an advocate for research, education, and treatment promoting family well-being through the following organizations:
Graduate Students
Gina Erato, M.S.
Gina Erato is a sixth-year graduate student in the Oklahoma State University Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program currently on internship at Brown University. Gina obtained her bachelor's degree in Psychology and Italian Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2016. She was a member of the Child Stress and Coping Lab led by Dr. W. Hobart Davies and completed a senior thesis examining the relationships between mindfulness, parenting, and child behavior problems. After graduation, she worked as a Clinical Research Coordinator at the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in the Pediatric Gastroenterology Clinic. Ultimately, Gina is interested in researching maternal mental health as it relates to reproductive life events and pregnancy. Specifically, she plans to research miscarriages and stillbirths as traumatic events, as well as psychological outcomes of women that experience pregnancy loss.
Ashley Quigley, M.S.
Ashley Quigley is a fifth-year graduate student in the Oklahoma State University Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program where she works with Dr. Lucia Ciciolla. Ashley graduated with her Bachelor's Degree and Master's Degree from Western Kentucky University before attending OSU. She was a research assistant in the Children and Families Lab under Dr. Diane Lickenbrock and completed a Master's Thesis examining the influential roles of infant temperament and parent psychopathology on infant emotion regulation. Broadly, Ashley's research interests include how parenting and child factors can impact socioemotional development and how it is related to risk and resilience.
Kristin Fields Creech
Kristin Fields is a fourth-year graduate student in the Oklahoma State University Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program working under Dr. Lucia Ciciolla. Kristin graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a Bachelor’s in Psychology and minor in Child and Family Studies. She was a research assistant in the Child and Adolescent Development Lab led by Dr. Jenny Macfie and the Relationship, Aggression, and Addictive Disorders Lab under Dr. Gregory Stuart. She is currently working on her master’s thesis examining the role of maternal emotion dysregulation on the relationship between maternal ACEs and infant social-emotional outcomes. Kristin is broadly interested in how factors like parental psychopathology and adverse parent-child relationships affect the family system as well as adaptive and maladaptive development in children.
Elizabeth Hinckley
Elizabeth Hinckley is a second-year graduate student in the Oklahoma State University Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program working under Dr. Lucia Ciciolla. Elizabeth graduated with honors from the University of Michigan in 2018 with a BA in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience (BCN) and Spanish. As an undergraduate student, she completed her honors thesis under Dr. Ethan Kross and examined mothers use of self-distanced language as an emotion regulation strategy during stressful encounters with their children. After graduating, Elizabeth worked as a clinical research coordinator at the University of Michigan and then Vanderbilt University using psychobiological methods to study the effects of adversity across the lifespan. Her overarching research interests include risk factors during pregnancy and interventions that leverage caregiving practices to promote resilience and prevent the development of psychopathology in mother and child. Additionally, Elizabeth is eager to study the effects of maternal mental health and stress during the perinatal period on early child development.
Research Staff
Livi Gibble
Livi Gibble is a current medical school applicant and research assistant for OSU-CHS working under Dr. Lucia Ciciolla. Livi graduated from Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor’s in Psychology and a minor in Neuroscience as well as three associates degrees from her local community college in biology, chemistry, and pre-med respectively. In her undergraduate program she worked as a certified phlebotomist at a local plasma bank. Her long-term goals include going to medical school and also getting a masters in medical administration to help advocate for low-income at-risk families to make a difference in health outcomes for the disadvantaged and traditionally underserved demographics in our society.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Alondra Quirino
Alondra Quirino is currently a 3rd-year undergraduate student pursuing a bachelor's degree in Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience. She aims to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology after graduation and is interested in studying mother-child relationships and how they can be affected by other variables.
Audrey Ramm
Audrey Ramm is a 3rd-year undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Psychology: Pre-Med. Her future career goal involves becoming a doctor, and she is interested in both Psychiatry or Health Psychology. Audrey is interested in the connection between familial relationships such as, how they affect health, development, and psychological functioning.
Bella Panganiban
Bella Panganiban is a third-year undergraduate student at Oklahoma State University. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Psychology along with an Honors degree and minors in both Human Services and Accounting. Her broad interests include studies of parent-child relationships, marital relationships, and resilience in children as it impacts their adult lives. In the future, Bella plans to attend graduate school to pursue her Doctorate in Marriage and Family Therapy. She hopes to conduct her own research throughout her career and ultimately help others improve their relationships with their peers.
Britney Nelson
Britney Nelson is a third-year undergraduate student at Oklahoma State University earning a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. Her future goal is to complete a physician assistant program and specialize in Pediatric Oncology. Britney is interested in examining how stress during pregnancy is associated with genes and how it could affect long-term outcomes in their health.
Claire Anderson
Claire Anderson is a third-year undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Child Development. Her main interests are in moral development and family sciences. In the future, she would like to work with families.
Emily Highfill
Emily Highfill is a senior pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, and will be graduating in December 2023. After graduation, she plans to pursue graduate training to become a therapist. She is interested in working with women, children, and young adults who have experienced adverse experiences and trauma during their formative years.
Laila Ruf
Laila Ruf is a second-year undergraduate student pursuing a bachelor's degree in psychology. She is interested in researching when a mother has a post-partum eating disorder how it can end up affecting the development of the child. Laila's goal is to earn a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and continue her career by working with women struggling with eating disorders in any period of their life.
Megan Montgomery
Megan Montgomery is a third-year undergraduate student at Oklahoma State University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. She is interested in parental-child relationships and the development of certain variables affecting the child during their adult life. She hopes to continue her education and gain her Master's in Clinical or Developmental Psychology.