THE TEAM

Tiffany Yip, Ph.D. is a Professor of Psychology at Fordham University. She received her undergraduate degree in Psychology at Cornell University, earned her MA and PhD in Psychology at NYU, and completed a NIMH and NSF-funded postdoctoral fellowship in the Psychology Department at the University of Michigan. Her research on ethnic identity, discrimination, and sleep among minority adolescents and young adults has been published in American Psychologist, Child Development, Developmental Psychology, and Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. Dr. Yip currently serves as an Associate Editor for Child Development and the Asian American Journal of Psychology. Dr. Yip is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, Division 7 (Developmental Psychology) and Division 45 (Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity and Race) and her research has been funded by NICHD, NIMHD, NIMH, and NSF. 

Nidia Ruedas-Gracia, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She received her undergraduate degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in Psychology and Sociology, earned her MA from New York University (NYU) in Human Development and Social Intervention, and her PhD from Stanford University in Developmental and Psychological Sciences.

Her research seeks to develop a nuanced understanding of what it means to "belong" and how this sense of belonging impacts life outcomes such as academic performance and mental health. Together with her research team, she focuses on exploring these concepts among culturally diverse populations, and examining how sense of belonging is associated with various social identities (gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, etc.). Her research is published in American Psychologist, Emerging Adulthood, and Teachers College Record and has been funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and National Institute of Minority Health Disparities (NIMHD).

Enrique Dimagiba received his M.S. in Biostatistics at New York University, and he earned his diplomate in Internal Medicine, his Doctor of Medicine at St. Luke's Medical Center College of Medicine, and his B.S. in Health Sciences at Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines. His research interests include healthcare disparities, clinical epidemiology, time-to-event analysis, and patient-centered outcome research.

Jinjin Yan received her doctoral degree in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research interests broadly center on understanding ethnic minority families’ positive adaptation through the lens of culture. In one line of research, she investigates how acculturation and enculturation experiences influence positive psychosocial adjustment among ethnic minority families. Her second research line is to identify risk factors (e.g., cultural stressors and parental stressors) and resilience factors (e.g., heritage cultural values and orientation) in ethnic minority youth’s positive adaptation.

Kyle Lorenzo is currently a 5th-year graduate student in the Applied Developmental Psychology program at Fordham University. He received his BAs in Psychology and Biological Sciences with minors in Cognitive Sciences and International Studies at North Carolina State University. Kyle’s research interests include interdisciplinary approaches to exploring health disparities and identity development among racial/ethnic minority youth.

Iida Linkka is a fourth year student double majoring in Psychology and History on the Pre-Health track. As a member of the Latinx community herself, she hopes her work in this lab can contribute to revealing more about the disparities in mental health care which minorities face. Her research interests broadly include developmental psychology and cross-cultural psychology. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a doctoral degree in clinical psychology or psychiatry. Outside of the lab, she is president of Fordham’s Psychology Club and Vice President of Fordham’s chapter of the nonprofit organization A Moment of Magic, which provides creative programing to children with medical vulnerabilities.

Liza Rogers is a senior at Fordham University Rose Hill Campus majoring in Psychology with a double minor in Spanish and Art History. She is looking forward to her time within YDDC to gain further knowledge of health disparities in minority populations, and more specifically mental health disparities within youth and adolescents. She is interested in getting her graduate degree in Sports/Mental Performance Psychology after her time at Fordham, and pursuing a career in Sports Psychology, and receiving a CMPC license. Outside of her time in the lab, she is on Eboard for Psych club at Fordham, loves working out, reading, playing volleyball, cooking, and spending time with her friends and family.

Emma Eitmann is a junior at Fordham University Rose Hill campus, majoring in psychology. Emma is passionate about psychopathology, the social-emotional development of children and adolescents, emotional regulation, as well as the general development of minority groups. After graduation, Emma is planning on pursuing a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.

Cindy Liu (she/her) is a junior at Fordham University Rose Hill, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Mandarin Chinese and Computer Science. Her research interests include: psychopathology, social psychology, social determinants of Asian-American mental health, discrimination, and child/adolescent development. After graduation, she plans on pursuing a PsyD in Clinical Psychology and working with Asian-American youth from historically underserved communities.

Kelsey Kelly O'Brien graduated from Fordham University with a B.S. in Psychology. She is happy to be part of YDDC to explore and enrich her research experience. She hopes to pursue an M.S. in marriage and family therapy, focusing on interracial relationships, and a PsyD. in mental health counseling. She is interested in studying minority individuals in social and cultural settings throughout major life stages.

Dayana Lazo-Lazo is a senior majoring in Psychology with a minor in Latin American/Latino Studies. She is highly excited to join the YDDC Lab as a research assistant to help hone her communication skills and gain experience in psychology and lab work. She is interested in becoming a therapist, and she hopes to help contribute to making mental healthcare more accessible to BIPOC communities.