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Dr. Nicholas A. Turiano
Dr. Nicholas A. Turiano
As a first-generation college student, Dr. Turiano received his B.S. in Human Development & Family Studies from Penn State University in 2005. During his undergraduate studies he worked in two retirement communities as an activities coordinator helping older adults maintain daily physical, cognitive, emotional, and social functioning. He also worked in the lab of Drs. K. Warner Schaie and Sherry Willis examining cognitive training data from the Seattle Longitudinal Study. After graduation he worked at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center in the Behavioral Health laboratory. This position combined clinical evaluation with research on the identification, triage, and research on veterans with a variety of substance use and emotional disorders.
Dr. Turiano obtained his dual-title PhD in Human Development & Family Studies and Gerontology from Purdue University in 2012 working under Dr. Daniel Mroczek. His major areas of research emphasis were in personality development and Gerontology. He then completed an NRSA postdoctoral fellowship in Psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center with training in psychophysiology and health disparities research under Dr. Benjamin Chapman. Dr. Turiano joined the WVU faculty as an Assistant Professor of Life Span Developmental Psychology in Fall 2014. He was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2020, and Professor in 2026.
Meredith Willard
Meredith Willard
Meredith is a fifth-year doctoral student. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a concentration in Development from Slippery Rock University in May 2022. Her Master's Thesis, successfully defended in April 2024, examined how early life adversity impacts mortality risk. A key finding was how higher levels of social support buffered the negative effects of adversity on mortality risk. Her 3-study dissertation focuses on: 1) exploring the psychometric properties of social relationship measures in adulthood; 2) determining which specifc aspects of social relationships buffer the association between ACEs and affect in adulthood; and 3) triangulating which period in the life span social relationships are most important in overcoming the negative effects of ACEs. In her free time, she enjoys laughing, yoga, spending time with friends, being outdoors and reading.
Taylor Brown
Taylor Brown
Taylor is a third-year doctoral student. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Concord University in May 2024. She defended her Master's Thesis in October 2025, focusing on how sociodemographic variables (SES, race, first-gen) interacted with ACEs to predict first-year college performance. She is currently working on her dissertation proposal that will examine SES and health associations across the life span. In her spare time, she enjoys playing pickup basketball, volleyball, and pickleball, reading, and watching women’s basketball.
Jordan Salafia
Jordan Salafia
Jordan is a first-year doctoral student. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Georgia Southern University in May 2024. She then earned her Master of Science in Psychology from West Chester University and successfully defended her thesis entitled “Economic Adversity, Caregiver Psychological Distress, and Child Oxytocin Levels: An Extension of the Family Stress Model” in January 2026. Her research interests include examining how ACEs are associated with risky behaviors in adolescence, and how factors such as phone usage, health behaviors, and exposure to substances may moderate or help explain behavioral outcomes during the transitioning to emerging adulthood. In her spare time, she enjoys going to the gym, going on walks, reading, and trying new restaurants.
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