Sophia Choukas-Bradley, Ph.D. 

Lab Director

I am an assistant professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Delaware. I hold an A.B. (B.A.) degree in Psychology from Brown University in 2008 and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2016. Before beginning my first faculty position in the University of Pittsburgh Department of Psychology in 2017, I completed a pre-doctoral clinical internship and a post-doctoral fellowship in the University of Pittsburgh Department of Psychiatry (Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic). I joined the University of Delaware’s Clinical Science Program in June 2020.

My research focuses on understanding interpersonal and sociocultural influences on adolescent mental health, with an emphasis on gender and sexuality. A clinical psychologist by training, I integrate developmental and social psychology theories and methods into my work. Much of my research focuses on adolescents' social media use, including its influence on peer relationships, mental health, and wellbeing. I’m especially passionate about understanding the role of social media in adolescent girls' self-objectification and body image. Additionally, I have a growing line of work focused on body image and mental health among LGBTQ+ youth. Across my areas of work, I use a range of study designs and methods, including laboratory-based studies that integrate eye-tracking technology; qualitative interviews, which allow us to hear adolescents' own words and inform the development of larger-scale studies; longitudinal school-based studies, through which we can examine a broad range of behaviors over time; and anonymous online surveys, which allow us to reach understudied populations (e.g., transgender adolescents who are not out to their parents). I also collaborate with neuroscientists to understand adolescents' brain responses to social media experiences. While most of my research has focused on basic science, I’m currently collaborating on several intervention development projects.

As the director of the Teen and Young Adult Lab (TAYA Lab), I strive to foster an inclusive, warm, and collaborative research lab. I’m passionate about mentoring undergraduate students, graduate students, and post-baccalaureate trainees who are interested in gaining research experience between college and grad school. If you’re interested in learning about opportunities to join the TAYA Lab research team, please visit our Join the Lab page. You can also learn more about our current and recent work on the Research Projects and Publications pages.

Savannah Roberts, B.S.

Graduate Student

Savannah joined the TAYA Lab in the fall of 2019 as a joint Ph.D. student of Clinical and Developmental Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. Savannah will be continuing her graduate studies at the University of Delaware beginning in the fall of 2020. In the TAYA Lab, she is currently researching body image, disordered eating, and feminist identity in gender minority youth. She is interested in understanding the development of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating in sexual and gender minority youth, as well as assessing the effect of social media on adolescents’ body image broadly. Previously, she coordinated NIH clinical trials for obesity in the Center for Weight, Eating, and Lifestyle Science at Drexel University. Savannah graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in Psychology and B.A. in Spanish Language and Literature from Western Washington University in 2016, where she researched the effect of gender on the perception of anorexia nervosa. 

Brianna Ladd, B.A.

Lab Manager

Brianna joined the TAYA Lab in the summer of 2019. She graduated first-generation from UNC Chapel Hill in 2019 with a B.A. in Psychology. At UNC, she was involved in research that focused on the role of the classroom context on children’s executive function and academic achievement. She was also involved in research with the Peer Relations Lab that investigated suicidal behavior and the role of peer influence on adolescent risk behavior. Brianna is interested in how sociocultural contexts, interpersonal relationships, and sexual experiences influence body image and sexual and gender identity development. She is also interested in using a feminist framework to examine mental health among populations at the intersection of racial, sexual, and gender minority identities, as well as the social justice implications of research in this area. Brianna hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in Psychology in the future. 

Yiyao Zhou

Post-baccalaureate Research Assistant

Yiyao is a part-time research assistant in the Teen and Young Adult Lab. She graduated cum laude with a BSBA in Human Resources Management and minor in German Studies from the University of Pittsburgh. Post-graduation, Yiyao obtained a PreK-4 Teacher’s Certificate, and she established interests in developmental psychology while working with kids. Her research interests include examining both societal and close relationships’ influences on adolescents’ body image, self-image, gender expression and psychopathology. She currently works as a child development specialist in the Pitt Parents and Child Laboratory (PI: Daniel Shaw) implementing Video Interaction Project (VIP) — a relationship-based intervention program for parents and their young children. Yiyao plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.

Sarah Drexler

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Sarah is currently a senior at the University of Pittsburgh working towards a major in Psychology and a minor in Sociology. Her research interests include gender differences in various contexts such as depression, anxiety, and aggression. Specifically, she is interested in emotional internalization in boys and men and its potential harmful effects. After graduation, Sarah plans to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology.

Haley Henry

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Haley is currently a senior at the University of Pittsburgh pursuing a major in Psychology and a minor in Social Work. After graduation, she plans to pursue a doctorate degree in clinical psychology with an interest in counseling adolescents with mood disorders. Her research interests include examining the role of sociocultural and peer influences on the mental health of LGBTQ+ identifying adolescents. Furthermore, she is interested in studying factors that contribute to mental health disparities between cisgender and gender minority youth.

Julia Friedman

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Julia Friedman is currently a junior Psychology major at the University of Pittsburgh. Her research interests include developmental psychology and how social media is influencing the development, body image, and mental health of adolescent females. She plans to pursue a graduate degree in psychology in the future.

Chloe Bryen, B.A.

Lab Manager

Chloe was one of the TAYA lab managers from 2017-2019. Chloe’s research interests include adolescent and young adult psychosocial development, and specifically the experiences of female and LGBTQ individuals. She is interested in sociocultural influences on self-objectification, body image, and psychopathology, and she hopes to research how social media affects these relationships. Similarly, Chloe is interested in psychopathologies that occur during adolescence including mood disorders, non-suicidal self-injury, and suicide. Chloe graduated with Highest Honors and Distinction from UNC Chapel Hill in 2017 with a B.A. in Psychology. At UNC, she completed a senior honors thesis focused on understanding associations among young adults’ chronic pain, hypervigilance, and executive function. Chloe was also involved in research on mood disorders including analyzing relationships between international rates of suicide and BMI. Chloe is pursuing a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Florida State University starting Fall 2019. 

Madelaine Romito, B.A.

Post-baccalaureate Research Assistant

Madelaine was a research assistant in the TAYA Lab from fall 2017 to the summer of 2019. Her research interests in the lab included understanding adolescent sexual and gender development as well as body image and disordered eating. More broadly, Madelaine has a special interest in studying disordered eating, body image, and weight through qualitative methods and a social justice perspective. Madelaine graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in music and minor in psychology from the University of Miami, where she gained her first exposure to research in the PEERS Lab. Post-graduation, she worked as an advocate for victims of gender-based violence and currently holds a research assistant position with the Pittsburgh Girls Study in Pitt's Department of Psychiatry (PIs: Alison Hipwell and Kate Keenan). Madelaine looks forward to ongoing collaboration with the TAYA Lab!

Emma Stewart

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Emma was an undergraduate research assistant in the Teen and Young Adult Lab from Fall 2017 to Spring 2019. She is currently an undergraduate senior dual majoring in Psychology and Philosophy at the University of Pittsburgh. She plans to further her education in law school or graduate school with a focus on forensic psychology. Emma’s goals are to work in a government or federal agency in the field of behavioral research. Emma is driven by her passion for helping others. Her research interests include social media’s impact on adolescent mental health, problem behaviors in teens, and how environments impact adolescent development.

Madeline Rushlau

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Madz was an undergraduate research assistant in the Teen and Young Adult Lab from Fall 2017 to Fall 2018. Her research interests in the lab included understanding the interpersonal relationships and the development of sexuality in young adults. She is interested in how the development and understanding of sex and sexuality in young adults influence their romantic, familial, and peer relationships. Madz graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BS in Psychology and Philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh. She currently works as a milieu therapist at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic with bipolar adolescents and adults. She plans to continue her education in the psychology field towards a Ph.D in Clinical Psychology. 

Evelyn Zamora-Vargas

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Evelyn was an undergraduate research assistant in the Teen and Young Adult Lab in Fall 2018. Evelyn is currently an undergraduate senior at the University of Pittsburgh. She is pursuing a double degree in Psychology and Philosophy with an additional major in History and Philosophy of Science. Her research interests are interdisciplinary in scope, but she is particularly driven to understand how sociocultural and technological factors influence the development of one's sense of self. She intends to continue exploring her research interests while attending law school by eventually applying to a JD/PhD program.

Tori Blazinski

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Tori was an undergraduate research assistant in the Teen and Young Adult Lab from Fall 2017 - Spring 2018. Her research interests in the lab included how adolescent experiences regarding sexual development, body image, and their relationship to mental health influenced individual psychopathology. Tori  received her B.S. in Psychology in the spring of 2018 from the University of Pittsburgh. She is currently a full-time research associate in the Affective Neuroscience and Developmental Psychopathology Lab at Pitt (PI: Erika Forbes) researching neurocognitive processes and comorbid psychopathology across eating disorder diagnoses, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Tori plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.