Leslie Leve, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Research Scientist, Oregon Social Learning Center

Dr. Leve received her doctoral degree in Developmental Psychology from the University of Oregon. Since 1995, she worked as a developmentalist on several projects at the Oregon Social Learning Center (OSLC) in Eugene, Oregon. She leads a study of over 350 children focused on the role of parenting on toddler and child development, and serves as an investigator on another study examining the important role of fathers on child development. She also led a study of school-aged twins examining the importance of the peers and friendships. Dr. Leve is currently a Research Scientist at OSLC, which is known worldwide for its innovative research with families and children. Her developmental research has been published in over a dozen papers, including several that focus on adoptive and birth families. “Infant Temperament, Pleasure in Parenting, and Marital Happiness in Adoptive Families” (published in the Infant Journal of Mental Health with Scaramella and Fagot, 2001) is one example of this work. For the Early Growth and Development Study, Dr. Leve is responsible for supervising the interview team.

Laura Scaramella, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Associate Professor of Psychology, University of New Orleans

Dr. Scaramella received her doctoral degree from the University of Arizona in Child Development and Family Studies. She began her work with Rand Conger, Ph.D. at Iowa State University studying family transitions and parenting methods across generations. Currently, Dr. Scaramella is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of New Orleans. Dr. Scaramella’s current research is focused on the quality of parent-child interactions on the emergence of problem behaviors during childhood and adolescence. A recent publication, Scaramella, L.V. & Conger, R.D. (2003-2004). Temperament as a moderator of parenting effects on child antisocial behavior: An intergenerational examination. Social Development, 12, 420-439 is an example of this work. For the Early Growth and Development Study, Dr. Scaramella is responsible for coordination and development of the assessments and conducting pilot interviews.

Denise Ford, B.A.
Site Supervisor
University of California, Davis

Denise earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Oregon and began working in the field of research in 1984. Denise spent 18 years at the Oregon Social Learning Center (OSLC) conducting various aspects of research including interviewing, recruiting, coding, scheduling and coordinating home, school and laboratory assessments. She conducted more than 2000 interviews and observations with young children and their families. Denise also played an integral role in the revision of two assessments: Parent Code-Positive, Neutral, Negative and the Computer Assisted Child Interview (CACI). Denise is a member of the research team at University of California, Davis and is responsible for training and coordinating the interviewers as well conducting interviews with birth and adoptive parents.

Laura Kwako, M.A.
Site Supervisor/Interviewer
The George Washington University

Laura received her Master of Arts degree in Psychology from the Catholic University of America, where she is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. Previously, she worked on the Female Growth and Development Study, a prospective, longitudinal study of sexually abused girls, which began in 1986. Her responsibilities in this position included interviewing women and their children, as well as coding data from the Preschool Assessment of Attachment (PAA), a variation on the Strange Situation procedure for preschool-aged children. Using this dataset, Laura will examine long-term effects of this abuse on the original participants and their children, under the supervision of Dr. Jennie Noll of the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. For the Early Growth and Development study, Laura interviews birth parents and adoptive families, and assists with the coordination of the interview team.

Anna Suski, B.S.
Project Coordinator
Oregon Social Learning Center

Anna received her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and graduate statistics training at the University of Oregon. In eight years of research experience, Anna gained extensive knowledge of the methodology, ethics and implementation of conducting research studies in the field of psychology. She served as the Project Coordinator for a study of 373 youth for the last three years, and was a data specialist for a project aimed at improving outcomes for preschool-aged children in foster care. For the Early Growth and Development Study, Anna recruits adoptive families and coordinates the efforts of the adoptive family interview team at the Oregon Social Learning Center. Anna is also part of the Data Management Team.

Danielle Guerrero, MA, MFT
Recruitment Coordinator
Oregon Social Learning Center

Danielle earned a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Oregon and is a marriage and family therapist. In 1997, she began working at the Oregon Social Learning Center (OSLC). Danielle worked on several research projects that focus on child development, sibling interactions, and adoptive and foster care families. Danielle also works in the counseling field and teaches parenting classes to low-income families. She has been involved in the development of the Early Growth and Development Study since 1999, conducting pilot recruitment and interviewing. Danielle is responsible for recruiting adoption agencies and birth parents into the study for OSLC, as well as supervising the birth parent interviewers. In addition, Danielle plays an integral role in the development of the computer-based questionnaires that will be used in the study.

Cristin, B.A.
Interviewer
The George Washington University

Cristin received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from the University of Virginia (UVA). While at UVA, Cristin worked as a research assistant in the Department of Psychology, focusing on the coping strategies of adolescents. As part of this research team, she conducted interviews with youth cadets in the Virginia Juvenile Justice System. Before joining the Early Growth and Development Study, Cristin continued her work with adolescents as part of a special education team in Albemarle County, Virginia Public Schools. Working directly with 6th, 7th and 8th graders with special needs Cristin found herself motivated to pursue work in child development. For the Early Growth and Development Study, Cristin will interview birth and adoptive families as well assist the recruitment team.

Erica, B.A.
Research Assistant & Interviewer
The George Washington University

Erica earned her Bachelor or Arts degree in Psychology from George Washington University.  Erica began working for the Center for Family Research in March of 2002 on the Twin Offspring Study in Sweden study, a project in which she is still involved.  As a Research Assistant for the Early Growth and Development Study, Erica will conduct several tasks for the recruitment, interview, and data management teams, one of those including oversight of the complex Teleform scanning system that is used to create many of the study’s questionnaires.  In addition, Erica also performs telephone and in person interviews with adoptive parents. 

Nooshin, B.A.
Interviewer
The George Washington University

Nooshin received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a minor in French from Temple University . While at Temple , her research focused around creativity and development as well as student self-efficacy. Nooshin is currently pursuing her Doctorate of Psychology (Psy.D) at the Center for Professional Psychology at George Washington University , where she plans to specialize in child, adolescent and family therapy. As an interviewer for the Early Growth and Development Study, Nooshin will interview both birth parents and adoptive families.

Cherice, B.A.
Interviewer
University of California, Davis

Cherice received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Development from the University of California, Riverside and is particularly interested in the emotional and cognitive development of young children.  As a Dyslexia Remediation Specialist, Cherice served as Director of a school-site learning center in Redding, California.  Her experience also includes working with children with severe emotional disturbances, serving as a social worker for children and adults with developmental disabilities, and parenting a child with special needs.  For the Early Growth and Development Study, Cherice interviews birth parents and adoptive families.

Georgette, B.A.
Interviewer
University of California, Davis

Georgette earned her a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and Human Development at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB). She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Human Development at the University of California, Davis. While completing both of her Bachelor’s degrees, Georgette worked on several research projects in the Department of Psychology at CSUSB. She has co-authored several conference presentations, including presentations for the Western Psychological Association (WPA), the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), and the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD). In addition to her research experience, Georgette worked as an Associate Teacher for four years with infants and toddlers in a state funded child development center. For the Early Growth and Development Study, Georgette interviews birth parents, and adoptive families.

Rita,B.A.
Interviewer
University of California, Davis

Rita earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Child Development from California State University at Sacramento. Rita has worked in the field of Early Childhood Education since 1974, directing and teaching for a non-profit day care center, teaching parent education classes, directing summer recreation programs, substitute teaching, implementing the renovation of three elementary school libraries, leading a group of volunteers to work in a Russian orphanage and the ultimate experience of parenting her three sons. Rita plays an integral role in the Early Growth and Development Study. Along with interviewing birth parents and adoptive families, she provides administrative support for the research team at her site.

Erin
Interviewer
Oregon Social Learning Center

Erin is a student at the University of Oregon currently pursuing a double major in Journalism and Psychology. She began at the Oregon Social Learning Center as a research intern in 2004, and was hired on as an interviewer and assessor for the Early Growth and Development team later that year. Erin has an interest in social development, psychological disorders, childhood trauma, and family dynamics, and she loves working with children. For the Early Growth and Development Study, Erin will be interviewing birth parents and adoptive families.

Michelle, B.S.
Interviewer
Oregon Social Learning Center

Michelle received her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Oregon . Her interest in psychology focuses on the many different ways humans perceive the world. This fascination with the human experience extends naturally to her position on the study's research team. As an interviewer for the Early Growth and Development Study, Michelle will be interviewing both birth parents and adoptive families.

Rebecca
Interviewer
Oregon Social Learning Center

Rebecca received her Bachelor of Arts from the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. She began working at the Oregon Social Learning Center in 1999. Rebecca worked as an assessor on the Intergenerational Study that involved assessing children for characteristics such as temperament, parental attachment and cognitive capabilities and interviewing young parents about their parenting practices. Rebecca works as an interviewer for the Early Growth and Development Study and will be interviewing birth parents. Rebecca works as an interviewer for the Early Growth and Development Study and interviews birth parents and adoptive families.

Rebecca R
Interviewer
Oregon Social Learning Center

Rebecca received her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology at the University of Oregon.  She began working at the Oregon Social Learning Center in 2004 as a research intern while she was still a student at the University.  Rebecca’s main area of interest is in social development, more specifically the affects that trauma can have on a child’s development.  Currently, she works as a skills trainer for young girls entering middle school and will be interviewing both birth and adoptive parents for the Early Growth and Development Study. 

Kristin, A.B.,B.S.
Interviewer
University of New Orleans

Kristin received her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts degree in both Sociology and Criminal Justice from the University of Georgia . She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Applied Developmental Psychology from the University of New Orleans under the supervision of Dr. Laura Scaramella. Kristin manages the Mothers and Preschoolers Study that investigates the quality of mother-child interactions and the development of child problem behavior. She is also the graduate assistant for the Institutional Review Board of Human Subjects for the University of New Orleans . For the Early Growth and Development Study, Kristin interviews birth parents and adoptive families.

Sara, M.S.
Research Assistant
University of New Orleans

Sara received a Master of Science degree from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Applied Developmental Psychology from the University of New Orleans. Sara is interested in parenting, maternal depression, child temperament, and emotion regulation. Her latest project is a review paper on the effects of prenatal, postpartum, and chronic maternal depression on child cognitive development. For the Early Growth and Development Study, Sara traveled to the University of Michigan to become a certified trainer for the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). She currently trains birth parent interviewers, evaluates birth and adoptive parent interviewers, and interviews birth and adoptive families.