RAF Lab

Sophie Eldred, Allison Birnschein, Courtney Paisley, James Rankin, Lorien Baker
RAF Lab current and former grad students at ABCT 2019

Graduate Students
Allison Birnschein, M.A.
Allison, a fourth year graduate student, is originally from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, and graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in 2017 with a B.A. in Psychological Science and minors in Neuroscience and Dance. Before coming to UA, Allison worked for two years at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center coordinating an intervention study aiming to improve attention to the roadway for adolescent drivers with ADHD as well as a neuroimaging feasibility study for youth with ASD. Allison is interested in investigating the efficacy of social skills intervention variables including family, peer, and teacher knowledge/ understanding of ASD and peer reciprocity. Additionally, she is interested in the executive functioning skills of individuals with ASD at transition periods in education (e.g., middle school to high school or high school to college). In addition to psychology research, Allison enjoys hiking, traveling, reading, dancing, cooking, and hammocking. 
Rachel Harmon
Rachel is a second-year graduate student from Greensboro, North Carolina. She graduated from Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia in 2020 where she earned her B.S. in Psychology with a concentration in Human Development. Rachel then spent a year working as a Registered Behavior Technician doing ABA Therapy with children and adolescents diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Rachel is most interested in how having a child with ASD or another neurodevelopmental disorder impacts caregivers and siblings. More specifically she is interested in development of empathy and prosocial behavior amongst typically developing siblings and coping amongst caregivers during the diagnosis process. Outside of psychology, Rachel enjoys running, spending time at coffee shops, and baking.  
Jong-Woo Suh, M.A.
Jong-Woo Suh is a second-year doctoral student in the Clinical Child Psychology program, working with Dr. Theodore Tomeny. He graduated from Korea University with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology. He has a broad interest in autism spectrum disorder. Currently, he is interested in examining the relationship between social support, family functioning, and family quality of life among parents. Outside of academia, he likes to play computer games with his wife. 
Olivia Ward, M.A.
Olivia is a first-year graduate student from Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey. She graduated from Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts in 2021 with a B.S. in Clinical Psychology and a B.A. in Child Studies and Human Development. With the support of the Fulbright Scholar Grant, Olivia then conducted research and completed a master's degree in clinical psychology at Erasmus University Rotterdam in The Netherlands where she also conducted research into the impact of COVID-19 measures on families with a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Olivia is interested in how the perception of ASD differs across cultures and how these differences influence families. She is also particularly interested in the perspective of the sibling and the role neurotypical siblings play in families with a child with ASD. In addition to psychology, Olivia enjoys baking, running, exploring the outdoors, and traveling.

Undergraduate Students

Amaya McClain
Amaya, originally from Tacoma, Washington, though raised in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, is a senior currently working on her B.A. in psychology and political science. Because of her focus on psychology, Amaya is interested in how environmental factors may affect children with ASD's ability to learn positive behaviors. Due to this being her interest, Amaya is currently interested in pursuing Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) graduate programs. Outside of psychology research, Amaya enjoys the outdoors, music, dancing, and rollerskating. 
Michelle Stevens
Lab Alumni
Courtney Paisley, Ph.D.
Courtney is a postdoctoral fellow in Developmental Pediatric Psychology at Children's Hospital Colorado.
Sophie Eldred, Ph.D.
Sophie is a staff psychologist at Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas.
James Rankin, Ph.D.
James is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Psychiatry at the Pereleman School of Medicine at The University of Pennsylvania.
Lorien Baker, Ph.D.
Lorien is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Hassenfeld Children's Hospital at NYU Langone Health in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Child Study Center.