BLOCK RESEARCH TEAM
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The Team
Graduate Students
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Michaela Ramsey, M.A.
Doctoral Student
Michaela Ramsey received a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Arkansas (2019) and an M.A. in Community Social Psychology from the University of Massachusetts Lowell (2022). Her primary research interests include child maltreatment, abuse prevention, and racial biases in the legal system. Michaela completed a research practicum with Linda Williams, Ph.D., at the Wellesley Centers for Women where she assisted in the writing of a White Paper and preparing a webinar about challenges in the prosecution of child sexual abuse. She is currently working on her dissertation concerning the context, legal responses, and perceptions of youth reported for sexual behavior. In addition to her research, Michaela has taught her courses at UMass Lowell including Introduction to Psychological Science and Child and Adolescent Development.
Gabriela Lay, B.A.
Doctoral Student
Gabriela is interested in the intersectionality of developmental psychology and psychology & law. While completing her B.A. at Florida International University (FIU) she worked as a project manager in the Social Understanding, Personal Experiences, and Relationships (S.U.P.E.R.) Lab conducting research on children's suggestibility and theory of mind. During her M.S. at Arizona State University (ASU) she worked in the Youth and Families in Court Systems (YFaCS) Lab and expanded her research to include children's emotional regulation in the face high interparental conflict divorce/separation and user-testing parent programs. Her thesis explored cultural effects of user-tester perspectives on a novel divorce/separation parental program. As a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) student at UMass-Lowell she is working under Dr. Stephanie Block conducting research related to child sexual abuse, disclosure, and non-offending caregiver needs.
Alexandria Winstead B.A.
Doctoral Student
Alexandria Winstead is a doctoral student in the Applied Psychology and Prevention Science program at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Her research interests include child maltreatment, psychology and law, child welfare interventions, and quantitative psychology. She is broadly interested in applying her research findings to community programming and policy efforts. She has studied racial bias in granting protective orders in cases of interpersonal violence. Alexandria’s current work examines how child sexual abuse disclosures impact prosecutorial decisions. Another line of work examines “other” nonprosecutorial outcomes for these cases. After obtaining her doctorate, Alexandria hopes to continue her career in research, public policy, and preventive interventions.
Graduate Alumni
Kristy Shockley, Ph.D.
Former Doctoral Student
Kristy’s main area of research involves documenting experiences of child sexual abuse in terms of legal outcomes and potential triggers to disclosure of such victimization. Kristy examined the legal outcomes in cases of child sexual abuse from the victims’ perspective with Dr. Stephanie Block starting in 2013. As many child sexual abuse cases are actually lacking in evidence, with only the word of the victim, Kristy’s dissertation focuses on the nature of disclosures. Specifically, examining the types of disclosure that occur and the triggers of disclosure as indicated by case files in a set of cases referred to authorities. Kristy’s hopes are that this research will help to document the actual lived experiences for victims, in addition to what justice may mean for all involved.
Research Interests:
Child Sexual Abuse, Developmental Psychology, Criminal Justice, System Responses
Charlotte Wilinsky, Ph.D.
Former Doctoral Student
Charlotte Wilinsky is a graduate of Amherst College with a B.A. in Psychology (2011) and the University of Massachusetts Lowell with a M.A. in Community Social Psychology (2016) and a Ph.D. in Applied Psychology and Prevention Science (2020). Her research, which continues to be influenced by her work in Dr. Block’s lab, is focused on applied developmental psychology. Specifically, her primary research interests include children’s experiences of trauma, child maltreatment, athlete abuse, and issues surrounding prosecution of cases involving child victims. She is currently an lecturer at UMass Amherst.
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Eric Wang, M.A.
Sophia Nazzaro, M.S.
Former Graduate Student
Eric worked in the lab from Fall 2014 to Winter 2018. His main responsibilities were coding data, co-managing data entry, and conducting literature reviews. Currently, he is an assistant reference librarian and freelance musician.
Former Graduate Student
Sophia currently works as a licensed marriage and family therapist and site director at an outpatient practice in Andover, MA. Sophia received her Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Massachusetts Boston after obtaining a BA in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Having worked as a life management coach for The Asperger/Autism Network, she specialized in helping adults on the spectrum overcome particular barriers for improving their quality of life. There she gained a systemic perspective regarding the impact of various systems, particularly the family system, on an individual’s mental wellness. She has worked extensively for over six years with diverse communities, including couples, families, and individuals. She has assisted clients as they navigate stress that accompanies major life changes, identity issues, relational discord, communication patterns, divorces/co-parenting, and beyond.
Undergraduate Alumni
Caroline Finn
Research Assistant
Caroline is an honors junior psychology major on the Pre-PA track. She has been a Research Assistant in the Block Lab since October 2020, and is currently completing an Honors Fellowship within the Block Lab issued by Stephanie Block. Her major area of interest is non-prosecutorial outcomes of CSA cases. With her involvement in the lab she hopes to learn how to connect her passion of psychology and medicine while solidifying her career path.
Emily Reed
Research Assistant
Emily is currently a junior psychology student and has been with the Block Lab for 3 semesters. She became interested in researching child maltreatment while taking child developmental and research courses. Her research interests include child development, trauma, and maltreatment, and she hopes to continue research in these areas in graduate school.
Kimberly Holman
Research Assistant
Kimberly is completing her BA in Psychology with a minor in criminal justice here at Umass Lowell.
She is interested in the specific role the effect of childhood trauma has on juvenile delinquency and resiliency in the population affected. She'd like to work with children and young adults (college aged) and families, working through trauma/abuse. Also, she is interested in community outreach for at risk children, youth, and young adults. Recently she started The Innocence Club on campus, which is a chapter of the New England Innocence Project.
Kimberly works as a substitute teacher at a local high school and will be continuing her studies after graduation to gain her master's in psychology/LMHC
Brianna Buckley
Research Assistant
Brianna is a senior psychology major with a clinical psych concentration and a criminal justice minor! She loved Psychology and Law with Professor Block and wanted to gain some research experience in her interest area. Her research interests include child sexual abuse, sexual assault, and trauma. She is going to graduate school for mental health counseling after graduation, and her goal is to become a trauma therapist and continue with research!
Alanis Bonilla
Research Assistant
I am in my senior year currently, completing my BA degree with a double major in psychology and criminal justice with a concentration in crime and mental health. I am interested in forensic psychology and hope to work in courts as an expert witness. I am currently exploring topics surrounding childhood trauma, and how children are involved in the legal system as well as psychology and law. I aim to continue my education for a PsyD and involve myself in more research.
Julia Harrington
Research Assistant
Julia is an undergraduate psychology student with a minor in criminal justice and a budding interest in neuroscience and neuropsychology. She applied to the Block Lab after taking Child and Adolescent Development with Dr. Block and became interested in her area of research in child maltreatment. She plans to pursue a master's degree after graduation.
Jasmine Nguyen
Research Assistant
Jasmine is an undergraduate honors psychology student in her junior year. Dr. Block has influenced her to pursue higher education and become active in research. She is interested in facilitating research alongside marginalized groups as she currently works with children at a behavioral center. This will be her first semester in the lab!