BLOCK RESEARCH TEAM
Revolutionizing Higher Education
The Team
Graduate Students
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Michaela Ramsey, M.A.
Doctoral Student
Michaela Ramsey is a graduate of the University of Arkansas with a B.A. in Psychology (2019). Her primary research interests include child maltreatment, child abuse reporting bias, children and the legal system, and abuse prevention.
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Michaela Ramsey worked on an honors thesis at the University of Arkansas concerning child abuse reporting bias and child abuse recognition in college students. She also served as an undergraduate teaching assistant which provided her experience in the development and implementation of course work. Michaela also worked at the university's free tutoring center for 2 years, gaining important skills in teaching and student engagement.
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.
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.
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!
Undergraduate Students
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
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 Assistant Professor of Psychology at Holyoke Community College.
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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.
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!
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.