People

Faculty:

Dr. Timothy D. Nelson

Dr. Nelson received his Ph.D. in clinical child psychology from the University of Kansas in 2008 following a clinical internship at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. He subsequently completed his post-doctoral fellowship in pediatric psychology in the Stanford University School of Medicine before joining the UNL faculty in 2009.

Current Graduate Students:

Marla Vivero

Marla Vivero is currently completing her internship at UCLA, at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior in Los Angeles, California. She graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a bachelor's degree in psychology and social behavior. After graduating, she worked as a research project coordinator at the UCI Center on Stress and Health, and at the Culture, Relationships, and Health Lab. Marla's research interests center on pediatric health and the improvement of health outcomes in children. She is also interested in addressing health disparities in underserved youth. Marla plans to pursue a career in a university setting.

Eric Phillips

Eric Phillips is a fifth year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology Training Program at UNL. He graduated from California State University, Sacramento in 2019 with a B.A. in Psychology and an emphasis in research methodology and multivariate statistics. Eric is interested in applying advanced methodologies to investigate modifiable factors in the development and maintenance of various mental and physical health outcomes, particularly in children and adolescence.

Emily Hamburger

Emily Hamburger is a fifth year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology Training Program at UNL. She graduated from Coe College with a bachelor’s degree in psychology before completing a master’s degree in clinical psychological assessment at Vanderbilt University. After graduating, she worked as a project coordinator at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. Emily’s research interests include factors impacting pediatric physical and mental health, such as sleep, family relationships, and technology use. She plans to pursue a career in research and clinical practice.

Saira Sarwar

Saira Sarwar is a fourth year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology Training Program at UNL. She graduated from the University of Houston with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. After graduating, she worked as a project coordinator at the Children’s Nutrition Research Center in the Texas Medical Center. Saira’s research interests include the relationship between mental and physical health, factors impacting pediatric physical and mental health, and neural vulnerabilities for obesity. She plans to pursue a career in research and clinical practice.

Emily Goldberg

Emily Goldberg is a second year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology Training Program at UNL. She graduated from Gonzaga University with a bachelor's degree in psychology with a research concentration and a minor in special education. During undergraduate school she concurrently worked as a research assistant at the University of Washington Medical Center in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine. Emily's research interests include biopsychosocial factors that impact pediatric physical and mental health. She plans to pursue a career in research and clinical practice.

Hope Thilges

Hope Thilges is a second year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology Training Program at UNL. She graduated from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities with a bachelor's degree in developmental psychology and minors in integrative neuroscience and public health. Hope's research interests focus broadly on pediatric health outcomes and the intersections of cognitive processes, health behaviors, and stress physiology. She is a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. She plans to pursue a career in research and clinical practice.

Graduate Student Alumni:

Dr. Cara Tomaso

Cara Tomaso graduated with her PhD in Clinical Psychology from UNL in 2023. She completed her clinical intership at Yale University – Child Study Center. She is currently the Postdoctoral Pediatric Psychology Fellow at the Yale Child Study Center. During her time at UNL she received a F31 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award from the National Institute of Diabetees and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) to support her dissertation, which examined the role of exectuive control in pediatric obesity. 

Dr. Anna Johnson Dammann

Anna Johnson Dammann graduated with her PhD in Clinical Psychology from UNL in 2023. She completed her clinical internship at Children's National Hospital in Columbus Ohio. She is currently the postdoctoral fellow at the Solid Organ Transplant at Children's Hospital in Colorado. Anna's dissertation focused on associations between sleep problems in early childhood and elementary school developmental outcomes.  

Dr. Chelsea Kozikowski Yancey

Chelsea Kozikowski Yancey graduated with her PhD in Clinical Psychology from UNL in 2022, with a Concentration in Children and Families.  She completed her clinical internship at Munroe-Meyer Institute for Genetics and Rehabilitation, followed by a post-doctoral fellowship in pediatric psychology at Children's Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha, NE.  Chelsea takes a culturally sensitive, developmentally-informed approach to her clinical practice and research, which has centered on the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based pediatric health interventions.

Maren Hankey

Maren Hankey is a graduate of the Clinical Psychology Training Program.  She majored in psychology at Creighton University and completed her master’s degree in a clinical psychology program at the University of Southern Mississippi.  Her interests were in pediatric health issues among infants and young children, including the interplay between intrapersonal and environmental influences on health.  Her thesis examined the relationship between maternal feeding style, child eating behaviors, and childhood obesity.  

Taylor Roth

Taylor Roth graduated from Baylor University with a major in psychology and a minor in French. Taylor is interested in matters of childhood obesity, especially looking at how family and peer systems affect these health behaviors and outcomes. Her master's thesis examined the role of maternal ADHD in the development of child health. 

Katie Kidwell

Katie Kidwell graduated with her PhD in psychology from UNL in 2018. She  completed her internship at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, followed by a fellowship conducting obesity research with Dr. Meg Zeller at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. She is interested in the many dimensions of pediatric health, including the intersection of mental and physical health and the promotion of health behaviors.

Tori Van Dyk

Tori Van Dyk graduated with her PhD in psychology from UNL in 2016. She has broad pediatric health interests focusing on the intersection between mental and physical health in children. She completed her internship at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, followed by a fellowship conducting sleep research with Dr. Dean Beebe at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Tori is currently an Assistant Professor of psychology at Loma Linda University.

Alyssa Lundahl

Alyssa Lundahl is a graduate of the Pediatric Health Lab. She received her bachelor's of science in psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2012, her master's degree in 2014, and her doctorate degree in 2016. Her master's project explored the accuracy of parental perceptions of children's weight. Her dissertation examined the relationships among child temperament, sleep problems, feeding styles, and weight outcomes.

Donna Flores

Donna Flores is a graduate of the Pediatric Health Lab at UNL. She graduated from Loyola University Chicago with a bachelor's degree in psychology and a minor in sociology. She received her master's degree in psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2016.