Meet Our Members

Paulo Graziano, Ph.D.

           

Lab Director; Professor.

IES Postdoctoral Fellow, Florida International University, Miami, FL
Pediatrics/Clinical Child Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
M.A., Clinical Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
B.S., Psychology (Major), Sociology (Minor), University of Central Florida

As the director of the S.E.L.F.-Regulation Lab, Dr. Graziano’s research focuses on the role of children’s self-regulation as it pertains to School Readiness, Early Intervention, Learning, and Fitness (S.E.L.F.).  He is particularly interested in how parental and environmental factors (e.g., teachers/classroom) may influence or moderate the impact of regulatory processes on adaptive functioning outcomes. Special emphasis on the role of physiological (i.e., RSA suppression) and neurocognitive processes in the development of psychopathology (emphasis on disruptive behavior disorders) as well as pediatric obesity. A large portion of his research focuses on developing and examining early interventions (e.g., behavioral parent training, summer programs) that can target children’s self-regulation skills and subsequent adaptive and health related outcomes.  Dr. Graziano has authored or co-authored a number of papers and his work has been supported by both federal grants (e.g., NIMH, NIDDK, Institute of Education Sciences) and local agencies (e.g., The Children’s Trust).

Fun Fact: Dr. Graziano enjoys traveling with his wife, playing golf and is a proud father of two daughters (ages 10 and 12) and a son (age 2).

Curriculum Vitae

Current Doctoral Students

Melissa Hernandez

mlhernan@fiu.edu

 

4th Year Doctoral Student 

Masters Thesis: Individual differences in germ spreading behaviors among children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: The role of executive function

Education: University of Florida, B.S. in Psychology (major) and Health Disparities in Society (Minor), and Florida International University, M.S. in Psychology Mental Health Counseling 

Fun Fact: I love to travel and try new foods.

Madeline Curzon

3rd Year Doctoral Student

Masters Thesis: Exploring Differences in Physical Health in Young Children with and without ADHD

Education: Northwestern University - BA in Psychology; DePaul University - MS in Psychology  

Fun Fact: I love to bake desserts and cats are my favorite animal.

Dr. Graziano will be taking a doctoral student for the 2024-2025 school year. Feel free to apply now! Click here for program information and application.

Research Staff

Isabel Delgado

Research Coordinator

Education: Florida International University, Senior Psychology Student minoring in Criminal Justice 

Fun Fact: I work in a pediatric care center and that made me want to work with children in Psychology.

 

Samantha Angulo 

PCIT Coordinator & Research Assistant

Education: Florida International University, B.A. in Psychology (Major) and Business (Minor); M.S. Student in Professional Counseling Program

Research Interests: Early intervention and emotional regulation in children with ADHD and other externalizing behaviors. 

Fun Fact: I went to school internationally, graduating high school in Colombia. 

 

Undergraduate Research Assistants

Alin Gurdikyan

Education: Florida International University, Junior Psychology student with an I/O track 

Fun Fact: I played volleyball for ten years. In fact, I won the beauty contest in the Armenian Olympics while playing as the youngest player.

 

Anabella Fernandez

Education: Florida International University, Senior Psychology student with a Behavior Analysis track

Fun Fact: Growing up, instead of children's storybooks, my mom used to read me the Harry Potter series before bed.

 

Jessica Harding

Education: Florida International University, Senior Behavioral Neuroscience student

Fun Fact: My future dream is to travel around the world and visit as many places as possible.

 

Melany Garcia

Education: Florida International University, Senior Behavioral Neuroscience student

Fun Fact: I have a collection of neuroscience books and love a good puzzle!

 

Ana Alonso

 

Education: Florida International University, Senior Psychology & Pre-Medical Student

Fun Fact: I love boating!

 

Ana Kondratovitch

 

Education: Florida International University, Senior Dietetics & Nutrition and Pre-Medical Student

Fun Fact: I was a competitve swimmer for 12 years and was a swim coach for children ages 6-14. 

 

Ana Uribe

 

Education: Florida International University, Freshman Psychology Student with Applied Behavior Analysis Track

Fun Fact: I have a twin brother!

 

Gabriela Cordonado

 

Education: Florida International University, Senior Psychology Student 

Fun Fact: I am the only daughter of four children and love watching anime! I enjoy road trips and have recently travelled the US East Coast from Florida to New York City by car.

 

Rebecca De Ara

 

Education: Florida International University, Senior Psychology Student; Miami-Dade College, A.A. Pathway to Major in Psychology

Fun Fact: I work in a high school as a Psychology teacher and enjoy traveling internationally, studying language and culture. I am currently learning French and Korean!

 

Kassandra Gavilla

 

Education: Florida International University, Senior Biology and Pre-Medical Student 

Fun Fact: I bake my own bread!

 

Natalie Falls

 

Education: Florida International University, Senior Psychology Student with Speech and Language Pathology track

Fun Fact: I'm a huge Star Wars fan!

 

Valentina Guillen

 

Education: Florida International University, Senior Psychology Student 

Fun Fact: I love drawing and trying new restaurants.

 

Logan Bates

 

Education: Florida International University, Senior Psychology Student, minoring in Japanese

Fun Fact: I like to study Japanese, and I've traveled to over 20 countries. 

 

Fernanda Fontanez

 

Education: Florida International University, Senior Biology and Pre-Medical Student

Fun Fact: I'm ambidextrous!