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 12 and 14) and a son (age 4).

Curriculum Vitae

Current Doctoral Students

Melissa Hernandez

mlhernan@fiu.edu

6th 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); Florida International University, M.S. in Psychology Mental Health Counseling 

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

Madeline Curzon

mcurzon@fiu.edu 

5th Year Doctoral Student

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

Education: Northwestern University - B.A. in Psychology (major) and Business Institutions (minor); DePaul University - M.S. in Psychology  

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

Maggie Johansson

mjohanss@fiu.edu 

2nd Year Doctoral Student

Research Interests: Executive functioning in children with ADHD, mechanisms of change for children with ADHD, and children with ADHD's risk and response to adversity

Education: University of Washington - B.S. in Psychology (major)

Fun Fact: I've been skiing since I was 2 years old

Leanett Reinoso

lreinoso@fiu.edu 

2nd Year Doctoral Student

Research Interests: Examining how community factors influence mental and physical health outcomes in children with and without ADHD

Education: Florida International University - B.A. in Psychology (major) and Criminal Justice (minor)

Fun Fact: I enjoy baking and spending time outdoors

Eva Goldhagen

egoldhag@fiu.edu 

2nd Year Doctoral Student

Research Interests: Examining emotion dysregulation as a transdiagnostic factor in young children with ADHD and disruptive behavior disorders

Education: University of Florida - B.S. in Psychology (major) and B.A. in Sociology (major); American University - M.A. in Psychology

Fun Fact: I love to bake bread and read novels

Dr. Graziano will be taking a doctoral student for the 2026-2027 school year.  Click here for program and application information.

Research Staff 

Victoria Quintanilla

PCIT and STP-K Coordinator

Education: Florida International University - M.S. in Psychology (Professional Counseling Psychology)

Doina Simona Lazar

Lab Coordinator

Education: Florida International University - Senior Biological & Natural Applied Sciences major with a minor in Psychology 

Fun Fact: I've been in a Telenovela! 

Undergraduate Research Assistants 

Ana Uribe

Education: Florida International University - Junior Psychology Student with Applied Behavior Analysis Track

Fun Fact: I have a twin brother!

Marco Quintanilla

Education: Florida International University - Junior Biological Sciences Student (Pre-Med track)

Fun Fact: I enjoy trying complicated cooking recipes!

Meghan-Marie De Lima-Cyrille

Education: Florida International University - Senior Psychology Student with a minor in Spanish

Fun Fact: I've been singing since I was 4 years old. 

Yenice Hechavarria

Education: Florida International University - Junior Psychology Student with an ABA track

Fun Fact: I love adrenaline, and I love spending time with my family and cooking for them. 

Melanie Silva

Education: Florida International University - Junior Biological Sciences major (Pre-Med track)

Fun Fact: I love art and I spend a lot of my free time drawing.