Meet the Team
Leonard Epstein, PhD
SUNY Distinguished Professor and Chief, Behavioral Medicine
Dr. Epstein is a SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics, Community Health and Health Behavior and Social and Preventive Medicine, and the Chief of the Division of Behavioral Medicine. His research interests focus on health behavior change and determinants of eating, physical activity and drug self-administration. He is an internationally recognized authority in the fields of childhood overweight, physical activity, weight control and family intervention. For the past 30 years, Dr. Epstein has conducted research relevant to the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity, including mechanisms that regulate intake and energy expenditure in children. He is a fellow in numerous scientific organizations, and has been the President of the division of Health Psychology, APA, and recipient of the American Psychological Association Award for Outstanding Contributions to Health Psychology. He chaired the Behavioral Medicine Study Section, NIH, and served on the Advisory Board for Center for Scientific Research, NIH. Dr. Epstein has published over 300 scientific papers and three books.
Email Dr. Epstein: [email protected]
Xiaozhong Wen, PhD
Assistant Professor
Dr. Wen’s current research focuses on epidemiologic analyses and interventions related to obesity. He is particularly interested in the developmental origins of obesity and cardio-metabolic diseases, including maternal diet, smoking, and other lifestyle factors during pregnancy. His research also looks at intrauterine growth, epigenetics, and infancy growth. Dr. Wen is also very interested in clinical intervention for pediatric obesity. Below are his ongoing research projects.
1) Etiological subgroups of small-for-gestational-age: differential childhood physical and cognitive development (SGA Subgroups Study);
2) Healthy eating and prevention of gestational diabetes and offspring obesity (GDM Prevention Study);
3) Infant diet, growth and health (Infant Diet Study);
4) Toddler’s self-regulation and later healthy behaviors (Self Regulation Study).
5) Improve public acceptability of using financial incentives for smoking cessation during pregnancy (Opinion Study);
6) Smoking cessation during pregnancy and lactation and offspring outcomes (Quit Study).
Email Dr. Wen: [email protected]
Katelyn Carr, MA
Graduate Research Assistant, CRAVES
Katelyn is a PhD Candidate in the Neuroscience program working under Dr. Leonard Epstein in the Division of Behavioral Medicine. She attended the University at Buffalo as an undergraduate and is completing her PhD studying decision making processes and working memory in relationship to choices between healthy and unhealthy foods in adults and children. Katelyn enjoys reading and distance running. She enjoys teaching and mentoring students and is excited to graduate.
Email Katelyn: [email protected]
Meghan Cavanaugh, BS
Project Coordinator, Center Grant Studies
Meghan has been with Buffalo Behavioral Medicine for 10 years. She currently helps with website development as well as participant recruitment. Meghan attended Xavier University and then moved to Bozeman, Montana to work for the Montana Conservation Corps. She spent time living in Portland, Oregon where she further discovered her love of running and the outdoors. Meghan eventually found her way back to Buffalo where she began working at UB and the Buffalo Behavioral Medicine Department. Meghan has always enjoyed the outdoors and working with children so BBM is a perfect complement to both of her passions. Meghan is enjoying life in her hometown with her husband and three children.
Email Meghan: [email protected]
Kelly Fletcher, MPH
Project Coordinator/Lab Coordinator, Online Grocery/Grocer-E Studies
Kelly has been working at the Buffalo Behavioral Medicine Lab since April 2004 on a number of different projects. Currently, she is a Project Coordinator on a study looking at the use of pricing strategies to impact individual’s food purchases and thus food consumption. Previously, Kelly worked on projects that focused on dopamine genotypes, food reinforcement and obesity and a grant that applied habituation theory to food variety in young children. Kelly is also the lab and office coordinator. When she is away from the office, Kelly enjoys running in a number of area road races and spending time with her husband and young daughter.
Email Kelly: [email protected]
Justina Garcia
Office Assistant
Justina has been with Buffalo Behavioral Medicine for a year and a half. She is currently a senior at University at Buffalo, expected to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology in May. She currently lives in Buffalo and keeps busy with school, work and working as a research assistant in the Smoking Research Lab in the Psychology department.
Email Justina: [email protected]
Colleen Kilanowski, MS
Project Coordinator, Center Grant Studies
Colleen attended undergraduate and graduate studies in Nutritional Sciences here at the University at Buffalo before continuing to work for UB in the Behavioral Medicine Lab. Over the past eighteen years she has consulted and coordinated lab, field and clinical studies involving childhood weight control research. She enjoys staying active and healthy with her husband, three children and Weimaraner. Colleen loves to run and support a healthy community where she has grown up and raises her children.
Email Colleen: [email protected]
Kai Ling Kong, PhD
Post-Doctoral Fellow, Infant Studies
Kai Ling came to the States from Malaysia to pursue her undergraduate in 2004. She then obtained her master and Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences at Iowa State University. She has been with DBM for over one year. Kai Ling’s graduate work and current work has been revolved around pregnancy and infancy to understand the origins of chronic diseases such as obesity. Kai Ling absolutely loves to play with babies! If she is not playing with babies in the lab, you will find her playing with them in the nursery of her church She likes to stay active and busy. Kai Ling enjoys everything outdoors, but her absolute favorite activity right now is Vinyasa yoga!
Email Kai Ling: [email protected]
Jordynn Koroschetz, BA
Senior Research Support Specialist, Center Grant Studies
Jordynn has just recently joined Buffalo Behavioral Medicine after being a volunteer for the lab. She has a B.A. in Psychology from Binghamton University with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis and a minor in Health and Wellness Studies. She currently lives in Niagara Falls and enjoys hiking, rock climbing, and making jewelry in her spare time.
Email Jordynn: [email protected]
Xiuhong Li, PhD
Maternal and Child Health Study
Dr. Li’s current research focuses on neurodevelopment of children born small for gestational age (SGA). She is particularly interested in the developmental origins during pregnancy of SGA and post-term intervention including parenting, breastfeeding and well-children visits.
Email Xiuhong: [email protected]
Alexis O’Brien, BA
Senior Research Support Specialist, UB CRAVES Study
Alexis has been with Buffalo Behavioral Medicine since 2012. She studied at Roberts Wesleyan College. Alexis coordinates scheduling of participants in the UB CRAVES Study and enjoys meeting with the families involved in the study. Outside of work, Alexis enjoys camping with her husband and little girl, reading as many books as she can, and teaching her daughter how to knit.
Email Alexis: [email protected]
Tinuke Oluyomi, BS
Graduate Research Assistant, Center Grant Studies
Tinuke is a doctoral candidate in Community Health and Health Behaviors. Her current research focuses on understanding and improving impulsive decision making. She works on both laboratory and clinical studies at Buffalo Behavioral Medicine.
Email Tinuke: [email protected]
Aris Otminski, MS
Senior Research Support Specialist, Center Grant Studies
Aris has been with the Buffalo Behavioral Medicine Lab for 2 years. She is part of the clinical research team where she helps design and conduct studies, and assists with nutrition research in the lab. Aris attended the University at Buffalo, where she received a BS in exercise science and an MS in nutrition.
Email Aris: [email protected]
Rocco Paluch, MA
Data Manager/Statistician, Center Grant/CRAVEs Studies
Rocco has been working with Buffalo Behavioral Medicine since 1994 after attending St. Bonaventure University. He currently helps maintain and develop current and archived databases for many BBM studies and helps with statistical analyses. He has specific interests in mixed model techniques, power analysis and application of CDC growth curves to track weight changes over time. He enjoys living in Buffalo with his wife.
Email Rocky: [email protected]
Corrin Pudlewski, BA
Senior Research Support Specialist, Grocer-E Study
Corrin has been with Buffalo Behavioral Medicine for 2 years, where she helps with recruitment, data management, and running study sessions. She attended SUNY Geneseo and earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology, and is currently attending UB’s School of Social Work. She is a Buffalo native and thrilled to stay, work, and lend her talents in her hometown.
Email Corrin: [email protected]
April Roberts, MS
Senior Research Support Specialist, Grocer-E Study
April has been with Buffalo Behavioral Medicine for 6 years. She graduated from Buffalo State College with a B.S. in Health & Wellness and then continued her education at Canisius College where she earned her Master’s degree in Health & Human Performance. She currently resides in Buffalo with her husband and enjoys running, kayaking, and the many other outdoor activities that Buffalo has to offer.
Email April: [email protected]
Jennifer Scheid Liberg, PhD
Postdoctoral Associate, CRAVES Study
Jennifer has been with Buffalo Behavioral Medicine for 3 years. She is currently the project coordinator of the CRAVES study. Additionally, she is the primary investigator and a co-investigator of pilot projects looking at the relationships between exercise, fitness, food intake and executive function in children and adults. Jennifer completed her PhD at Penn State in exercise physiology with a research focus on metabolism and endocrine adaptations to exercise. Her doctoral research focused on the role of peptide YY and ghrelin in regulating energy homeostasis, reproductive function, and eating behavior. While the majority of her formal training has been in exercise physiology, she has a passion for multidisciplinary projects that ask and answer questions across disciplines. Jennifer is married and has an English springer spaniel named Riley. She loves spending time with her family, cycling, snowboarding and yoga.
Email Jen: [email protected]
Stephen Spence, MA
Budget Administrator
Steve has handled budgets and administrative duties for the Buffalo Behavioral Medicine Lab since 2000. In his personal time he has written four adventure novels for young readers.
Email Steve: [email protected]
Yan Yan (Melissa) Sze, BA
Senior Research Support Specialist, Center Grant Studies
Melissa has been with the Buffalo Behavioral Medicine Lab for over 2 years. She is currently part of the clinical research team and helps design and conduct studies. She also has a lot of IT experience and works closely with the programmers in the development of lab materials. Melissa attended The University at Buffalo and graduated with a B.A. in Psychology.
Email Melissa: [email protected]
Haider Tung
Database Administrator/Programmer and Analyst
Haider has been with Buffalo Behavioral Medicine since August of 2013. He is currently still in school working towards earning his B.S in Computer Science from University at Buffalo. He deals with most technological related tasks at BBM which include (but are not limited to) maintaining and developing websites, programs, database administration etc. Born in Pakistan, Haider has been in Buffalo since 2011 and enjoys experiencing everything the city has to offer. Aside from being ‘The computer science guy’, he is greatly interested in Arts and also pursues music, acting, directing and photography on the side. He’s been an active musician since 2008 and knows how to play, guitar, bass, keyboard, drums and sings as well. In his words, “Music has been a huge part of my life and I plan to keep it up till the very end”. He has released a few songs over the years but is releasing his debut CD shortly and plans on taking his musical endeavors further while keeping a balance between his work, education and passion.
Email Haider: [email protected]
Chuanbo Xie, MD/PhD
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Maternal and Child Health Study
Chuanbo Xie is a post-doc research associate at Buffalo Behavioral Medicine. With training in preventive medicine and epidemiology, his research focuses on maternal and child heath such as maternal passive smoking during pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcomes. His current research interests are childhood growth trajectories and childhood obesity. He participated in two Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) supported projects during his PhD training period. Now he is one of the investigators of the project sponsored by Maternal and Child Health Bureau. He has rich experience in epidemiological study design, perinatal epidemiological survey, experimental skills, and data analysis.
Email Chaunbo: [email protected]
Students
Alyssa Melber
Student
Alyssa has been with the Buffalo Behavioral Medicine lab for 1 year. She is a pre-med student, working towards graduating with her Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Sciences from the University at Buffalo.
Emal Alyssa: [email protected]
Sara O’Donnell
Student
Sara is a senior majoring in Psychology, and has worked as a research assistant in the Buffalo Behavioral Medicine Research lab since August 2013. She is currently completing her honor’s thesis under Dr. Epstein’s supervision. She hopes to attend graduate school in the fall. Outside of lab she enjoys cooking, exercising, and exploring the city of Buffalo.
Email Sara: [email protected]
Katherine Rominger
Student
Katherine is enjoying her first semester as part of Buffalo Behavioral Medicine. She attended Fairfield University for two years, and transferred to University at Buffalo this past fall to pursue her passion in studying Psychology and will graduate in the spring of 2016. Katherine is originally from Elmira, NY and enjoys sailing, hiking and always having a good book to read on hand!
Email Katherine: [email protected]
Alexandra Rupert
Student
This is Alexandra’s first semester working at Buffalo Behavioral Medicine. She is currently a Health and Human Service major with a concentration in Early Childhood Development. She hopes to one day become a pediatrician as well as a midwife. She lives in Orange County New York, where she loves to hike, snowboard, kayak and pretty much anything else that involves the outdoors.
Email Alexandra: [email protected]