The Risk and Resilience Lab at the University of Pennsylvania is directed by Professor Sara Jaffee. Research in the Risk and Resilience Lab focuses on how adverse experiences shape people’s mental health and their life outcomes, both within and across generations. Research conducted in the Risk and Resilience Lab is highly interdisciplinary. Our collaborators include neuroscientists, policy researchers, criminologists, physicians, and other psychologists, as well as agency partners in the City of Philadelphia.
Dr. Jaffee’s office is in Levin 464. She can be reached by email at at srjaffee@psych.upenn.edu and by phone at 215.746.4566.
Our Team
Sara Jaffee, Class of 1965 Endowed Term Professor and Department Chair
Sara Jaffee graduated from Oberlin College in 1994 and received a PhD in developmental psychology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 2001. She completed post-doctoral research at King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience and joined the Department of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania in 2003. Except for a four-year stint back in London, Jaffee has been at Penn ever since. Jaffee studies risk and resilience in children’s development with a focus on exposure to family and neighborhood violence. Click here to read Dr. Jaffee’s CV.
Samiha Islam, Clinical Intern and Graduate Student
Samiha is a sixth-year Clinical Psychology PhD student at the University of Pennsylvania. She is currently completing her predoctoral psychology internship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in the Pediatric Psychology track. After graduating from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2017 with a dual degree in Psychology and Family Science and a minor in Statistics, she served as a project coordinator for two years at the University of Maryland’s Affective and Translational Neuroscience Lab under the supervision of Dr. Alex Shackman. Samiha is interested in studying intergenerational social-contextual factors that influence the development of psychopathology across the life course. In her free time, Samiha enjoys spending time in nature, exploring Philly’s food scene, and spoiling her cat, Tuna.
George Lin, Graduate Student
George is a second-year Clinical Psychology PhD student at the University of Pennsylvania. After graduating from the University of California, Berkeley with a dual degree in Genetics and Plant Biology and minors in Music and Theatre, he pursued a career in medicine through the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine before finding his passion for Psychology. He has served as research assistant for the Culture, Emotion, and Health Lab at NYU under Dr. William Tsai and project coordinator for the Risk and Resilience Lab at Penn under Dr. Sara Jaffee. George is interested in studying genetic and environmental contextual factors that influence child and adolescent psychopathology, with a particular focus on taking translational and multidisciplinary approaches to research with the goal to influence policy. In his free time, George enjoys cooking, practicing Muay Thai, and playing with his pets.
Alana Davis, Research Assistant
Alana is a senior in the college majoring in psychology and minoring in cognitive science. Her research interests center around complex trauma, adverse childhood experiences, and the developmental trajectory of mental illness. Post-graduation, she hopes to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology. In her free time, Alana enjoys gardening, playing the bass, and taking photos of the moon.
Devora Solomon, Research Assistant
Devora is a Senior in the College majoring in Psychology. She is interested in family systems and how childhood experiences impact later relationships. After graduating, she hopes to get a masters in Marriage and Family Therapy and pursue a career in Relationship Therapy.
Stephanie Hasford, Research Assistant
Stephanie Hasford is currently a Research and Evaluation Associate at EduDream. She has over four years of experience conducting culturally responsive and equitable research and analysis. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, she supported evaluations of programs and initiatives in education, public health, and philanthropy. Stephanie’s undergraduate research delved into the connection between biology and social environment throughout life, particularly examining how prolonged exposure to various forms of violence influences internalized and externalized behaviors from adolescence through adulthood. Outside of work, you can find her communicating with LGBTQ+ youth as a Crisis counselor or engaging in any and all art forms.
Mimi Tanski, Research Coordinator
Mimi is currently working as the research coordinator on the PHLHousing+ Evaluation project. She graduated from Harvard College in 2015 with a major in history and science and a minor in psychology. She has worked in various roles in homeless services, community mental health, housing advocacy, and high school rowing coaching. She completed her MS in International Health Policy and the London School of Economics, writing her dissertation on the effects of cash transfer programs on youth mental health in low- and middle-income countries. In her free time, she likes to trail run with her dog and drink hot chocolate.
Stefan Hatch, Research Assistant
Stefan is a third year student from Truckee, California studying Urban Studies and Psychology. He joined the Lab through Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring Program in the summer of 2023 where he enjoyed conducting qualitative interviews for the PHLHousing+ Project. He is excited to return to the lab after a long stint abroad which included a summer working in Singapore and a semester abroad in London.
Ziqi Guan, Research Assistant
Ziqi is a junior majoring Psychology with a minor in Statistics at the University of Pennsylvania. She is interested in pursuing a clinical psychology PhD degree after graduation. She wants to become a clinical psychologist to do both psychology research and clinical practice. Outside of the lab, she is also working with Dr. Melissa Hunt on a research project about the effects of journaling gastrointestinal symptoms on visceral hypersensitivity and fear of food. In her free time, Ziqi enjoys watching horror movies, listening to music, practicing guitar, and hanging out with friends.
Grace Berry, Research Assistant
Grace is a current masters’ student at the University of Pennsylvania studying Quantitative Methods. After graduating from West Chester University in 2017 with a dual degree in Political Science and Gender Studies, Grace spent five years as a coordinator at Dr. Aaron Beck’s non-profit Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy. In 2023, Grace obtained a master’s degree in Counseling and Mental Health Services and served as a graduate research assistant at Penn’s Positive Psychology Center.
Throughout the last two years, Grace has served as a project liaison on Penn GSE’s Dr. Michael Nakkula’s Project for Mental Health and Optimal Development, conducting research partnering with public schools in the greater Philadelphia area. Grace is primarily interested in creating translational research through studying program and policy effects on childhood and familial health outcomes. In her free time, you can find Grace enjoying all things Philadelphia or taking her two chihuahuas Joey and Miss Cleo for a walk on the Schuylkill River Trail.
Azza Elrashid, Research Assistant
Azza is a third-year undergraduate working towards her bachelor’s in Health and Societies with a concentration in Public Health and minors in healthcare management, neuroscience, and chemistry. She has served as a qualitative interviewer and research assistant for the PHLHousing+ Study at the Risk and Resilience Lab under Dr. Sara Jaffee since Spring 2024. Azza is interested in understanding the long-term health impacts associated with expansions in housing assistance programs. Outside of the lab, Azza is involved with the West Philadelphia Tutoring Project, Service Link, and the National Society of Black Women in Medicine. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, running, and traveling.
Completed Graduate Students
- Andrea Maikovich-Fong (2010 U. Pennsylvania PhD)
- Laura Lysenko (2012 King’s College London PhD)
- Luciana Strait (2015 King’s College London PhD)
- Lauren Brumley (2019 U. of Pennsylvania PhD)
- Izabela Milaniak (2020 U. of Pennsylvania PhD)
- Bethany Watson (2020 U. of Pennsylvania PhD)
- Anika Khan (2023 U. of Pennsylvania PhD)
Former Post-Docs
- Jessie Cline
Our Areas of Focus
Understanding How Children and Families are Affected by Social Policies
We study the impact of social policy on child and family well-being, including health, academic outcomes, and parent-child relationships.
Understanding Intergenerational Transmission of Adversity
We study continuities and discontinuities in the intergenerational transmission of adversity, including poverty, child maltreatment, and mental health problems.
Understanding the Impact of Violence on Development
We study how violence in the family and in the community affects development across the life course. We also study why some children and adolescents are resilient to these forms of violence.
