Last updated May 8, 2024
Brandon T. McDaniel, Ph.D.
Dr. McDaniel is the principal investigator of this research study. He is a Senior Research Scientist at the Parkview Mirro Center for Research and Innovation and Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Indiana University Fort Wayne School of Medicine. His research focuses on the interplay of technology use, parenting, and family relationships, and also as a father he has personal experiences with the complexities of real life with technology use and parent-child interaction and relationships.
Alison Ventura, PhD
Dr. Ventura is a Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Public Health at California Polytechnic State University. She is also the Director of the Cal Poly Healthy Kids Lab and Associate Director for Research Training and Fellowship for the Cal Poly Center for Health Research. She holds degrees in Psychology, Nutrition, and Human Development & Family Studies.
Lara Wolfers, PhD
Dr. Wolfers is an Assistant Professor at the Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR) at the University of Amsterdam. She studies how mobile devices and social media are used in the family and how this usage relates to family members’ well-being. In particular, she focuses on parent smartphone use and how it relates to parent well-being, role satisfaction, and parent-child interaction.
Sarah M. Coyne, PhD
Dr. Coyne is a professor of human development in the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University and has her PhD in Psychology from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston, England. Her research interests involve media, aggression, gender, mental health, and child development. Dr. Coyne has over 200 publications on these and other topics. She regularly speaks to families and teenagers about using media in positive ways. She has five children and lives in Utah.
Adam M. Galovan, PhD
Dr. Galovan is an Associate Professor of Family Science in the Department of Human Ecology at the University of Alberta. His research focuses on understanding how couples and family members negotiate their relationships across many different roles, dimensions, and contexts in such a way as to live healthy, productive, and virtuous lives—often focusing on mindfulness and the ethical foundations of healthy relationship processes. He has knowledge and experience in advanced statistics and methods, which he will contribute to his work as part of the Project EMBRACE team.
Rachel Pfafman, MPH, MBA
Rachel is currently a research project leader at the Parkview Mirro Center for Research and Innovation, with a focus on quality of data and collaboration with project investigators. Rachel has experience with running longitudinal studies and communicating effectively with participants. She also has interests in how technology intersects with everyday life.
Sabrina G. Uva, MS
Sabrina is a PhD student in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Connecticut and a graduate research intern at the Parkview Mirro Center for Research and Innovation. Her research broadly focuses on self-regulation including facets of emotion regulation and self-efficacy. She is particularly interested in the intersection of self-regulation and technology within the family context and informing interventions that promote well-being.
Brooklyn Daines Coleman, BS
Brooklyn is a graduate student in the Department of Marriage, Family, and Human Development at Brigham Young University and a graduate research intern working with Dr. Brandon McDaniel at the Parkview Mirro Center for Research Innovation. Her research focuses on the intersection of technology and infant emotion development. She mainly focuses on how parental technology use might impact infant emotion labeling and development.
Allison Weston
Allison is a senior studying family life and plans to get a Master’s degree in Marriage, Family, and Human Development after graduating from Brigham Young University. She is an undergraduate research intern working with Dr. Brandon McDaniel at the Parkview Mirro Center for Research and Innovation. Her research focuses on the interactions between family relationships and media use.
Karla Ceja, BS
Karla graduated with a bachelor's degree in public health and a minor in Biological Sciences from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. She is currently working with Dr. Alison Ventura as a research assistant for the Center for Health Research at Cal Poly where she is working on projects focused on maternal and infant health. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, indoor climbing, and cooking.
Bhagya Narayanan
Bhagya Narayanan is a Biological Sciences major at California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo. When she is not in class or studying, she enjoys spending her time being a Medical Assistant at a local primary care office and a volunteer at her local hospital’s NICU department. She also enjoys spending time outdoors hiking and going to the beach. Bhagya started working with Dr. Ventura in the Healthy Kids Lab in 2022. She was awarded the Frost Research Scholarship in support of her current research on remote assessment of infant feedings. Upon completing her bachelor's degree, she hopes to attend medical school to become a physician specializing in pediatric and women's health.
Caroline Schwartz
Caroline is an undergraduate student in the Department of Psychology and Child Development at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and a research assistant at the Parkview Mirro Center for Research and Innovation. Her research focuses on the impact of parents' phone use on early infancy social and emotional development. She is interested in parental and infant mental health and informing interventions/policies to promote their well-being.
Cynthia Lei Diaz
Cynthia is a senior majoring in Animal Science at California Polytechnic State University and a research assistant in the Cal Poly Healthy Kids Lab. In her free time, she enjoys being in nature and spending time with her pets and family. Additionally, she currently works as a Student Clinical Assistant at Cal Poly's Health Center. Cynthia is interested in various topics surrounding maternal and child health and is excited to be a member of the EMBRACE team. As she approaches her graduation, she hopes to continue to gain experience in this field and attend graduate school to help others in a clinical setting.
Jaymie Louie
Jaymie is a second-year undergraduate student at California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo. She is a Biological Sciences major and Dance minor with an interest in becoming a Physician's Assistant specializing in emergency medicine. In 2023, Jaymie started working alongside Dr. Ventura in the Healthy Kids Lab. In her spare time, she enjoys going to sport's games, performing, and volunteering in the Emergency Department at her local hospital.