Dr. Lenna Ontai
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- Associate Specialist in Cooperative Extension, Human Development and Family Studies
- lontai@ucdavis.edu
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Current Lab Members
Jennifer Taylor
PhD candidate, Nutrition
Jennifer has been working with the pChild lab since she came to UC Davis in 2013 to pursue her PhD in Nutrition, before which she received her masters degree in Nutrition from the University of Vermont. She co-manages the Parents to Peers study with Carolyn Sutter.
Lionor Galindo
Masters student, Child Development
Lionor is an incoming masters student in the Human Development Graduate Group who will be working with Dr. Ontai beginning in the 2017-18 academic year.
Perla Ramos Carranza
Human Development & Psychology (2017)
Perla is a Junior Specialist in the lab, mainly working on the Niños Sanos study and providing lab management. She started working with the lab in 2016.
Catherine (Cady) Oberle
Undergraduate junior, Human Development major
Cady is a lead research assistant for the Parents to Peers study. She started working with the lab in 2016. Cady’s interests include swimming, watching classic movies, drinking black coffee, and the SF Giants.
Jazmine Mandujano
Undergraduate junior, Human Development major & Psychology minor
Jazmine is a research assistant for the Ninos Sanos study. She started working with the lab in 2016. Jazmine’s interests include listening to live music, hanging out with friends, and trying new places to eat.
Wendy Arias
Undergraduate sophomore, Human Development major
Wendy is a research assistant for the Ninos Sanos study. She started working with the lab in 2016.
Melissa Kumnoonsate
Undergraduate senior, Human Development major
Melissa is a lead research assistant for the Parents to Peers study. She started working with the lab in 2017. Melissa’s interests include rock climbing, dancing, and eating yummy food!
Bree Weeden
Undergraduate senior, Clinical Nutrition major with minor in Public Health Sciences
Bree is a research assistant for the Parents to Peers study. She started working with the lab in 2017. Bree is particularly interested in health promotion, physical activity, and chronic disease prevention. She also likes to dance, cook, and hang out with the ducks in the UC Davis arboretum.
Molly Shea
Undergraduate junior, Clinical Nutrition major
Molly is a research assistant for the Parents to Peers study. She started working with the lab in 2017. Molly wanted to become a research assistant because she is excited to study what children are eating and how she can help to introduce better eating habits that children can carry on in to adulthood to live full and happy lives.
Nataly Florian
Undergraduate senior, Human Development major
Nataly is a research assistant for the Parents to Peers study. She started working with the lab in 2017.
Antonia (Aracely) Larreynaga
Undergraduate senior, Human Development major
Araceli is a research assistant for the Parents to Peers study. She started working with the lab in 2017.
Monika Heera
Undergraduate senior, Human Development major
Monika is a research assistant for the Parents to Peers study. She started working with the lab in 2016.
Former Lab Members
Carolyn Sutter
PhD, Human Development (2017)
Carolyn has been working with Dr. Ontai and the pCHilD lab since she started her masters degree at UC Davis in 2010. She co-manages the Parents to Peers study with Jennifer Taylor and has collaborated with Dr. Ontai on the Healthy Kids and Niños Sanos studies. Carolyn’s research is focused on the ways in which social factors (parenting, home environment, peer relationships) influence children’s eating behavior and ultimately obesity development as well as individual factors (self-regulation, body image, peer victimization) that can influence this development from early childhood through adolescence. She is currently working as a postdoctoral research associate for the Family Resiliency Center at the University of Illinois.
Whitney Estrada
Clinical Nutrition (2017)
Whitney was a research assistant for the Parents to Peers study. She started working with the lab in 2016.
Kimberly Nguyen
Clinical Nutrition (2017)
Kim was a research assistant for the Parents to Peers study. She started working with the lab in 2016. Kim’s interests include playing on the Women’s Club Ultimate Frisbee Team, snowboarding, and tasting different flavors of ice cream.
Esther Gao
Undergraduate senior, Clinical Nutrition and Psychology double major
Esther is a research assistant for the Parents to Peers study. She started working with the lab in 2016.
Amabel Zapien
Undergraduate senior, Psychology major
Amabel was a research assistant for the Parents to Peers study. She started working with the lab in 2017. Amabel’s interests include drawing, reading books, listening to music, and eating hot cheetos. She hopes to pursue a career as a therapist for children with chronic illnesses.
Stacey Ho
BS in Human Development & Psychology (2017)
Stacey was a lead research assistant for the Parents to Peers study. She has been working with the lab since 2014.
Erica Lardizabal
Human Development (2017)
Erica was a lead research assistant for the Parents to Peers study. She has been working with the lab since 2015.
Kelly Chang
Clinical Nutrition (2017)
Kelly was a research assistant for the Parents to Peers study. She started working with the lab in 2016.
Esther Ebuehi
BS in Human Development & Nutrition (2016)
Esther was a lead research assistant for the Parents to Peers study. She worked with the lab from Spring 2014-Winter 2017. Esther currently works as a clinic coordinator at CommuniCare Health Centers. Esther’s interests include singing to her heart’s content and debating health policy.
Katrina Habroun
BS in Clinical Nutrition with a minor in Psychology (2015)
kmhabroun@ucdavis.edu
Katrina was a research assistant for the Parents to Peers study during the 2014-15 academic year. Currently, Katrina works as a medical scribe and a guest services representative at two local hospitals. Katrina hopes to pursue a career in the health field.
Kuai (Queenie) Leong
BS in Human Development (2015)
Queenie was a research assistant for the Parents to Peers study during the 2014-15 academic year. Currently, Queenie is working towards a masters degree in childhood education at New York University.
Debadrita (Deb) Mondal
BS in Exercise Biology (2016)
Deb was a lead research assistant for the Parents to Peers study from June 2014 through July 2016. Currently, Deb is applying to nursing school and works as a home health aid for elderly individuals in the Bay Area.
Diana Luu
BS in Human Development (2015)
Diana was a research assistant for the Parents to Peers study during the 2014-15 academic year. Currently, Diana works as a program coordinator for Charity Cultural Services Center in the Bay Area. Diana hopes to pursue a career in either social work or public health/administration.
Gregory Lum
BS in Clinical Nutrition (2015)
Greg was a research assistant during the 2015-2016 academic year. He’s currently in the Salem, OR area as one of Oregon State University’s Dietetic Interns, with hopes of becoming a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. He may also pursue a Master’s in Public Health so as to better collaborate with communities in preventing disease and encouraging healthy eating.
Daniel Weisz
BS in Human Development (2016)
daniel_weisz@sbcglobal.net
Rachel Evtuch
BS in Nutrition Science – Public Health (2016)
Rachel was a research assistant during fall 2015 – summer 2016 academic year. She assisted in the Parents to Peers study with data collection, data entry, and co-authored a Newsletter that was distributed to participants at each research school that year. She is currently an AmeriCorps Instructor for Food Literacy Center, which is a nonprofit that serves in the Sacramento area to teach underserved elementary school students to love eating their veggies in after-school cooking classes.
Mariam Hameed
B.S. in Human Development (2016)
Mariam was a research assistant under Dr. Ontai for two years, assisting with both the Shaping Healthy Choices program and the Parents to Peers Project. Currently, Mariam works as a fitness instructor and is also applying for social science research assistant jobs. She plans to attend graduate school in the future.
Daniel Vice
BS in Human Development (2014)
Dvice2@jhu.edu
Dan was a research assistant for the Parents to Peers study during the 2014-2015 academic year. He is currently a graduate student at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing and is working in a surgical intensive care unit. He plans to continue working in critical care after graduating and hopes to become an anesthetist thereafter.
Mimi Giese
BS in Human Development with a minor in Spanish (2015)
Mimi was a research assistant for the Parents to Peers study as a senior. She assisted Dr. Ontai and Carolyn Sutter with other research projects as well as presented her own research with their mentoring at the Undergraduate Research Conference in 2015. After graduation, she earned her Masters in Education and teaching credential at the University of the Pacific and currently teaches K/1 in downtown Stockton.
Juliana Leddy
BS in Human Development (2015)
julianaeleddy@gmail.com
Juliana was a research assistant for the Parents to Peers study during the 2014-15 academic year. Currently, Juliana is working towards her multiple subject teaching credential and masters degree in education at UC Davis.
Taylor King
BS in Human Development, minor in Community Nutrition (2016)
Taylor was a lead research assistant for the Parent to Peer study from 2015-2016 working with NDSR and image coding. Taylor is currently in a Masters of Public Health program at Colorado School of Public Health. Her career goals include working towards childhood obesity prevention with community based interventions.
Erin Glasspool
BS in Human Development (2016)
Erin was a research assistant for the Parents to Peers study during the 2014-15 academic year. Currently, Erin is taking prerequisites for nursing school at Foothill Junior College. She hopes to pursue a career in nursing and potentially radiology in the future.
Kellie Sapad
B.S. in Human Development (2016)
Kellie was a research assistant for the Parents to Peers Study during the 2015-2016 academic year. She is currently working as a Behavioral Aide Technician for the Tulare County Office of Education. Working one-on-one with children with disabilities, she applies ABA techniques to improve behaviors and promote their independence. Kellie hopes to begin a credential program within the next year to eventually become an elementary school teacher in her hometown.
Erika Hapa
BS in Human Development (2016)
Erika was a research assistant for the Parents to Peers Study during the 2015-2016 academic year. Currently, Erika is completing a year of service with an AmeriCorps program, City Year, where she is tutoring and mentoring students in a low income area of Sacramento. She hopes to eventually attend graduate school to receive a Masters in Public Health and pursue a career within the health system or a non profit organization.
Yan Hua (Eva) Li
BS in Clinical Nutrition (2016)
eva.li.1008@gmail.com
Eva was a lead research assistant for the Parents to Peers study during the 2015-16 academic year. Currently, Eva works at Leah’s Pantry in San Francisco leading nutrition education and cooking demonstration classes. She hopes to begin her credential program in dietetic in the next two years and work as a dietitian in the future.
Eva Pardo
BS in Human Development (2016)
Eva was a research assistant for the Parents to Peers study during the 2015-2016 academic year. Currently, Eva is working as an EMT and lead field training officer at NORCAL ambulance company and is applying to graduate schools. She hopes to achieve a dual Masters in Public Health (epidemiology)and Physician Assistant studies. She hopes to continue conducting research as an epidemiologist and wants to work as a Physician Assistant in small community urgent cares and clinics.
Patricia Kamlley
BS in Human Development (2014)
pkamlley@gmail.com
Patricia was a research assistant working with Dr. Ontai & graduate student Carolyn Sutter during the 2013-2014 academic year. She had a unique opportunity to work with the Center for Nutrition in Schools Lab for the Shaping Healthy Choices Program, and the Adolescent Peer Relationship Lab in their Peer Victimization Study. Currently, Patricia is applying for occupational therapy schools while working as an ABA therapist.
Cindy Zhang
BS in Human Development and minor in Psychology(2015)
Cindy assisted in research with Dr.Ontai and Carolyn Sutter in 2013-2014 on the Shaping Health Choices Program, and worked with the Adolescent Peer Relationships Lab. At the end of her term she participated in the Undergraduate Research Conference. Cindy is in the process of applying for Masters/Doctorate programs in Occupational Therapy and also currently working as a YMCA Program Leader.
CollaboratorsAdrienne Nishina
Associate Professor, Human Development and Family Studies, UC Davis
Dr. Nishina is co-PI for the Parents to Peers study. Her research focuses on peer relationships and ethnicity within broader social contexts. To learn more about Dr. Nishina’s research, visit the Adolescent Peer Relationships Lab website
Sheri Zidenberg-Cherr
Specialist in Cooperative Extension, Nutrition, UC Davis
Dr. Zidenberg-Cherr is a collaborator on the Parents to Peers study. Her research focuses on nutrition education and intervention programming, including the UC Davis Shaping Healthy Choices Program. She is co-director of the Center for Nutrition in Schools
Marilyn Townsend
Cooperative Extension Nutrition Education Specialist, UC Davis
Dr. Townsend is co-PI for the Healthy Kids and Niños Sanos studies. Her research focuses on nutrition education with an emphasis on children and adolescents. To learn more about her research, visit the Townsend Lab website
Mical Shilts
Professor, Family and Consumer Science, California State University Sacramento
Dr. Shilts is co-PI for the Healthy Kids and Niños Sanos studies. Her research focuses on development and research of interventions using theories and models of behavior change to positively influence dietary and physical activity attitudes, intentions and behaviors.
Stephanie Sitnick
Assistant Professor, Psychology and Counseling, Caldwell University
Dr. Sitnick received her PhD in Human Development from UC Davis, during which type she worked with Dr. Ontai as her primary advisor. Dr. Sitnick continues to collaborate on the Healthy Kids study. Her research focuses on parenting and its relationship to the development of health-risk behaviors (e.g., obesity risk, substance abuse, sexual-risk behaviors) in children and adolescents.
Louise Lanoue
Assistant Project Scientist, Nutrition, UC Davis
Dr. Lanoue is a collaborator on the Healthy Kids and Niños Sanos studies. Her research is focused on achieving a better understanding of the role of specific nutrient deficits or excesses on embryonic and fetal development.