Research Team
Amanda Venta, Ph.D.
Director
Dr. Venta returned to the University of Houston as an Associate Professor of Psychology after five years on the faculty at Sam Houston State University. She received her B.A. from Rice University and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Houston. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at DePelchin Children’s Center through the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine, where she remains Adjunct Faculty. Dr. Venta’s clinical training focused on children, adolescents, and families, with practicum placements at DePelchin Children’s Center and Texas Children’s Hospital. She also provided psychological services within the University of Houston’s Psychology Research and Services Center and in several Houston-area schools. Her primary research interests are the development of psychopathology in youth and the protective effect of attachment security, with additional interests in emotion dysregulation and social cognition. She has recently focused on the psychological functioning of recently immigrated adolescents from Central America, with related research and clinical work. She has received research funding from the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities, the National Institutes of Mental Health, and the American Psychological Foundation.
Ashley Bautista, B.S.
Graduate Student, Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program
Ashley is a fifth-year doctoral student in the Child Clinical Psychology program at the University of Houston. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2019 and subsequently worked at the University of Oregon as a Research Assistant and Project Coordinator. In 2024, she earned her M.A. in Psychology from the University of Houston, completing a master’s thesis on the effects of family separation due to migration on the emotional well-being of children who remain in their country of origin. Building on these experiences, Ashley’s research focuses on Latinx mental health, health disparities, and sociopolitical stressors. As a member of the Youth and Family Studies Lab, she is currently conducting her dissertation research on the relations between fear of deportation, systemic inflammation, and multi-level risk and protective factors. Clinically, Ashley has trained at the UH Family Care Center, UT Physicians High-Risk Children’s Clinic, and Interfaith Community Clinic. She is currently completing a practicum placement at the OCD Program at Baylor Medicine.
Maria Cuervo Barron, M.A.
Graduate Student, Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program
Maria is a fifth-year doctoral student in the child clinical psychology program. She
graduated from Swarthmore College with a B.A. in Psychology and Political Science.
Her research interests include the development of psychopathology in youth and the
protective effect of attachment security, with additional interest in understanding
the effects of trauma and resilience on minority and immigrant child populations.
Maria earned her M.A. in Psychology from the University of Houston, completing a master’s
thesis examining immigrant youths’ language as a means of assessing attachment security.
As a member of the Youth and Family Studies Lab, she is currently conducting her dissertation
research on ADHD screening and examining the role of demographic factors on diagnostic
outcomes. Building on these experiences, Maria’s research focuses on attachment, Latinx
mental health, health disparities, and understanding risk and protective factors among
youth and families. Additionally, she has completed clinical training with the UH
Family Care Center and Texas Children’s Hospital.
Dan O’Connell, M.A.
Graduate Student, Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program
Dan is a fourth-year doctoral student in the child clinical psychology program. He
graduated from Saint Louis University with a B.S. in Psychology and minors in Spanish
and biology in 2022. Dan spent his next year abroad sponsored by the U.S.-Colombia
Fulbright Program as an English Teaching Assistant. As a graduate student, his interests
broadly include impacts of trauma and chronic stress on mental health, language abilities,
and health disparities. He also considers protective factors, such as secure attachment
and religion.
Renee Frederick, B.A
Graduate Student, Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program
Renee is a third-year doctoral student in the child clinical psychology program. She
graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2016 with a B.A. in Urban Studies
with a minor in Government. After graduating, Renee taught middle and high school
Spanish while earning her Master of Arts in Teaching from the Relay Graduate School
of Education. In 2022, she began working as a research coordinator under the mentorship
of Dr. Eric Storch in the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Program at Baylor College
of Medicine. There, she coordinated the Latin American Trans-ancestry INitiative for
OCD genomics (LATINO) study which investigates the genetics and phenotypic presentation
of OCD in individuals of Latin American ancestry across sites in North, South, and
Central America. She is interested in the intersection of trauma, migration, and public
policy and how those factors influence the mental health of Latinx immigrant youth
and their families. Renee is also passionate about health equity, with a strong interest
in advocating for policies that promote health and wellbeing for all communities.
Renee has completed clinical training at University of Houston Family Care Center,
which specializes in disruptive behaviors and parent-management training. She is currently
completing a practicum placement with the OCD Program at Baylor College of Medicine.
Benetta Wang, B.S.
Graduate Student, Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program
Benetta is a first-year doctoral student in the child clinical psychology program.
She graduated from William & Mary in 2026 with a B.S. in Psychology and a minor in
Public Health. Her research interests include risk and resilience in the context of
early life stress, parent-child relationship, attachment security, and emotion regulation.
She hopes her work can contribute to greater health equity and justice.
Lab Alumni
- Jesse Walker, Ph.D.
- Anna Abate, Ph.D
- Cassandra Bailey, Ph.D.
- Jennifer Harmon, Ph.D.
- Kaisa Marshall, Ph.D.
- Ashley Malchow, M.A.
- Betsy Galicia, M.A.
- Ericka Ball, Ph.D.
- Maddison Shiafo, Ph.D.
- Kalin Salinas, M.A.
- Melissa Briones, M.A.
- Tessa Long, M.A.
- Carla Munoz Gonzalez, Ph.D.
- Emalee Green, M.A.
Special thanks to all of the undergraduate students who serve as research assistants in the Youth & Family Studies Laboratory!