Principal Investigator – Katy Darling, PhD

Dr. Darling’s research focuses on improving physical and psychosocial health outcomes for youth at higher weight statuses and developing interventions to decrease weight bias and stigma for these youth. Her work is primarily centered around adolescents from low-income backgrounds. She is also focused on developing pediatrician-focused interventions to improve youth experience discussing weight and related health behaviors in the primary care setting.

Dr. Darling received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Kent State University in 2019. She completed her predoctoral psychology internship (Pediatric Psychology) and postdoctoral research fellowship (F32; AHRQ) at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. She is a licensed clinical psychologist in Rhode Island.

Research Team

Andrea Grenga, Project Director

Andrea is a Project Director at the Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center who is experienced in the management of large-scale pediatric and adult behavioral research studies. She joined the Darling Research Lab in 2024 and is proud to be contributing to research projects designed to reduce stigma and support adolescents in their health goals.

Rivkah Cohen, Community Outreach Coordinator

Rivkah is the in-house specialist for community-based research at the center where Darling Lab is based. They hold a B.A. in Socio-Cultural Anthropology from Boston University and got their start in health equity research with the Partners in Contraceptive Choice and Knowledge at Boston University School of Medicine. They leveragethese experiences to provide intersectional perspectives on medicine through lenses like race, ethnicity, LGBTQ+ identities, neurodivergence, and more.

Cindy Sanchez, Community Health Worker

Cindy has worked in the medical field for her entire career. She was initially a Medical Assistant and obtained a certificate as a Healthcare Interpreter from CCRI in 2015. She then transitioned to the administrative field of the medical office and then became a community health worker. She completed the Community Health Worker program from the Community Health Worker Association of RI at Rhode Island College in 2021 while working at Habitat for Humanity. Cindy joined the Weight Control & Diabetes Research Center in 2022 as an interventionist for the JOIN For ME program. 

Annabelle Derrick, Research Assistant

Annabelle graduated from Skidmore College in 2023 where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology. During her undergraduate education, she gained experience with topics related to body image / weight stigma and qualitative data collection. She joined the Darling Lab in June 2023 and is interested in pursuing a Master of Public Health degree in the future.

Emma Smrstik, Research Assistant

Emma graduated from Cornell University in 2024 where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Development. During her undergraduate education, she gained experience with topics related to self-esteem, public health, and social psychology. She joined the Darling Lab in October 2024 and is interested in pursuing a PhD in Clinical Psychology in the future.

Emma Small – Research Assistant