Meet Our Team Here at RAYS!

Meet the RAYS Lab Managers

Image Description: This is a Bitmoji of Dr. Spirito. He has short black hair, brown eyes, tan skin, and is wearing a blue collared shirt.

Dr. Spirito (He/Him) is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior co-leading this project. He received his PhD in clinical psychology and completed his clinical training at Boston Children’s Hospital. He has been conducting research to better understand how to help depressed, suicidal, and substance-using adolescents for over 30 years. He enjoys skiing, sailing and golf.

Image Description: This is a Bitmoji of Dr. Jackson. She has red hair in a high ponytail, green eyes, white skin, and is wearing a pink fluffy jacket over a white shirt.

Kristina Jackson (She/Her) is a Professor co-leading the project. She received her PhD in social psychology from Arizona State University where she developed her interests in studying young adult health behavior. She studies the initiation and progression of alcohol use in adolescents, the influence of context on substance use (including both social and media influences), and the use of fine-grained and longitudinal data to understand causes and consequences of alcohol and marijuana use. Kristina enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters. They do a lot of traveling, including skiing in the winter months and visiting amusement parks in search of the best roller coasters in the summer. She also enjoys swimming, running, reading, and binge-watching TV during pandemics.

Image Description: This is a Bitmoji of Dr. Sheinkopf. He has light brown hair, brown eyes, white skin, and is wearing a greyish-blue collard shirt and glasses.

Stephen Sheinkopf (He/Him) is a Professor co-leading the project. He received his PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Miami. He studies a range of issues related to autism, including seeking to understand differences in developmental changes and outcomes for autistic individuals, and characteristics of infants that may predict autism outcomes. During his time in Providence and at Brown, Dr. Sheinkopf founded and directed the Rhode Island Consortium for Autism Research & Treatment (RI-CART). He recently moved to Columbia, MO where he is a Professor of Child Health at the University of Missouri and is the director of the Thompson Center for Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Despite the distance and through the miracle of Zoom (and some plane trips), Dr. Sheinkopf continues to help lead the RAYS project with Dr. Jackson, Dr. Spirito, and Dr. Cragin.

Steve is an avid kayaker and is now seeking out places to paddle in the Midwest. He and his wife, Jen, love a good meal and spend a lot of time cooking and experimenting with new recipes. Books abound their home, including more than a few cookbooks! Steve, Jen and Ginger (the dog) try to keep tabs on their three grown children.

Image Description: This is a Bitmoji of Dr. Cragin. She has short brown hair, green eyes, white skin, and is wearing a green shirt and tortoise shell glasses.

Casey Cragin (She/Her) is a clinical psychologist co-leading RAYS. Casey earned her doctorate in clinical psychology at Antioch University New England in Keene, NH where she developed an interest in psychiatric comorbidity, especially in the development of safe and effective interventions for young people who have historically been excluded from psychological research due to having co-occurring developmental and/or psychological diagnoses. Casey enjoys working with young people and their families, spending time with her own family, reading, listening to music, doing yoga, and walking on the beach.

Kelli Bradley (She/Her) is a Project Coordinator at Brown University. Kelli earned her master’s from the University of Montana in anthropology focusing on health views, dietary supplement use and substance use. Prior to joining the team, she spent several years working in Brown University’s School of Public Health – Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies. When not working, Kelli can usually be found outdoors with her family (especially with her Aussiedoodle puppies – Gordo and Rosie) or working in her ever growing garden. In the winter you can usually find her on a ski-slope enjoying the New England weather or by the fire enjoying a good book.

Meet the RAYS Research Assistants

Tiffany (She/Her) is a Research Assistant at Brown University on the RAYS Team. Tiffany earned her bachelor’s from Brigham Young University in Psychology. Prior to joining RAYS, she was an Undergraduate Research Assistant studying the neural correlates of OCD. Her research interests include how intersectional identities affect adolescent mental health and substance use. Tiffany is pursuing a PhD in Counseling Psychology. Outside the office, Tiffany enjoys going to her local library and reading as many books as she can, trying out new recipes and running.

Becky (She/Her) is a Research Assistant at Brown University on the RAYS Team. She attended Rhode Island College (RIC) where she was named a McNair scholar, spearheading her own research project. She graduated from RIC with a degree in psychology and will pursue a graduate degree with a focus on the intersection of neurodivergence and gender & sexual diversity. When not at work, Becky can be found spending time with her 6 year-old or enjoying one of her many interests including reading, cake decorating, crocheting, or creating festive balloon displays.

Catherine (She/Her) is an Undergraduate Research Assistant at Brown University on the RAYS Team. She is currently a junior at Brown and is majoring in Psychology and Public Health. After graduating from Brown, Catherine hopes to use all that she learns from the RAYS project to go to graduate school for Clinical Psychology. In her spare time, Catherine loves spending time with her family (she is a triplet!), two golden retrievers – Charlotte and Olive – and cat Theo.