Our Team

Jeff Burke

Jeffrey D. Burke, Ph.D. – Lab Director

Dr. Burke’s interests involve understanding the etiology, developmental course and outcomes related to oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. His work includes a focus on irritability as a component of oppositional defiant disorder, which raises the risk for the development of depression and anxiety in some people. Dr. Burke also studies factors related to service engagement and treatment outcomes for the disruptive behavior disorders. Dr. Burke’s work often involves the application of statistical models appropriate for count data, for modeling clustered and nested observations, and for measuring latent classification and latent growth processes.

1991 Northeast Missouri State University B.S. Psychology, Kirksville, MO

1996 University of Connecticut, M.A., Clinical Psychology, Storrs, CT

1997 University of Connecticut, Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, Storrs, CT

Faculty Webpage

Graduate Students

Ari Romano-Verthelyi Headshot

Ari M. Romano-Verthelyi, M.S. – Doctoral Candidate (matriculated Fall 2016)

**On clinical psychology internship for 2021-2022 in the Child & Adolescent Track at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, NY**

 

Ari is a sixth-year doctoral student in Clinical Psychology. In 2014, she graduated from the College of William and Mary with a BA in Psychology. Afterwards, she taught elementary school before working as a bilingual research assistant at Duke University, contributing to a longitudinal, cross-cultural examination of discipline strategies around the world. Currently, her research interests center around examining factors that affect Latinx families’ access to and engagement with mental health services, with particular focus on the referral process. Her master’s thesis examined how race affects the predictive relationship between parent-teacher interactions and ODD, and her dissertation is using a cross-national lens to examine the effects of stigma on physicians’ decision to refer children to mental health providers. Other projects have similarly aimed to enhance understanding of how systems can collaborate to enhance mental healthcare access for BIPOC youths and families: she has contributed to two studies examining how physicians can enhance Latinx children’s access to early intervention services for developmental delays, and is completing data analysis for a cross-national, qualitative, phenomenological study that compares teacher, physician, and psychologist perspectives on barriers to mental health care access for children with disruptive behaviors. In her free time, Ari enjoys trying new recipes, catching up on good shows, and spending time with her family and friends (including her lovely BadCo labmates!).

 

M.S. Thesis (2019): First-Time Juvenile Arrestees’ ODD Symptoms: The Role of Parent-School Interaction and Race

Student Webpage

 

 

 

 

Emilie B. Headshot

Emilie J. Butler, M.S. – Graduate Student (matriculated Fall 2017)

Emilie is a sixth-year student in the Clinical Psychology doctoral program. She graduated from Boston University in 2015 with a BA in Psychology. After graduating, she worked at the Yale Child Study Center as a study coordinator for a study examining cognitive behavioral therapy for irritability and aggression in children across diagnostic categories. Her current research interests include the impact of parental and family factors on emotional dysregulation and irritability in children, and their treatment. In her free time, she enjoys reading, traveling, crafting, and online shopping.

Student Webpage

 

 

 

 

Asia G. Perkins, M.S. – Graduate Student (matriculated Fall 2019)

Asia is a fourth-year student in the Clinical Psychology doctoral program. She graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2015 with a B.A. in Psychology and English Language & Literature. After graduation, she became employed at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center as a project interviewer for several qualitative and quantitative research projects focusing on the prevention of child abuse and neglect. Concurrently, she served as lab supervisor for the Youth with Problematic Sexual Behaviors Lab. Her current research interests include disruptive behavior disorders in youth, callous-unemotional traits, and effective interventions. She also aims to explore and address racial and ethnic disparities in data collection as well as the creation of measures and evidence-based treatment models. In her free time, she enjoys trekking through the outdoors, trying new foods, creating fun craft projects, traveling the world, and learning about science and true crime.

 

M.S. Thesis (2021): Evaluation of Treatment Effectiveness and Role of Social Competence in Youth with Conduct Problems and Callous-Unemotional Traits

Student Webpage

 

Lillian Blanchard, B.S. – Graduate Student (matriculated Fall 2021)

Lillian is a second-year student in the Clinical Psychology doctoral program. She graduated from Duke University in 2019 with a B.S. in Psychology. After graduating from Duke, she worked as a clinical research coordinator at Massachusetts General Hospital contributing to research studies aimed at understanding the feasibility and acceptability of implementing cognitive-behavioral strategies in non-traditional settings. Her current research interests include improving treatment engagement and outcomes for children with irritability and emotion dysregulation and their families. She is also interested in exploring the dissemination of evidence-based treatments for oppositional defiant disorder in non-traditional settings. In her free time, she enjoys attempting ambitious cooking projects, watching scary movies, and traveling with friends and family. 

Student Webpage

 

 

 

 

Undergraduate Research Assistants

Current Students

Dori Jacobs '22 (Spring 2020-present)

Francisco Carillo '22 (Fall 2020-present)

BADCO Undergraduate RAs
Claudia's Poster Presentation
Claudia and Sabrina
BADCO Lab Picture 2016-2017

Contact Information

Phone: 860-486-1129
jeffrey.burke@uconn.edu
Address: Department of Psychological Sciences
406 Babbidge Road, Unit 1020
Storrs, CT 06269
List of People