Principal Investigator
Cindy Y. Huang, Ph.D.
DIRECTOR
Dr. Huang founded the CHamP Lab at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she was an Assistant Professor in Counseling Psychology. Currently, she is an Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology and Human Services at the University of Oregon. Her research focuses on understanding the cultural factors associated with child development and psychopathology for ethnic minority and immigrant youth, as well as the prevention of psychopathology for these youth. She translates this research into culturally-informed, evidence-based child and family interventions to promote service engagement and utilization for undeserved communities. Dr. Huang earned her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Oregon and completed postdoctoral fellowships in the Division of Prevention and Community Research at Yale School of Medicine and the Asian American Center on Disparities Research at the University of California, Davis. She earned her M.A. and B.A. in Psychology from San Diego State University.
Research Team
Postdoctoral Fellows
Xinwei Zhang, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Scholar
Xinwei Zhang is a Postdoctoral Scholar at the CHamP Lab at the Prevention Science Institute, University of Oregon. Xinwei obtained her master’s degree in Psychology from New York University and her Ph.D. in Comparative and International Education from Lehigh University. Xinwei worked as a Postdoctoral Associate in the Child Study Center and Pediatrics at Yale School of Medicine prior to joining the CHamP Lab. Xinwei is committed to advancing education, mental health, and racial justice among Asian immigrant and Asian American communities. Her research interests encompass understanding acculturation, experiences of racial discrimination, parental racial and ethnic socialization, education, and well-being among Asian immigrant and Asian American youth and families. Xinwei also actively works towards improving education, employment, healthcare, immigration, and mental health services at non-profit organizations like the Chinese-American Planning Council and International Rescue Committee.
Doctoral Students
Anne Fanta
Doctoral student
Annie is a fifth-year doctoral student in Counseling Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Columbia University. Prior to attending TC, she completed a research and clinical fellowship at Yale University’s Child Study Center. Her research interests focus on cultural, economic, and familial factors that impact the efficacy and accessibility of mental health services for children and families. She hopes to translate this research to further refine culturally informed treatments for underserved children, adolescents, and families. In her free time, she enjoys running, baking, and reading.
Daniella Lucio
doctoral student
Daniella is a fourth-year doctoral student in Counseling Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University. She earned her bachelor's degree in psychology from Loyola Marymount University. Prior to attending TC, she worked as a research coordinator at UCLA’s Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. Her research interests focus on examining risk and protective factors impacting mental health outcomes for minority youth and families, and how to translate findings into culturally-competent, family-centered prevention efforts. She is bilingual in Spanish and English, and enjoys traveling, chasing sunsets, and playing games with loved ones in her free time.
Cordelia Zhong
Doctoral Student
Cordelia is a third-year doctoral student in Counseling Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Wellesley College. Prior to attending TC, she worked as a clinical research coordinator at Wellesley Centers for Women and the Hassenfeld Child Health Innovation Institute. Her research interests focus on exploring how digital technologies could be leveraged in adapting mental health interventions for minority populations and for other environments where people seek mental health care. She speaks Mandarin, and in her free time, she enjoys going to museums, watching documentaries, and exploring new restaurants.
Project Coordinator
Chen Zou
Project coordinator
Chen is the project coordinator at the CHamP lab at Teachers College, Columbia University. She earned her bachelor's degree in Psychology from Mount Holyoke College. Her research interests focus on how family socioeconomic status shapes parent–child relationships and dynamics. She’s bilingual in Mandarin Chinese and English. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her cat, exploring restaurants and cafes in the NYC, and going to galleries and concerts.
Current Lab Members
Haiwei LiU, c/0 2023
Huixin Deng, c/0 2025
Alumni
Sei Eun Kim
Sei completed the Bruce S. Goldberg Postdoctoral Fellowship at the CHamP Lab at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she specialized in mental health outcomes of ethnic minority and immigrant youth and families. Sei received her Master’s degree at Teachers College, Columbia University in Human Development. She earned her Doctoral degree at the University of Arizona in Family Studies and Human Development with a minor in Educational Policy. Sei’s research examines family racial-ethnic socialization, identity, educational experiences, and sociopolitical development of Asian American youth. Sei is committed to advancing racial justice for Asian Americans and translating knowledge that can be useful for families, schools, and community partners. Currently, Sei is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Science & Human Development at Montclair State University. Learn more about her lab at Montclair State University: https://www.theslaaylab.com
Silvia Alves Nishioka, Ph.D.
Silvia graduated from the Counseling Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University in 2022, where she also received her master's degree in Clinical Psychology. As a psychologist in Brazil, she specialized in Health Psychology and worked as a psychologist in a pediatric hospital. Her research focuses on: evaluation, implementation, and adaptation of prevention interventions for diverse children, adolescents, and families in community settings. Among her personal interests, she enjoys speaking and learning other languages, such as French and Spanish. Silvia is currently a staff child psychologist at New York Presbyterian in New York, NY, where she is also engaged in school-based evaluation research.
Emily Hunt, Ph.D.
Emily graduated from the Counseling Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University in 2023. She earned her master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Teachers College and her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Theater from Wesleyan University. Her research interests focus on both physical and psychological barriers faced by Asian-American individuals and families when it comes to seeking mental health services, racial identity development in multiracial individuals, and sexuality and its impact on emotional well-being. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, hiking, theater, walking her dog, and teaching fitness classes. Emily completed her clinical internship in the adolescent mental health track at the UCSF/Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, and is currently a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Stanford Children’s Hospital.
Cindy J. Huang, Ph.D.
Cindy graduated from the Counseling Psychology PhD program at Teachers College, Columbia University in 2025. She earned her master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Teachers College and her bachelor's degree with high honors in Psychology from University of California, Davis. She also has a master’s degree in Education from University of California, Berkeley. Prior to attending TC, she was a 12th grade teacher for newcomer immigrant students in San Francisco. Her research interests focus on the impact of parent-child relationships, immigration-related social determinants of health (e.g., language, acculturation), and parent-child communication on Asian American youth and Asian immigrant families. She speaks Cantonese and Taishanese (a Chinese dialect). Cindy completed her clinical internship in the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles (CHLA) and is currently a postdoctoral fellow at Kaiser Permanente Division of Research, where she conducts clinical research on the intersection of mental health and chronic health outcomes among diverse youth and families.
Graduated and Former Lab Members
Apoorva Annadi, c/0 2025 - counseling psychology masters program at fordham university
Martin lee, c/o 2025 - clinical psychology psyd program at george washington university
Amoree Lin, c/0 2025 - SCHOOl-Clinical Child psychology psyd program at pace university
Soobin Jo, c/0 2025
Nazly Suarez, c/0 2025
Ruijue Wang, c/0 2024 - cASE PLANNER, FAMILY SUPPORT PROGRAM, CENTER FOR FAMILY LIFE IN SUNSET PARK
Renjie Zhang, c/o 2023
Mae lu, c/o 2023
Stella yu, c/o 2023 - Human Development and Education Program at the Harvard Graduate School of education
Kailee Kodama, c/0 2020 - Counseling-Clinical psychology phd program at nyu
oliver xu, counseling psychology phd program at columbia university, teachers college
Vicky Ho, C/o 2021 - Clinical Psychology phD program at George washington university
Jackie Yang, C/O 2021
Haley park, c/o 2021
miho noh, c/o 2020
shiyu tang, c/o 2020 - clinical psychology phd program at george washington university
stephanie wu, c/o 2020
Xintian (gloria) ge, c/o 2020
Emily Stephen, c/o 2019 - clinical psychology psyd program at george washington university
Noemie Kloucek, c/o 2019
Nyrah Madon, c/o 2019 - counseling psychology phd program at columbia university, teachers college
patricia fahmy, c/o 2019
Seoho Hahm, c/o 2019
Stephanie lundquist, c/o 2019
yijun cheng, c/o 2019 - counseling psychology phd program at university of oregon
Yi Liu, c/o 2019 - clinical psychology psyd program at george washington university
Xioran Wang, C/o 2018
may yuan, c/o 2018 - clinical psychology phd program at rutgers university
Selin Ictemel. c/o 2018
