Our Team

SACK Director
Candice A. Alfano, Ph.D.
caalfano@uh.edu

Dr. Alfano is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Houston. She received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Maryland-College Park in 2005 and completed her internship and post-doctoral research fellowship at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Prior to joining the Department of Psychology at UH, she founded and directed the Child and Adolescent Anxiety Program at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC. Dr. Alfano's research and clinical interests include the etiology and development of anxiety disorders in children and adolescents, the role of sleep - wake processes in early emotion dysregulation, and behavioral interventions for pediatric affective and sleep disorders. Dr. Alfano has won numerous awards both for her teaching and research. She serves as a peer reviewer for over 25 scientific journals and is Associate Editor of the Journal of Anxiety Disorders. She is co-author of the book, Child Anxiety Disorders: A Guide to Research and Treatment (2nd ed.) and co-editor of the book, Social Anxiety Disorder in Adolescents and Young Adults: Translating Developmental Science into Practice.

Jonathan Kushnir, Ph.D. is a post doctoral fellow in Psychology at SACK. He received his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Tel Aviv University in 2011 and completed his clinical internship at Geha Mental Health Center in Israel. Dr. Kushnir also has a Master’s degree in Clinical Neuropsychology from Haifa University. His research and clinical interests include various topics related to pediatric sleep and anxiety disorders including cognitive behavioral treatments for these problems in children as well as adults.

Katie received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Vassar College in 2009 and is currently working toward a doctoral degree in clinical psychology. Broadly, her interests include development and treatment of child internalizing disorders, environmental stressors experienced in childhood, and the impact of these factors on sleep and development. More specifically, Katie is interested in the impact of sleep quality on the development and course of child anxiety disorders, especially in children with generalized anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorders.

Radhika Reddy is in her third year of the Clinical Psychology doctoral program. Her current research interests include anxiety disorders across the life span and cultural mental health. Radhika is also working at the Menninger Clinic, Adolescent Treatment Program, as a practicum student. Radhika graduated with honors from the University of California, Berkeley with B.A.’s in Psychology and South & Southeast Asian Studies.

Jessica Balderas completed her Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a minor in Sociology in December 2011 at the University of Houston and plans to pursue a doctoral degree in clinical psychology. Jessica is actively involved in several research labs in the Psychology Department at UH and joined the Sleep Anxiety Center for Kids in the Fall of 2011. Her research interests include schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, anxiety, depression, and compulsive disorders.

Simon Lau is a senior undergraduate student majoring in Psychology and minoring in Health at the University of Houston, and plans on pursuing a doctoral degree in clinical psychology.  Simon hopes to use his experiences from his military career to further research post-traumatic stress disorder and focus on how the disorder directly affects a soldier’s immediate family. His other research interests include anxiety, depression and fear