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Our Team

SACH Director


Sack Director

Candice A. Alfano, Ph.D.

caalfano@uh.edu

Candice Alfano, Ph.D. DBSM  is Professor of Psychology, a licensed clinical psychologist, Diplomate in Behavioral Sleep Medicine, and Director of the Sleep and Anxiety Center of Houston (SACH) at the University of Houston (UH). Dr. Alfano received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Maryland at College Park in 2005 and completed her clinical internship and post-doctoral fellowship at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Dr. Alfano’s research examines how emotional, behavioral, and sleep health interact to buffer against or increase risk for psychiatric disorders. Questions pursued in her work are guided by the central role sleep plays in childhood and a wealth of research showing poor sleep elevates mental health risk across the lifespan. Dr. Alfano uses findings from experimental and longitudinal studies to develop and test novel interventions targeting sleep and mental health in high-risk populations. One of these interventions is Sleep and Adjustment in Foster Environments (SAFE), a brief, trauma-informed sleep intervention for children in foster care. She received a 2022 Texas Citizen Psychologist Presidential Citation from the Texas Psychological Association for this work.

Dr. Alfano’s has served as PI or MPI on research grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Defense (DoD), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). She serves on the Board of Directors for the International Pediatric Sleep Association (IPSA) and previously for the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine (SBSM). She is also a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science (APS) an the HEALTH Research Institute at UH. Dr. Alfano has published more than 150 scientific papers, chapters, and books.


Post Doctoral Fellows


Chloe Zhang

Chloe (Yuexin) Zhang, Ph.D.

yzhan314@central.uh.edu

Chloe Zhang is a postdoctoral fellow at the Sleep and Anxiety Center of Houston. Chloe graduated from Peking University in China with a B.S. in Spanish Philology. She received her master’s degree in school counseling from the College of William and Mary and her Ph.D. degree in clinical, counseling, and school psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2023. Chloe completed her APA accredited internship at the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center with a rotation at the Children’s Health Hospital serving children and families exposed to sexual trauma. Chloe is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist and is trained in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT). She is certified in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention (CFTSI). Her academic languages include English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Teochew, and Spanish. She is passionate about quantitative methods application in the social sciences and the translations of scientific practice to serve population exposed to trauma.


Graduate Students

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Anthony Cifre

abcifre@cougarnet.uh.edu

Anthony is a graduate student in the clinical psychology doctoral program. Anthony previously earned his undergraduate degree in Sport and Exercise Psychology from West Virginia University. He then went on to pursue his M.S. in Sport Psychology from Southern Connecticut State University while also working as a Student Clinician and Research Assistant at Yale University. As his main research focus, Anthony is interested in the bidirectional relationship between sleep and mental illness. Additionally, he is interested in behavioral interventions, including exercise as an intervention, for treating anxiety, trauma, and sleep disorders.


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Cynthia Jou

yjou@uh.edu

Cynthia is a graduate student in the clinical psychology doctoral program. She earned her undergraduate degree in mathematics from the University of Texas at Austin. Cynthia has 10 years of combined experience in actuarial consulting and humanitarian aid management prior to her transition into research. She earned her master’s degree in psychology and counseling where she focused on examining the relationship between sleep disturbance and posttraumatic stress in the refugee and humanitarian aid worker population. Broadly speaking, Cynthia is interested in investigating how sleep influences symptoms of anxiety and PTSD, and in using sleep interventions to improve these symptoms across populations at scale where mental health is stigmatized.



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Jinu Kim

Jinu Kim is a graduate student in the Clinical Psychology doctoral program. Jinu graduated from the University of Georgia with a B.S. in Psychology with a Neuroscience concentration. He earned his Master's degree in Clinical Psychology with a Neuropsychology concentration at Columbia University. Broadly, his research interests include the bidirectional relationship between sleep and emotion regulation in child populations. Additionally, he is interested in the neural and psychophysiological correlates of emotion regulation and mindfulness, in the context of emotional disorders.



Graduate student

Annika Myers

ammyers4@cougarnet.uh.edu

Annika is a graduate student in the clinical psychology doctoral program. She received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After graduating, Annika worked as a research associate for studies conducted by the Wisconsin Institute for Sleep and Consciousness and the University of Wisconsin-Madison psychiatry department. She primarily worked with children and adolescents in research examining the impact of sleep apnea and PTSD on sleep and daytime function. Annika’s current research interests include the neurobiological relationships between sleep quality and emotional regulation, and how these relationships are affected by trauma.



Graduate student

Megan Rech

megan.rech@gmail.com

Megan is a graduate student in the clinical psychology doctoral program. She earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology with a minor in Biochemistry & Cell Biology from Rice University. After graduating, Megan taught 7th grade science at a public charter school in Houston as a Teach For America corps member. She then transitioned back into research, working as a Clinical Research Coordinator at Baylor College of Medicine in the departments of Genetics and Psychiatry. Most recently, Megan has worked as a Research Coordinator for The Menninger Clinic’s adolescent inpatient unit, where her research focused on the relationship between sleep, emotion regulation, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. She hopes to build upon this work and continue investigating these relationships, particularly among children and adolescents. Broadly, she is also interested in exploring whether interventions targeting sleep disturbances can in turn prevent or improve comorbid mental disorders.



Vieira

Alyssa Vieira

amvieira@uh.edu

Alyssa is a graduate student in the Clinical Psychology doctoral program. She graduated from Stonehill College in Massachusetts with a B.A. in Psychology and minors in Criminology and Sociology. After graduating Alyssa worked as a clinical research assistant at Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University studying suicide prevention for justice-involved youth. Broadly her research interests include examining the link between sleep and mental health, particularly its impact on stress and anxiety, among marginalized and systems-involved youth populations.


Project Coordinators


Carter Baker

Carter Baker

Carter graduated with a B.S. in Psychology and a minor in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Houston. While pursuing his Bachelor’s degree, he worked as a research assistant in the social and clinical psychology fields. His research included the effects of crime perception on mental health and the relationship between sleep health and a variety of mental functions. His current research interests include examining the role proper sleep plays in mental health among marginalized populations.