STUDENTS

If a Research Mentor has a lab overview video, it is included in their entry in the Directory. You can also view all the mentor videos on YouTube: CSULB Research Mentor Videos, USC Research Mentor Videos. It is recommended that students initiate contact with a mentor to make sure you are a good match. Are you a student that wants to reach out to a mentor but you aren’t sure what to say?Download this template to help you get started.

Clear the search filters to see a list of all BUILD Mentors. To narrow your search, select those institutions, research approaches, and topics that interest you. Checking additional boxes will BROADEN your search and return more results. Checking fewer boxes will NARROW your search.

MENTORS

If you are a mentor and your information is not complete, please update it by clicking on the update icon in the upper right corner of your profile page. If you have questions, contact BUILD.mentors@csulb.edu. If you would like to become a BUILD Research Mentor, please see our Become a Mentor page.

Clear the search filters to see a list of all BUILD Mentors. To narrow your search, select those institutions, research approaches, and topics that interest you. Checking additional boxes will BROADEN your search and return more results. Checking fewer boxes will NARROW your search.

The overarching means of identifying and addressing scientific questions.
Only include mentors affiliated with institutions to which you are willing to travel.
Courtney Ahrens, Ph.D.
Institution:
CSULB
Department:
Psychology
Email:
courtney.ahrens@csulb.edu
Ongoing Projects: Ethnocultural Influences on Women's Experiences of and Responses to Intimate Partner ViolenceResearch about ethnocultural influences on women’s...
Perla Ayala, PhD
Institution:
CSULB
Department:
Biomedical Engineering
Email:
perla.ayala@csulb.edu
Ongoing Projects: Dr. Ayala's research focuses on developing therapeutic systems that promote optimal healing.
Michelle Barrack, PhD
Institution:
CSULB
Department:
Family & Consumer Sciences
Email:
michelle.barrack@csulb.edu
Ongoing Projects: Collegiate Dietary Supplement Study Healthy Runner Study (nutrition education intervention study in collaboration with UCLA & Stanford University...
Melissa Bittner, Ph.D.
Institution:
CSULB
Department:
Kinesiology
Email:
Melissa.Bittner@csulb.edu
Ongoing Projects: Upcoming research ideas include:   • Creating tablet applications to improve physical activity levels
Tiffany Brown, Ph.D.
Institution:
CSULB
Department:
Family & Consumer Sciences
Email:
tiffany.brown@csulb.edu
RASHIDA CRUTCHFIELD
Institution:
CSULB
Department:
Human Development
Email:
rashida.crutchfield@csulb.edu
Ongoing Projects:    During the summer (2020), I am a co-Principal Investigator on a study to assess the impact of COVID-19 on CSU students who face basic needs...
Jackie Dawson, Ph.D.
Institution:
CSULB
Department:
Physical Therapy
Email:
jacqueline.dawson@csulb.edu
Ongoing Projects: My overall research goal examines technology-based exercise strategies to improve physiological and physical function outcomes in adults with chronic...
Genevieve Dunton, PhD, MPH
Institution:
USC
Department:
Preventive Medicine
Email:
dunton@usc.edu
Ongoing Projects: The objectives of her research are to explain and promote participation in physical activity and healthy dietary behaviors in children, adults, and...
Erlyana Erlyana, MD, PhD
Institution:
CSULB
Department:
Health Care Administration
Email:
erlyana.erlyana@csulb.edu
Ongoing Projects: Health Seeking Behavior among Children of Migrant Families.
Caitlin Fouratt, PhD.
Institution:
CSULB
Department:
International Studies
Email:
Caitlin.Fouratt@csulb.edu
Ongoing Projects: My research is broadly concerned with migration, families, and immigration policies.
Gino Galvez, PhD
Institution:
CSULB
Department:
Psychology
Email:
gino.galvez@csulb.edu
Ongoing Projects: Broadly, I am interested in examining complex issues that affect ethnic minority populations within organizational contexts.  For example, some of my...
MELAWHY GARCIA, PHD
Institution:
CSULB
Department:
Health Science
Email:
melawhy.garcia@csulb.edu
Ongoing Projects: Areas of research: • Type 2 diabetes self-management • Obesity prevention • Use of electronic health records for research and monitoring • Tobacco...
Virginia Gray, PhD, RD
Institution:
CSULB
Department:
Family & Consumer Sciences
Email:
virginia.gray@csulb.edu
Ongoing Projects: 1. Contribute to survey data collection to guide development of a toolkit to promote a shift in social norms around snack selection in youth sports....
Barbara Grossman-Thompson, PhD
Institution:
CSULB
Department:
International Studies
Email:
barbara.grossman-thompson@csulb.edu
Ongoing Projects: The project my mentee(s) would work on focuses on health outcomes of women migrants from Nepal.
Danielle Kohfeldt, PhD
Institution:
CSULB
Department:
Psychology
Email:
danielle.kohfeldt@csulb.edu
Ongoing Projects: My research program focuses on formal and informal learning environments (broadly defined) and how these environments facilitate or hinder individual...
KRISTINA LOVATO, PHD
Department:
Social Work
Email:
Kristina.Lovato@csulb.edu
Ongoing Projects: Currently working on a funded qualitative research study examining the impact of COVID-19 on Latinx undocumented communities in Los Angeles. 
YANG LU, PHD
Institution:
CSULB
Department:
Health Care Administration
Email:
yang.lu@csulb.edu
Ongoing Projects: Summer 2020: Will look at whether and how nurse staffing could predict hospital performance in the Medicare Hospital Acquired Condition Reduction...
Stephen Mezyk, PhD
Institution:
CSULB
Department:
Chemistry & Biochemistry
Email:
stephen.mezyk@csulb.edu
Ongoing Projects: 1. Nitrosamine carcinogenesis 2. Wastewater remediation - removing chemical contaminants for direct potable reuse 3. Estrogenic effects in treated...
Selena Nguyen-Rodriguez, PhD, MPH
Institution:
CSULB
Department:
Health Science
Email:
selena.nguyen-rodriguez@csulb.edu
Ongoing Projects: Measuring and Identifying Multilevel Influences on Sleep (MIMIS): Observational study of sleep in Latinx children, ages 10-12 years old.
Donna Spruijt-Metz, PhD
Institution:
USC
Department:
Center for Economic and Social Research
Email:
dmetz@usc.edu
Ongoing Projects: My work is in mobile health, childhood obesity and minority populations.
Kellie Walters, PhD
Institution:
CSULB
Department:
Kinesiology
Email:
kellie.walters@csulb.edu
Ongoing Projects: Implementation and Evaluation of Smart Fit Girls (SFG):