About the Staff

Brooke Molina, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh
and Director of the Youth and Family Research Program. She is also a licensed clinical psychologist in
Pennsylvania. Dr. Molina’s research interests are in the course and treatment of disruptive behavior
disorders (principally ADHD) and substance use and abuse. She has been federally funded since 1995
when she and Dr. William E. Pelham began longitudinal research on children with ADHD with the specific
goal of examining ADHD as a risk factor for alcohol use and abuse in adolescence. Since showing an
association, that research has taken the form of a much larger longitudinal study of 604 adolescents and
young adults with and without childhood ADHD (ThePittsburgh ADHD Longitudinal Study, or PALS).
The study is positioned to answer controversial questions about ADHD risk for alcoholism because of the
extensive data collection, large number of carefully diagnosed children, and historical information available
from childhood.

Dr. Molina is the lead investigator or co-investigator on several other studies following children with ADHD
through adolescence and adulthood. These include the PALS, the MTA, and the Preschool Study. She is an
investigator on the Tween to Teen Study, a longitudinal study of family and social factors affecting the onset
and course of early drinking among 450 children in Allegheny County. She also researches treatments for
ADHD, other behavior problems, and substance abuse among youth. Dr. Molina enjoys spending her free
time with her husband José, a high school art teacher, and her son Sam and daughter Olivia.

Selected Publications of Dr. Brooke Molina

Oscar Bukstein, M.D. has published extensively on the topic of adolescent alcohol and other drug, use
disorders, including a single-authored book on adolescent substance use disorders. He has considerable
experience in the treatment of adolescents with comorbid SUDs and psychiatric disorders and is especially
interested in treatment research on Adolescents with comorbid substance use problems and ADHD. He was a
member of the work group of the American Psychiatric Association that developed, “Practice Guideline for the
treatment of substance use disorders: alcohol, cocaine, opioids”. He was primary author of the American
Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry’s Practice Parameter for the Assessment and Treatment of
Adolescent Substance Use Disorders” (AACAP, 1997). Currently he is co-chair of the American Academy of
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry’s Work Group on Quality Issues that develops practice parameters or treatment
guidelines for mental health professionals. He was the Director of the Clinical Core of The Pittsburgh Adolescent
Alcohol Research Center (NIAAA funded) where he was responsible for recruitment and assessment of
adolescent subjects and his is currently the Medical Director of the Appalachian Ti-State Node of the
Clinical Trials Network funded by the National institute on Drug Abuse. He is currently conducting several
pharmacological trials for and adolescents with substance use disorders, depression and ADHD.

Dr. Bukstein has two grown children and a mixed breed black Labrador Retriever.

Selected Publications of Dr. Oscar Bukstein

Michael Marshal, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh. His research
interests include identifying risk and protective factors for the development of substance use and abuse in
adolescence. He has received two federal training grants to study alcohol use and alcoholism through the
National Institutes of Health, including an Individual National Research Service Award and a Career
Development Award. Dr. Marshal runs the “Family Activities” Program, which is a study that is investigating
the role of family routines and rituals and their role in adolescent and young adult adjustment. In his spare
time Dr. Marshal likes to spend time with his family, read, and
exercise.

Selected Publications of Dr. Michael Marshal

Brian Wymbs, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Scholar, earned his BA in psychology from the University of Notre Dame and MA in clinical psychology from the University of Buffalo, SUNY. Brian earned his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Buffalo, SUNY and is a Postdoctoral Scholar with the University of Pittsburgh Department of Psychiatry, under the advisement of Dr. Brooke Molina. Brian focused much of his doctoral studies exploring the interaction between ADHD and marital relationships, including investigating the degree to which disruptive child behavior causes interparental discord. He is currently pilot testing a Adult ADHD Couples Therapy Group and analyzing romantic relationship quality data from the PALS Study.
In his free time, Brian enjoys sharing quality time with his wife, watching Seinfeld, Yankees baseball, and Notre Dame football, obsessing over his fantasy football/baseball teams, eating popcorn, grilling out, and playing basketball and darts.

Selected Publications of Dr. Brian Wymbs

Tracey Wilson, Program Coordinator is a graduate of Penn State University and has worked in the mental
health field for more than 25 years as a therapist, a consultant, and, since 1989, as the coordinator of the ADHD
Program. From 1989-1996, she coordinated the ADHD clinical program, including the Children's Summer Day
Treatment Program. Since 1996, she has been the coordinator of the ADHD Research Program, the predecessor
of the Youth and Family Research Program. Since 1999, she has also coordinated the PALS Study. Tracey
particularly enjoys the opportunity to work with a great group of highly motivated staff and being able to
maintain long term relationships with participants in our longitudinal research, especially summer program
families.

Heidi Kipp, M.Ed., Clinical Coordinator received both her Bachelor of Science and Master of Education degrees
from the University of Pittsburgh and is a Licensed Professional Counselor. She currently coordinates several
Clinical Research Studies investigating treatments for ADHD and she continues to provide oversight to the
Preschool Study. Heidi has been with our program since the summer of 1991 where she started as an
undergraduate counselor in the Summer Treatment Program. She spends much of her free time with her two
daughters - Jordan and Riley.

Jennifer Baker, Project Coordinator received her Bachelor of Science from the University of Pittsburgh.
She currently works on multiple studies, including the Preschool Study and several Clinical Research Studies.
Jennifer has been with our program since the spring of 2003 when she began working on a pilot study of an
after-school program for children with ADHD. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Research
Methodology at the University of Pittsburgh.

Kat Belendiuk, Graduate Student received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology with Honors in 2005 from
the University of Maryland, College Park where she was involved with the research programs of Dr. Carl Lejuez
at the Center for Addiction, Personality, and Emotion Research and Dr. Andrea Chronis at the Maryland ADHD
program. After graduating she completed an intramural research training award fellowship at the Clinical
Pharmacology and Therapeutics Research Branch of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Kat has been at the
University of Pittsburgh since August 2006, pursuing her Ph.D. in the joint clinical/developmental psychology
program under the mentorship of Dr. Brooke Molina. Kat is currently working on the Tween to Teen grant,
a collaborative project between Dr. Molina and Dr. John Donovan, which examines the role of peer and family
factors in early alcohol use in children. In her free time, Kat enjoys playing and watching sports, exercising,
volunteering, cooking, and nutrition.

Joanne Bethune, Senior Administrative Assistant provides administrative support for the PALS and has been
working with the Youth and Family Research Program since 1996. She maintains correspondence with the 1,400
PALS participants, schedules study visits, and most importantly, sends out participant payment checks!
Joanne volunteers at her local elementary school and various community organizations. Joanne enjoys
spending her free time with her family.

Beverly Brady, M.S.W., Research Specialist has worked with the PALS program since May 2005. She earned both Bachelor’s and Master's degrees in Social Work from the University of Pittsburgh. Along with her responsibilities as a research specialist, Bev has developed the community resource file for Youth and Family Research Program participants and maintains the program website.

Lauren Dattilo, Research Associate joined the MTA Study in July 2008. She graduated from the University
of Georgia with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. While in college,
she worked as an after school teacher with the lower elementary classes at Athens Montessori School.
Lauren enjoys cooking, Italian cinema, vintage stores, Project Runway, and Georgia football.

Jason Duin, M.A., Research Project Assistant graduated at Geneva College with a Bachelor’s and Master’s
degrees in Psychology. He is an interviewer with the PALS study. Some of his other responsibilities include
coordinating and interviewing families for the Family Routines and Activities Project under the supervision of
Dr. Michael Marshal.

Kelly Glew, Research Project Assistant for the MTA Study. She initially joined the study as an undergraduate
doing Directed Research through the University of Pittsburgh in 2002. She was hired as a Research Associate on
the project in May of 2003 and received her Bachelor of Science in December of that year. What Kelly likes most
about her job is the interaction with study participants and seeing how they have changed from year to year.
She has a strong love of animals and in her free time she enjoys photography, plants, interior design, creating
artwork, and laughing.

Kendal Kingsley, Research Specialist graduated from Allegheny College with a Bachelor of Science degree in
Psychology and Communication Arts. Kendal has been with the program since November 2006 and currently
works on both the PALS and the Preschool Study. In her spare time, Kendal enjoys tennis, reading, and traveling.

Tara Draper, M.S., Research Principal holds a B.A. in Applied Psychology from Pennsylvania State University- Beaver Campus, and an A.A.S. in Early Childhood Education from Community College of Beaver County, and a M.S. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Education. She has worked in the field of children's mental health and early intervention for many years. In her spare time, Tara enjoys palying the game Risk. When the weather is pleasant, her family likes to geocache--rambling through the woods with their GPS looking for treasure. She enjoys working as an interviewer for PALS because she is always learning something new.

Barbara Postol, M.S., Project Coordinator received both her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science
degrees from the University of Pittsburgh. She currently coordinates the Preschool Study. Barbara has been
with our program since October of 2000. She adores her rescued dogs, Ralphie and Elliot, and she enjoys walking
the many other wonderful dogs at the Animal Rescue League of Western PA.

Kellie Spontak, Research Project Assistant graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor of
Science degree in Psychology. While an undergraduate, she worked for Dr. Molina on the pilot that was the
predecessor to PALS. She has worked on the PALS study since its inception - assisting with locating STP
families, recruiting subjects, and compiling the study questionnaires. Kellie conducts PALS project interviews
and oversees tracking the retention status of all participants for each year of participation.

Carol Walker, Administrative Specialist has been with the Youth and Family Research Program since 1993.
Her primary role is to provide administrative support to several of Dr. Molina's studies. Additionally, she coordinates the writing and the quarterly publication of the PALS Newsletter , maintains the program file of manuscripts and serves as the program's Computer Network Administrator. In her spare time, Carol is active in her local community and enjoys spending time with her husband, Pete and son, Alexander.

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