Principal Investigator

Professor of Psychiatry, Psychology and Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences
Director, Clinical Psychology Internship and Postdoctoral Clinical Research Training Programs
University of Pittsburgh

I am a Professor of Psychiatry, Psychology and Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. I received my Ph.D. in clinical and health psychology from the University of Pittsburgh in 1999, after completing a clinical internship at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, now Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH).  I then completed a postdoctoral fellowship in behavioral medicine and received a license to practice psychology in 2001.  My program of research has focused on health behaviors, particularly relationships among weight, eating and other appetitive behaviors during pregnancy and the postpartum period.  In addition, I enjoy teaching and training future clinical scientists in my roles as director of the Clinical Psychology Internship Program at WPIC and T32 postdoctoral fellowship training programs at WPH.

Fun Fact:  I enjoy spending as much time with my three young adult children, my husband and my dog as I can.  I also have no sense of direction and can get lost in a circle

Principal Investigator

Postdoctoral Scholar

Prior to coming to Pitt, I received my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Princeton University, completed a research assistantship at the Columbia Center for Eating Disorders at New York State Psychiatric Institute, and earned my PhD in Clinical Psychology from Drexel University, where I was a member of the Center for Weight, Eating and Lifestyle Science (WELL Center). I moved to Pittsburgh to complete my predoctoral clinical psychology internship at Western Psychiatric Hospital and stayed on at Pitt as a NIMH-funded T32 Postdoctoral Scholar under the primary mentorship of Dr. Michele Levine. My research aims to equitably promote health during high-risk times for problematic eating and excess weight gain, including pregnancy and postpartum. I am particularly interested in understanding the role of structural determinants of health, including food insecurity, in eating behaviors and weight change, and aim to conduct research in partnership with communities that are most affected by health inequities.

Fun Fact: I grew up in a tiny coastal town in Northern California with a population of 250 people. We lived a 45-minute drive from the grocery store, and 2-hours from the nearest mall!

Dr. Kelsey Magee

Dr. Magee is a clinical psychologist with specialized training in pediatric and child psychology. She earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Case Western Reserve University and completed her clinical internship at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago (Northwestern University). She is currently an IMPACT T32 Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Psychiatry working under the co-mentorship of Dr. Alison Hipwell and Dr. Michele Levine. Dr. Magee’s research employs longitudinal methods to examine the complex interplay of risk and protective factors that influence prenatal health and child development among families experiencing chronic stress.

Riley Jouppi

Graduate Student

I am in Pitt’s Clinical and Bio-Health Psychology Ph.D. Program and am mentored by Dr. Michele Levine. My research interests involve problematic eating behavior, weight, and ultra-processed food. Since joining the lab in 2021, I’ve worked as a HABIT therapist and have been involved in several projects using our existing data, including investigating whether prenatal dietary intake mediates the relationship between sleep during pregnancy and gestational weight gain, examining how prenatal loss of control eating relates to prenatal dietary intake, and testing associations between prenatal loss of control eating and cardiovascular health during pregnancy. Using baseline data from our HABIT study, my master’s thesis will explore the association between hedonic hunger and ultra-processed food consumption during pregnancy, as well as whether impulsivity moderates this association.

Jennifer Grace, MS

Research Principal Senior

I am originally from Hermitage, Pennsylvania, a small town located about 90 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. I moved to Pittsburgh in 2002 to complete an internship at Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh to finish my undergraduate degree. I quickly fell in love with the city and began graduate school at Chatham University in 2004. I started working in research at UPMC in 2006 and joined Dr. Levine’s group in 2008. My primary research interests are issues related to women’s health and gender-related studies.

Fun fact: My favorite things to do include cooking with my husband, running, drinking coffee, traveling, and sharing dinner with friends.

Gina Sweeny, MS

Research Coordinator

I was born in Pittsburgh and grew up in the south hills. I moved to Philadelphia and earned my BS and MS in health psychology at the University of the Sciences. After living in Philadelphia for 5 years, I couldn’t wait to move back home to Pittsburgh and soon after I start working in Dr. Levine’s lab. I am interested in behavioral health research and am lucky to have been able to be a part of many interesting studies conducted at this lab.

Fun fact: I am most happy while spending time with my husband and our two young daughters. When time allows, I enjoy crafting, organizing, and learning how to sew.

Zijing (Claudia) Zhang 

Research Associate Senior

Sarah Niemi, BA

Research Specialist

Prior to starting work as a research specialist at Pitt, Sarah earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. While she is working in Pittsburgh as a research specialist, she is working towards earing her online MPH in Applied Epidemiology through The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Sarah’s research interests are in perinatal behaviors including weight, smoking, and alcohol use. She hopes to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology following the completion of her masters degree in epidemiology.

Fun fact: When Sarah is not spending time studying or at the lab, she enjoys hanging out with her cat and teaching yoga!

Emma Ferguson, BS

Research Specialist

I graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in April of 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a minor in Gender & Women’s Studies. Prior to being a research specialist, I was a student research assistant at the lab since fall of 2020. My research interests include maternal-child health and child and adolescent development. In the future, I hope to purse a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.

Fun fact: I love thrifting, cooking, and playing animal crossing!