Director
Diana A. Chirinos, Ph.D.
Dr. Chirinos will be reviweing applications for doctoral students to begin fall 2026.
Email: dchirinos@miami.edu
Areas of interest: Cardiovascular behavioral medicine, sleep medicine, bereavement, hispanic health, psychoneuroimmunology and epidemiology
Dr. Diana Chirinos is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Miami. Prior to this, she served as a tenure-track assistant professor in the Division of Epidemiology, Department of Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. A licensed clinical psychologist with extensive training in health psychology and behavioral medicine, Dr. Chirinos focuses her research on how demographic and psychosocial factors influence cardiovascular health disparities, particularly among high-risk populations such as Hispanic/Latino adults and/or bereaved individuals. Her work seeks to identify cardiovascular risk profiles and elucidate the biobehavioral mechanisms linking chronic stressors, such as depression and poor sleep, to cardiovascular disease risk and progression. The overall goal of her research program is to use these insights to design evidence-based, targeted interventions to alleviate chronic stress and reduce cardiovascular disease burden in these individuals.
Dr. Chirinos earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in Health Psychology from the University of Miami. She completed postdoctoral fellowships in Psychoneuroimmunology at Rice University and Behavioral Sleep Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She is a licensed psychologist in the State of Illinois. Dr. Chirinos serves as an Associate Editor for Health Psychology and as a member of the Editorial Board for Annals of Behavioral Medicine. She has held leadership roles in several professional societies and has been recognized for her contributions as an early-career scholar by the American Psychological Association’s Society for Health Psychology (Division 38), the Society of Behavioral Medicine, and the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research.
Outside of her professional life, Dr. Chirinos enjoys spending time with her husband, their five-year-old twin daughters, and their two dogs. She loves relaxing at the beach and baking for family and friends.
Research Coordinator
Sofia Melio
Sofia Melio earned her Bachelor's degree in Psychology from San Pablo Catholic University in Arequipa, Peru. While in Peru, she completed an internship at Honorio Delgado Regional Hospital, where she worked in the Psychiatry Ward in both in-patient and out-patient settings, gaining hands-on clinical experience with individuals facing acute and chronic mental health challenges. She later interned at Instituto del Sur, a technical higher education institute, where she supported students’ mental health and academic success through individual and group-based interventions. From 2023 to 2025, Sofia worked at Northwestern University as a Research Assistant with Dr. Diana A. Chirinos. She contributed to two major projects in the Cardiovascular Health Inequities (CHI) Lab: the RESTore Plus study, a pilot trial of a behavioral sleep intervention for individuals who had recently lost a spouse, and the HEAL study, which examines the mental and physical health effects of spousal bereavement. Currently, she is the Research Project Coordinator in the Behavioral Epidemiology and Applied Treatment for Cardiovascular Health (BEAT) Lab at the University of Miami, continuing her work with Dr. Chirinos. Her research interests include bereavement, depression, anxiety, and sleep-related issues, particularly within minority populations. Outside of the lab, Sofia enjoys going to the beach, trying new restaurants, and playing pinball with her husband.
Graduate Students
Carly Bohlman
Carly Bohlman graduated from the University of Florida in 2024 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, as well as a minor in Public Health. As an undergraduate research assistant, Carly worked closely with Dr. Stephen Anton in the Institute for Aging, focusing on promoting successful aging through lifestyle-based interventions delivered to older populations. While at the University of Florida, she also worked with Dr. Kimberly Driscoll in the Diabetes Behavioral Lab where she assessed the quality of interventions provided to children with Type 1 diabetes and their parents. Her research interests in chronic illness and behavioral medicine interventions within adult populations led her to completing a Master of Arts degree in Clinical Psychology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine under the mentorship of Dr. Diana Chirinos in the Cardiovascular Health Inequities (CHI) Lab. While at Northwestern University, Carly worked mainly on the Health Effects After Loss (HEAL) Study which aimed to better understand how losing a spouse of long-term partner affects physical health, namely sleep quality and inflammatory markers. Currently, Carly is a 1st-year Clinical Psychology doctoral student at the University of Miami, working with Dr. Chirinos in the Behavioral Epidemiology and Applied Treatment for Cardiovascular Health (BEAT) Lab. Outside of research, Carly enjoys listening to music, building Legos, and watching football.
Morgann S. West, M.A.
Morgann West graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Arizona in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Family Studies and Human Development minor. During her undergraduate education, she worked as a research assistant in Dr. Mary-Frances O’Connor’s GLASS (Grief, Loss, and Social Stress) Lab, focusing on bereaved individuals and assisting with qualitative interviews of those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. She is interested in examining how chronic stressors, such as depression, sleep disturbances, and neighborhood environmental factors, influence health outcomes. Her work also looks at cardiovascular disease prevention among racial and ethnic minorities and spousal bereaved adults. From 2022 to 2023, she pursued a Master of Arts (MA) in Clinical Psychology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine under the mentorship of Dr. Chirinos, where she assisted with the RESTore Plus (REST to Overcome Loss and REduce Risk) Study, a pilot randomized controlled trial of a behavioral sleep intervention among adults who have recently lost a spouse. Currently, Morgann is a 3rd-year clinical psychology doctoral student at Northwestern University, and continues to work with Dr. Chirinos as a primary mentor. When not in the lab, she enjoys traveling and spending time with family and friends.
Collaborators
Jessica Thomas
Jessica Thomas (she/her) holds a BA in French from Georgetown University and an MA in Social Service Administration (clinical social work) from the University of Chicago. Now in her 11th year at Northwestern, Jessica has coordinated a variety of projects in both Preventive Medicine and Medical Social Sciences. She has contributed to studies in the following areas: supportive oncology, health literacy and vaccine hesitancy, CBT for depression among women, pediatric issues such as atopic dermatitis and cardiovascular health, and physical activity in knee replacement patients. Under Dr. Chirinos, she worked on the RESTore and HEAL projects, both of which examined sleep disturbance and overall health among spousally bereaved individuals. When not at work, Jessica enjoys reading, traveling, and chasing after her toddler.
