Samantha Miadich

Samantha Miadich, Ph.D., serves as Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology within the College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Based in Coburn Hall Room 370F with contact number 978-934-3941, she specializes in pediatric health psychology using advanced methodologies to examine childhood chronic conditions including asthma and sleep disorders through risk/resilience frameworks.

Her academic credentials include:

• Postdoctoral Fellowship in Developmental Psychology and Behavior Genetics, Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ)
• Ph.D. in Health Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University (2017)
• M.A. in Clinical Psychology, Ball State University (2010)
• B.A. in Psychology, University of Dayton (2008)

Dr. Miadich's research program integrates behavior genetics with ecological momentary assessment to investigate genetic and environmental contributions to pediatric health outcomes. Her work focuses on objective measurement of sleep, pain, and asthma management in community and urban populations, emphasizing intervention targets through longitudinal modeling. Key methodological approaches include twin studies, actor-partner interdependence modeling, and real-time data collection techniques.

Analysis of her 15 publications (2015-2024) reveals consistent investigation of pediatric chronic conditions through genetic-environmental interaction lenses. Her work demonstrates increasing methodological sophistication with emphasis on objective sleep measurement, urban health disparities, and family-level influences on child health outcomes. The research trajectory shows progression from asthma management studies toward integrated models examining sleep-pain relationships and genetic contributions to health behaviors.

Her scientific recognition includes:

• NHLBI Fellowship for Effects of Cumulative Risk on Asthma Outcomes in Urban Children and Adolescents (2015)

Dr. Miadich currently leads two major funded projects: the NIH Loan Repayment Program award (2023-2025) for Pediatric Lung Function and Asthma in the Broader Health Context, and the Society of Pediatric Psychology Targeted Research Grant (2023-2024) for the Health Advancement and Wellbeing in Kids (HAWK) Study. These projects examine asthma outcomes through comprehensive health frameworks and develop wellbeing interventions for pediatric populations.

She directs the HARP Research Lab (Health, Asthma, and Resilience in Pediatric populations), which employs innovative assessment tools including ecological momentary assessment and objective physiological measures. The lab maintains strong collaborations with Arizona State University's research teams, particularly through the Arizona Twin Project examining developmental psychopathology and health resilience mechanisms.