Dr. Christine Spadola
University of Texas at Arlington / Assistant Teacher / Social Work
Biography
Dr. Christine Spadola is an Assistant Professor at UTA’s School of Social Work and formerly completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Prior to UTA, she served as an assistant professor in the School of Social Work at Florida Atlantic University where she received the Assistant Professor Scholar of the Year award (2022) and was also the College for Social Work and Criminal Justice’s Distinguished Professor of the Year nominee.
For Dr. Spadola’s full bio, go to https://www.uta.edu/academics/faculty/profile?username=spadolac
Soeun Jang
University of Texas at Arlington / Graduate Research Assistant / Ph.D. Student in Social Work
Soeun Jang is a Ph.D. student at UTA focusing on health and gerontology. She earned her BSW from the University of North Texas and her MSW from UTA. Her research centers on older adults with chronic health conditions, particularly dementia, and the experiences of their family caregivers. Soeun is also exploring how neighborhood environments influence the well-being of these populations. Currently, she is collaborating with Dr. Spadola and Dr. Lee on a sleep educational intervention review study.
Minjaal Raval
Minjaal Raval, MSW (she/her), is a Ph.D. student at UTA. She completed her MSW in 2020 and has a post-graduation diploma in Guidance and Counseling from The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. Minjaal’s research area is Intimate Partner Violence and Dating Violence among adolescents, with a focus on how media literacy affects individuals and the long-term effects on their mental health and well-being. She is also interested in the preventive measures and intervention models that are centered around media literacy to educate and promote healthy dating relationships. She also briefly worked as a counselor at the Sir Sayajirao Gaekwad, Blood Bank back in her hometown.
Kabir Parikh
MSW student/ Graduate Research Assistant
Biography
Kabir Parikh is a University of Texas at Arlington MSW student graduating August 2024. He got his BSW from University of Texas at Austin. Kabir has worked as Dr. Spadola’s GRA since October 2023 and contributed to different sleep health journal articles. He is interested in working with Death and Dying and would like to go into grief counseling as a career. Kabir is also passionate about LGBTQ+ care and advocacy.