Staff Profiles

Dr. June Madsen Clausen is Chair and Associate Professor of the Department of Psychology and the director of the Foster Care Research Group at the University of San Francisco. She teaches courses in Abnormal Psychology, Child Psychopathology, Advanced Research Methods, Child Maltreatment, and Psychology Fieldwork. Her research interests are in the field of child maltreatment. She is a licensed psychologist with a clinical practice in San Jose; her clinical expertise is in evaluation and treatment of trauma.

Rosana Aguilar is the Lab Manager for the Foster Care Research Group. Rosana’s involvement with the Foster Care Research Group (FCRG) initiated in 2000 as a volunteer Junior Research Assistant while completing her undergraduate education in Psychology and Latin American Studies at the University of San Francisco (USF). Currently, Rosana is the Lab Manager and oversees the day-to-day duties of FCRG and current research projects. Rosana has presented several poster presentations on the data collected and analyzed by FCRG on topics such as higher education for emancipated foster youth, mental health referrals and long-term treatment for foster children and youth, and attachment intervention for parents in drug rehabilitation and their infants.


Kimberlin Borca is a Senior Research Assistant for the Foster Care Research Group. Kimberlin is a current Junior at USF. She is currently involved in the Psychology department as a Teaching Assistant for courses in General Psychology, Positive Psychology, and Research Design.  As a senior research assistant in the Foster Care Research Group, she is involved in a longitudinal study that looks at the efficacy of long term psychotherapy as a main treatment approach for current and former foster youth. Currently she is enrolled in the Honors in Psychology Program and is centering her honor's thesis on the process of resiliency among foster youth.  After she graduates from USF, she will be pursuing a career in Clinical Psychology. She hopes to enroll in a PhD program in Clinical Psychology in the Fall of 2013. 


Ashley Plushnik is a Senior Research Assistant for the Foster Care Research Group. Ashley is a senior at USF. She is currently leading the Screening Forms project and wrapping up the Fostering Art project. She is enrolled in the Honors in Psychology program, her thesis aims to better understand the screening process for foster youth being referred for mental health treatment in order improve preventative programs, screening, and future interventions. In addition to FCRG she has a passion for working with at-risk youth in educational settings. She will be a Teaching Assistant for advanced research methods courses this summer and fall. Upon graduation she plans to enter a master’s program for teaching and eventually complete a PhD in education enabling her to work on educational reform and conduct educational research. She swims competitively and spends most of her free time in the pool.

Audrey Rhodes is a Senior Research Assistant for Foster Care Research Group. Audrey is currently an upperclassmen at USF pursuing her BA in Psychology with a minor in Child and Youth Studies. She has been working at FCRG for a year and half, and is working on the Local Chapters project, as well as working as lead developer of the Adult Patients project. Audrey also works as a student assistant at the USF School of Law's Faculty Services Office, and as a student call-taker coordinator for USF's Department of Public Safety. In addition to working, she volunteers as a crisis counselor with La Casa de Las Madres, a San Francisco based domestic violence advocacy and shelter program. In the future, Audrey plans to pursue a graduate degree, and work to assist those who are the most under-served in the population. She would love to work in social and political advocacy, as a University professor, as well as establish her own private practice. In her spare time, she enjoys experiencing the amazing scenery and food culture that SF has to offer, exercising, and relaxing with her friends, family, and pet bunny.

 Breniel Lemley is a Junior Research Assistant for the Foster Care Research Group. Breniel, a native San Franciscan, is currently a Junior Psychology Major and Music Minor. She has recent research experience working as a Research Assistant for the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Department of Surgery. She is also the Assistant Musical Director of ASUSF Voices and the Pre-Med Leader of USF’s Corpus Clinic, a student run homeless clinic. In the future she hopes to enroll in Graduate School or Medical School. In her free time, she enjoys shopping, singing, and watching her favorite TV shows.

Alfonso Molina is a Senior Biology Major and Neuroscience Minor from San Carlos, California. In the future he hopes to attend Medical School and specialize in Pediatric Oncology. He would also like to continue research, which aims at developing cures for different cancers. He enjoys spending his free time with family and friends, playing soccer, and traveling to different countries learning about the many cultures.

Corie Schwabenland is a Sophomore Psychology Major and future Child and Youth Studies Minor. The wonderful education she received growing up in Fresno, California sparked a deep interest in how students learn and how to best teach them. She plans to pursue a Doctoral degree in Developmental Psychology, and hopes that her post-graduate life finds her bettering the educational system for future generations. She is particularly intrigued by positive psychology, and how positivity can help realize human potential. In her spare time, she loves to explore San Francisco's local arts scene, be it by seeking out hidden city murals or interviewing musicians for Bay Area website We Move Against Tides. 

Tzipporah Dang is a Junior Research Assistant for Foster Care Research Group.  She is currently a Junior Psychology Major and Philosophy Minor.  She is especially interested in the biological components of psychology, such as how genes effect our mental dispositions and how neurotransmitters function.  Presently, she volunteers at University of California San Francisco (UCSF) in the Child Life Department, where she assists the families of children at the hospital.  Upon graduation, she plans to take a gap year before graduate school in order to continue research and to pursue other activities.  In her free time, she enjoys watching Dexter and Psych.  She also enjoys listening to music and playing with her dog.

David Kae is a Junior Research Assistant for Foster Care Research Group. Currently entering his Senior year at USF, David is a psychology Major and Music Minor from Cupertino, CA ("Where apply is located"). During the school year, he volunteers at a non-profit after school program in the Tenderloin District called Up On Top. Here he works with children of elementary grade levels by tutoring, assisting in organized clubs, as well as just being a friend. After graduating this coming spring, he will be attending Fordham University's Masters degree in Social Work (MSW), and will obtain clinical license afterwards to become a Licensed Clinical Social Woker (LCSW). In his free time he enjoys going to the beach, exploring random parts of the city, playing music and song writing. Someday, you may see him playing on the streets, if so, it would be awesome if you could help him out.

Keala Pacheco is a Research Assistant for Foster Care Research Group. Keala is a Sophomore Psychology Major and Child and Youth Studies Minor from Hawai'i. She has also had recent research experience working as a Research Assistant for Dr. Munnich's Learning and Memory Lab. In the future she hopes to continue on to Graduate School, focusing on Child Psychotherapy. In her free time she loves shopping/thrifting, studying fashion, exploring museums and bookstores, running (okay, more like walking) in Golden Gate Park, and watching Audrey Hepburn movies over and over and over again..