Research Team

Virginia Beas, MS

Virginia received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) in 2007. At CSULB, she received research training from the National Institute of Mental Health and conducted research on cognition, nicotine, depression and anxiety. She later received her master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from California State University, Fullerton in 2010, where she developed an interest in intimate partner violence (IPV) among women.

After graduation, she joined Children’s Hospital Los Angeles as a project coordinator, studying trauma, anxiety and quality of life in children and adolescents with chronic pain. Her interests include IPV and mental health disparities within ethnic minorities and underprivileged populations. Virginia plans to pursue a doctorate in Clinical Psychology.

Jennifer Chang, MA

Jennifer received her master’s degree in Psychology from California State University, Fullerton in 2010. At Fullerton, she solidified her research interests in social support, health and mental illness. Post graduation, Jennifer joined Children's Hospital Los Angeles as a project coordinator for the CORE Program, where she works alongside Sylvia del Castillo, MD, David Epstein, MD, and Lara Nelson, MD, on studies investigating intestinal perfusion, health disparities, posttraumatic stress disorder and pain.

Raquel Engilman, MA 

Raquel received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of California Los Angeles and her master’s degree in Psychology from Pepperdine University, where she was part of a neuropsychology assessment team administering tests to adults with psychiatric disorders. Raquel continued as a psychometrician at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, conducting research with children diagnosed with diabetes, optic nerve hypoplasia and those undergoing bone marrow transplants.

More recently, she broadened her research interests by joining the Department of Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine as a clinical research coordinator for clinical trials sponsored by Pfizer, Inc., and Forest Research Institute, Inc., assessing the safety and efficacy of medication on adolescents with fibromyalgia. Her research interests include the effects of chronic pain on cognitive functioning.

Kerri Marks, LCSW

Kerri Marks is a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in pediatric pain management. She has certification in hypnotherapy and is working on a certification in biofeedback. Kerri is the clinical coordinator/therapist in the Pediatric Pain Management Clinic responsible for assessing and treating children and adolescents with chronic pain. She also is an adjunct faculty member in the School of Social Work at the University of Southern California.

Rika Meyer, PhD

Rika received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2005, where she developed research interests in peer relations during adolescence. After graduating, she managed a research lab at UCLA, which follows the social development of approximately 2,000 adolescents from middle school to high school.

The following year she entered the Developmental Psychology Program at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She received her master’s degree in 2008 and her doctorate in 2011, both in Developmental Psychology. Her interests include peer relations, friendship development, and health and risk behavior in children and adolescents. Currently, she is applying her background in developmental psychology to researching cognitive and social development in children and adolescents with chronic diseases. At Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, she coordinates studies on stress, pain and coping in children and adolescents with chronic pain.

Angela Li, BA

Presentation at the 118th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association
San Diego, CA
Aug. 12, 2010

Presentation at the 118th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association
San Diego, CA
Aug. 14, 2010

The Saban Research Institute of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles 16th Annual Poster Session
Los Angeles, CA
June 6, 2010

Presentation at the 41st Annual Congress of the Society of Critical Care Medicine
Houston, TX
Feb. 4-8, 2012

Presentation at the 41st Annual Congress of the Society of Critical Care Medicine
Houston, TX
Feb. 7, 2012

Presentation at the 41st Annual Congress of the Society of Critical Care Medicine
Houston, TX
Feb. 7, 2012