Principal Investigator
Dr. Franzen is the principal investigator of the Pittsburgh Sleep Teen Study. Dr. Franzen obtained a Bachelor of Science with college honors at Carnegie Mellon University. He then obtained his PhD in clinical psychology at the University of Arizona, which was followed by his clinical internship at Western Psychiatric Hospital and postdoctoral training in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and joined the faculty there in 2007. Dr. Franzen’s research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, The Pittsburgh Foundation, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, among others. His research program strives to better understand why and how sleep is so important for emotional health in adults in teens. In his free time, Dr. Franzen enjoys hiking, his dog Buddy Cornwall, gardening, and live music.
Research Coordinator
Beth Hafer is the Research Coordinator for the Pittsburgh Sleep in Teens Study. She received her master’s degree from Duquesne University and her undergraduate degree from Penn State. Overall, Beth has 25 years of experience working with children and their families in a variety of settings. She has worked on an array of studies involving children and young adults in both the Center for Sleep and Circadian Sciences Department and in the Child and Adolescent Bipolar Spectrum Clinic. On a personal note, she enjoys biking, cooking, traveling and spending time with family and friends.
Data Manager
Noelle Rode received a BS in Information Science from the University of Pittsburgh. She has over 20 years of experience in coordinating data management activities for research studies. Noelle manages data collected from several research protocols, both within the Center for Sleep and Circadian Sciences Department and for Child and Adolescent Bipolar Spectrum Services (CABS). In her free time, Noelle enjoys reading, traveling and spending time with her family.
Joud Hijazi, BA
Research Project Assistant
Joud Hijazi is the Research Project Assistant for the Pittsburgh Sleep in Teens Study. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 2014 with a BA in Molecular and Cell Biology with an emphasis in Neurobiology. After graduating, Joud worked as a Research Staff Associate at Columbia University researching stress, fear, and PTSD. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, eating and spending time with family and friends.
Grant Kristo, BS
Research Specialist
Grant Kristo earned a BS in Psychology and BA in Theater from the University of Pittsburgh in 2019. During his undergraduate career, Grant worked on several research projects investigating mental processing of images, somatic symptoms in first generation college students, and healthy relationships in married couples. Grant has 3+ years of experience handling programs for teens from work as a Resident Assistant, Handicraft Director (Scouting USA), and is now working on Dr. Franzen’s Pittsburgh Sleep in Teens project. Personal interests include rock climbing, distance running, and art.