Oxana Yu. Naumova
Oxana Yu. Naumova earned a Ph.D. in genetics in 2008 from the Vavilov Institute of General Genetics (VIGG), Russia. Naumova’s main scientific interests are in the field of human population genetics and epigenetics. Her ongoing research focuses on understanding the role of dynamic interactions between the genome/gene pool and environment genetic in the development of genetic diversity of populations and psychophysiological phenotypes of individuals. She has authored or co-authored more than 30 publications in the field of gene geography, paleogenetics and epigenetics.
Lisa Chinn
Upon earning her Ph.D. in developmental psychology in 2019, Lisa joined the GENES:IS Lab as a post-doctoral associate. She is now Research Assistant Professor at UH, and she directs an Office of Naval Research sponsored project on individual differences in response to stress. Her research focuses on infants’ knowledge about their own bodies, effects of early adversity on development, EEG, and cognitive control. Lisa also received a B.S. in psychology from the University of Oregon and an M.S. in cognitive neuroscience from Tulane University.
Julia Kovalenko
Julia Kovalenko, PhD, is an assistant professor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and a pediatric psychologist at Texas Children’s Hospital. Dr. Kovalenko provides assessment and treatment for children and adolescents with a wide variety of medical conditions in inpatient and outpatient settings. Common treatment targets include adjustment to diagnosis, anxiety and/or depression related to medical concerns, non-adherence to medical regimen, pain management, and return to functional activities following medical diagnosis / treatment/hospitalization. Dr. Kovalenko completed her clinical psychology doctoral education at the University of Houston, clinical internship training at Kennedy Krieger Institute/Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital.
Dr. Kovalenko is passionate about disseminating evidence-based mental health information and recently started professional social media accounts to make sure research-backed information is easily accessible to everyone via a platform that most people now rely on for news and information. If you are interested in pediatric psychology, feel free to follow @dr.juliakovalenko.
Marina Zhukova
Dr. Marina Zhukova earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Child Psychology from the University of Houston in 2023. Before joining the GENESIS lab, she completed a doctorate in Clinical Psychology and Psychophysiology at Saint Petersburg State University, Russia, where she studied the effects of psychosocial deprivation. At GENESIS, she continued the research on the impact of early adversity on human development, securing funding for independent projects that contributed to her dissertation.
As the principal investigator, Dr. Zhukova led studies on language development and the cross-generational effects of institutionalization, aiming to better understand psychosocial needs of people with a history of institutionalization, balancing her research with clinical work. She completed her residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston McGovern Medical School, where she developed an interest in acute care, focusing on crisis intervention for highly vulnerable patients requiring short-term, high-impact solutions. Her postdoctoral fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, further honed her expertise in child and pediatric psychology in inpatient settings.
With over 10 years of clinical experience across pediatric hospitals, psychiatric inpatient units, primary care, community health, juvenile detention, and outpatient settings, Dr. Zhukova is now an Assistant Professor at Texas Health Science Center at Houston McGovern Medical School.
Jessica Garcia
Jessica Garcia earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Child Psychology from the University of Houston in 2025. Before joining the GENESIS lab, she graduated from Northern Arizona University in 2014 with bachelor’s degrees in both psychology and criminal justice, and completed her master’s in clinical psychology from Loyola University Maryland in 2016.
Broadly, she is interested in the etiology of externalizing disorders in childhood and adolescence, with a primary focus on the sociocultural factors that affect their development and presentation. Clinically, she is passionate about working with kids and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders, as well as those involved in the juvenile justice and foster care systems. She is currently completing her predoctoral internship at the University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston within their Developmental/Assessment Track.