Meet Our Lab Members
Pajarita Charles
Principle Investigator
Pajarita Charles, PhD, MSW, MPA is an Associate Professor at the Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work and an affiliate of the Institute for Research on Poverty and the Center for Law, Society, and Justice. Her research focuses on the development, implementation, and testing of family-focused preventive interventions to promote positive outcomes for children and families affected by the criminal legal system. Dr. Charles’ efforts foster research, practice, and public sector partnerships to build capacity for reform and the reduction of the footprint of the criminal legal system. She is a co-leader of the national Promote Smart Decarceration grand challenge network for the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare and frequently collaborates with local and state organizations to provide expertise and guidance on issues pertinent to families impacted by the criminal legal system.
Current Lab Members
Paulina Grekov
Doctoral Student
Paulina is a PhD student in the Quantitative Methods area of the Department of Educational Psychology working with Dr. James Pustejovsky. Paulina's current research interests include meta-analysis, research synthesis, multilevel modeling, and single-case experimental designs. Prior to coming to UW Madison, Paulina spent several years working within educational settings including managing caseloads of, and teaching, fourth through sixth grade students with disabilities.
Ava Heyrman
Post-Baccalaureate
Ava Heyrman is a recent graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Human Ecology. She received a BS in Psychology and Human Development & Family Studies, with a certificate in Disabilities Rights & Services and Leadership. Currently, she is the full-time research coordinator for the Embark Lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Additionally, she is in a post-baccalaureate role for the Lab of Family Wellbeing and Justice, working on various projects. In Summer 2025, she will be working for the University of Texas-Austin, continuing her role as a research coordinator for the Embark Lab.
Cece Babat
Master Student
Cece is a senior majoring in Psychology and Social Work. As a student in the Bachelor of Social Work program at UW-Madison, she joined the lab as a part of her field education requirements in the Fall of 2024. As a member of the Family Wellbeing & Justice Lab, she has taught and gathered data for the Making Reading Memories program in two county facilities in Wisconsin. Cece’s involvement with criminal justice work began in the Spring 2024 semester as she advocated against the use of solitary confinement in the Wisconsin correctional system. Her interest in criminal justice reform has continued to grow, particularly regarding the impact of system involvement on youth and families. Through her work in the lab, she aims to contribute to the development and implementation of family-focused interventions that promote positive outcomes for children and families affected by the criminal justice system.
Sarah Stouffer-Lerch
Doctoral Student
Sarah Stouffer-Lerch is currently a Master of Public Health Student at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Policy Analysis from Ohio State University. A ’23-’24 recipient of a prestigious Fulbright research award, Sarah led a nine-month research project on 2SLGBTQ+ adult homelessness in Toronto, Ontario. This project sparked her interest in carceral topics, particularly the intersection between homelessness and criminalization. As a 2025 summer research assistant at the Lab for Family Wellbeing and Justice, Sarah is conducting a secondary visual analysis of photographs taken of family interactions at the Dane County Jail’s Child- Friendly Jail Visits program
CJ Varney
Undergraduate Student
CJ is a junior majoring in Political Science with a certificate in Criminal Justice. He joined the Lab for Family Wellbeing and Justice to gain deeper insight into the criminal justice system and to apply his strengths in reading and writing to issues surrounding incarceration and its impact on families. As an aspiring law student, CJ contributes to the lab by supporting data collection and analysis—both qualitative and quantitative—examining incarceration practices and offering legal perspectives on the challenges faced by justice- involved families. Exemplified through his work in the lab, he is passionate about promoting incarceration reform and advancing the wellbeing of families affected by the legal system.