CREAR Lab
About Us
Welcome to CREAR Lab, where we embody our name in action: Community Research Exploring Adolescent Resilience. 'Crear,' meaning 'to create' in Spanish, symbolizes our commitment to fostering positive psychological well-being among youth and families exposed to violence. Through rigorous research and compassionate outreach, we strive to empower young lives, creating pathways to resilience and brighter futures.
Our research is oriented toward identifying factors that contribute to optimal well-being and resilience in the face of contextual risk factors, with a particular focus on community settings. We study interpersonal and sociocultural influences on academic and psychological well-being across diverse populations. Our lab has a special focus on Latinx adolescents in the U.S. and Latin America, as well as youth of color more broadly.
Andrea S. Medrano, Ph.D.
Welcome! I'm Dr. Medrano, a developmental psychologist committed to examining how youth and women exposed to violence make sense of, survive, and resist trauma in their daily lives. I serve as Director of the CREAR Lab and Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh. My research focuses on poly-victimization, gender-based violence, and structural inequalities, with an emphasis on resilience processes.
I lead international, community-engaged studies across Honduras, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, and the U.S., using mixed methods to ensure that voices and data inform our work. Through the CREAR Lab, I mentor a powerhouse team of undergraduate and graduate students—primarily women and scholars of color—who share a passion for equity-driven research.
Our Values
The CREAR Lab is made up of passionate researchers committed to promoting the well-being of youth and families of color through a strengths-based approach. We value the diversity of lived experiences and work actively to make the lab an inclusive, accessible, and collaborative space.
We foster mutual support, open communication, and respect. Our commitment is to train ethical, rigorous researchers who contribute to transformative knowledge and professional growth through research and mentorship.