2026 Early Career Alumni Award: Rosanna Breaux
Rosanna Breaux '17 PhD is a recipient of the 2026 College of Natural Sciences (CNS) Early Career Alumni Award.
Breaux earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology from CNS in 2017, following a master's degree in Clinical Psychology from the university in 2013. Her research focuses on the social-emotional and behavioral development of children and adolescents, with particular attention to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), emotion regulation, and the role families play in young people's mental health.
"The training I received while at UMass Amherst is a large part of what I attribute to my success during pre-tenure,” expressed Breaux. “The outstanding research and professional development mentorship I received from Dr. Lisa Harvey, the strong foundation in research methods and statistics from Drs. David Arnold and Aline Sayer, and the incredible example of evidence-based assessment and intervention practices from Drs. Tim Hope, Rebecca Ready, Claudia Rutherford, and Rebecca Stowe, collectively provide the building blocks for the type of academic, clinician, and professor I am today."
After completing her doctorate, Breaux undertook a postdoctoral fellowship at Virginia Commonwealth University from 2017 to 2019. She joined Virginia Tech in 2019 as an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and became an associate professor in 2025. She also serves as director of Virginia Tech's Child Study Center, a role she began in 2021, and holds the Jerry L. Hulick Faculty Fellowship for Special Needs, Disabilities, and Inclusion.
Breaux's research seeks to improve understanding of the factors that shape children's emotional and behavioral well-being and to translate that knowledge into practical support for young people and their families. Her work examines how parents and caregivers respond to children's emotions, how emotion regulation relates to mental health, and how these processes intersect with ADHD and other developmental and psychological concerns.
One example of this work is RELAX (an acronym for “Regulate Emotions Like an Expert”), a behavioral intervention designed to help adolescents with ADHD manage emotion dysregulation and interpersonal conflict. Breaux has studied the development and refinement of the intervention, including its delivery through telehealth, and continues to investigate ways to help families access effective support. Her research also includes developing and evaluating mobile-app-based resources for parents, adolescents, and college students with the goal of reducing the time and burden associated with clinician-delivered treatment.
Her work has earned recognition from professional organizations in clinical psychology and child mental health. In 2023, she received the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology's Abidin Early Career Award. She has also secured research funding as a principal investigator, including a National Institute of Mental Health K01 Mentored Research Scientist Career Development Award to study ways to improve emotion dysregulation and interpersonal conflict in families of adolescents with ADHD.
Beyond her research, Breaux is committed to mentoring students and preparing the next generation of clinical scientists. Her work at Virginia Tech includes supervising graduate students and clinical trainees, mentoring undergraduate researchers, and supporting student research projects. She also contributes to public conversations about children's mental health, offering guidance to families and educators on topics such as emotional development, ADHD, bullying, anxiety, and strategies for navigating difficult behavior. Her expertise has been featured in national and regional media outlets.
Breaux's career reflects a commitment to connecting psychological research with the needs of children, adolescents, and families. Through her research, clinical work, mentorship, and outreach, she continues to advance understanding of youth mental health while helping translate scientific findings into approaches that families and professionals can use.
“Dr. Breaux has had a meteoric start to her faculty career at Virginia Tech, already ascending to direct the Virginia Tech Child Study Center,” said CNS Dean Mike Fox. “Her work on the social, emotional, and behavioral development of children and young adults is particularly important given the mental health challenges facing youth today. Beyond her own science, the College is proud that Dr. Breaux’s career has embodied the land-grant mission in taking discoveries and knowledge out to the community for impact. Her success as a scholar and clinical psychologist embody our university’s commitment to the Common Good.”
In the coming years, Breaux plans to continue utilizing mobile health, telehealth, and stepped-care models to address the growing mental health need by increasing access, reducing barriers, and ensuring individuals receive the right level of support for their needs.