Team | Child Life Program | UC Davis MIND Institute

Erin Roseborough is the MIND Institute’s first Child Life Specialist. She attended California State University, Sacramento and received her degree in Child Development. Erin completed her Child Life Internship with UC Davis Children's Hospital. She began her career at Methodist Hospital, later working at Shriners Children’s Hospital. She joined the staff of the MIND Institute as its first Child Life Specialist in the fall of 2003, starting the volunteer and Child Life Program. She has created children's programs here such as Sibling Support Group, Camp MIND, Family Time at the MIND, Volunteer Appreciation and the Annual Thank You Party.  Erin strives to reduce the negative impact of stressful or traumatic life events and situations that affect the development, health and well-being of infants, children, youth and families.

Veronica is a Certified Child Life Specialist with experience in child development, education, therapeutic intervention, healthcare, community engagement and program development. She completed her undergraduate studies in Child Development and Counseling at California State University, Sacramento and received her Master’s in Child Life at the University of La Verne. She completed her clinical internship at Yale and has previously worked as a CCLS for the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford, specializing in surgical and outpatient care. She is dedicated and passionate about combining theoretical knowledge with compassion, advocacy, social engagement and innovation to elevate programming and support for children at the MIND Institute. In addition to her Child Life role, she serves as Coordinator for the Volunteer Program at the MIND Institute and continues to provide support to hospitalized children both inpatient and outpatient outside of the MIND Institute.

Nicki Rodriguez earned her B.A. in Psychology from California State University, Sacramento in 2017 and her M.S. in Child Life from Azusa Pacific University in 2026. Since joining the UC Davis MIND Institute, she has been dedicated to supporting children and families through accessible, family-centered, and culturally responsive programs and services.

At the MIND Institute, Nicki coordinates and supports a variety of clinical, educational, and community-based programs, including the Social Skills Program, ACCESS Program (Acquiring Career, Coping, Executive-Function, and Social Skills), ECHO Autismo, Sibling Support programming, Child Life services, and community outreach initiatives. She also works collaboratively with interdisciplinary teams to develop programs, resources, and opportunities that support children and families from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

Her experiences at the MIND Institute inspired her to pursue the field of Child Life, with a special interest in supporting children with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families, promoting inclusive and developmentally appropriate care, and helping reduce barriers to accessing support and services. Nicki is continuing her clinical training through a Child Life internship as she works toward becoming a Certified Child Life Specialist.