Faculty Research, Teaching and Professional Interests
Cheryl A. Armstead, Ph.D., University of Tennessee, Associate Professor
Emotion and physiological response, particularly cardiovascular functioning; racism
and hypertension; health psychology.
Meeta Banerjee, Ph.D., Michigan State University, Assistant Professor
Dr. Banerjee’s research examines the interaction between ecological contexts (e.g.,
schools, families, neighborhoods, communities and racial discrimination) and parenting
practices and how these processes directly and indirectly influence psychosocial and
educational outcomes. She is particularly interested how race-related processes in
the family (e.g., parental ethnic-racial socialization, parents’ racial identities)
influence adjustment in ethnic minority youth. Dr. Banerjee is particularly interested
how race-related processes in the family (e.g., parental ethnic-racial socialization,
parents’ racial identities) influence adjustment in ethnic minority youth.
Kimberly D. Becker, Ph.D., University of Arizona, Associate Professor
Child and adolescent mental health and school-based preventive interventions targeting
disruptive behaviors and substance abuse.
Jessica Bradshaw, Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara, Assistant Professor
Autism spectrum disorders, developmental disabilities, early intervention, education
for parents and siblings of young children with autism.
Michelle Brown, Ph.D., University of Minnesota, Assistant Professor
Michelle Brown uses a developmental psychopathology framework to: (1) understand how
interpersonal relationships influence victimized children’s risk for developing adverse
socioemotional outcomes and (2) elucidate biopsychosocial factors that influence treatment
outcomes for victimized children.
Dan Cooper, Ph.D., University of Minnesota, Assistant Professor
The goal of Dr. Cooper’s research is to use innovative methods to improve the health
and resilience of minoritized children affected by adversity (e.g., racism, traumatic
events). Specifically, his program of research focuses on (a) using secondary data
analysis to identify malleable risk and protective factors that can be targeted using
prevention interventions and (b) evaluating the implementation of family-based prevention
programs for minoritized children exposed to adversity. He is also beginning a new
line of research that will focus on creating integrated prevention programs to jointly
prevent child physical and mental health problems.
Sarah Edmunds, Ph.D., University of Washington, Assistant Professor
Community implementation of evidence-based interventions for impairments that are
associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including social communication, social
skills, flexibility, externalizing behaviors, emotion regulation, and anxiety; Equitable
community access to interventions; Implementation science; Family quality of life
& ASD; Individual differences in intervention efficacy; Mechanisms of intervention
efficacy.
Kate Flory, Ph.D., University of Kentucky, Professor and Associate Chair
Dr. Flory's primary research focuses on: (1) understanding the mechanisms that may
explain why children with ADHD are at greater risk than peers for cigarette smoking
and use/abuse of other substances, (2) understanding the social and academic impairment
of children with ADHD, (3) understanding other negative health outcomes associated
with ADHD, including risky sexual behavior and unintentional injuries, and (4) the
epidemiologCy of child and adolescent emotional and behavioral health concerns.
Nada Goodrum, Ph.D., Georgia State University, Assistant Professor
Parenting, family relationships, and child health among families affected by major
stressors; community context and its influence on children and families; the intersection
of trauma, HIV, and substance use and the intergenerational transmission of risk;
family-based child health promotion and prevention of socioemotional and physical
health problems
Bret Kloos, Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Professor
Community psychology; recovery from serious mental illness; mutual support and self-help;
meaning-making after major life disruptions; transactional models of risk and protection;
qualitative methods.
Ron Prinz, Ph.D., State University of New York, Stony Brook, Carolina Distinguished Professor
Child clinical psychology; prevention and treatment of conduct disorders; family intervention;
clinical research methodology.
Jane Roberts, Ph.D., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Professor
Etiology of cognitive and behavioral functioning in children and adults with neurodevelopmental
disorders such as autism; fragile X syndrome; and AD/HD.
Jeffrey C. Schatz, Ph.D., Washington University in St. Louis, Professor
Pediatric neuropsychology, cognitive development in children with chronic health conditions
(especially sickle cell disease), functional impact of neuropsychological deficits
in children.
Suzanne Swan, Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Professor
Intimate partner violence, with a current emphasis on women's use of violence against
male intimate partners; the role of race/class/culture in intimate partner violence;
predictors of men's violence against women; women's use of resources to deal with
domestic violence.
Mark D. Weist, Ph.D., Virginia Tech, Professor and Director of Clinical-Community Training
Children, adolescents and families; school mental health; positive behavior intervention
and support; evidence-based practice; cognitive behavioral therapy; trauma focused
intervention; systems analysis and change; policy influence.
Dawn Wilson, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University, Professor
Research on understanding family dynamics/interactions in promoting healthy diet and
physical activity in underserved adolescents; ecological and social cognitive theoretical
models for understanding family connectedness, social support and role modeling in
promoting health behavior change in youth; family-based interventions for promoting
healthy diet and physical activity among underserved adolescents.
Guillermo Wippold, Ph.D., University of Florida, Assistant Professor
Health psychology, health disparities, community-based participatory research (CBPR),
resilience, perceived stress, health-related quality of life, and healthcare.
Nicole Zarrett, Ph.D., University of Michigan, Associate Professor
Developmental Systems models and pattern-centered approaches to the study of youth
in context; Processes within the individual and between the individual and their multiple
environments (family, school, peer, and neighborhood); The relation between youth
participation in constructive (e.g., sports, school clubs) and unconstructive (e.g.,
television) extracurricular activities and healthy developmental pathways; Promoting
healthy diet and physical activity in underserved adolescence; Motivational development
in adolescents.
Affiliated Faculty
Rosemarie Booze, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University, Professor
Dopaminergic/Parkinsonian-type deficits in HIV-1 and drugs of abuse; neurochemical
and neuroanatomical basis of dementia and other neurocognitive disorders.
Shauna M. Cooper, Ph.D., University of Michigan, Associate Professor
African American family processes; Father involvement and engagement; Positive development
among African American youth; Race-related Experiences (e.g., racial socialization;
racial discrimination) and youth well-being; Developmental transitions and school/psychological
adjustment; Family-, school- and community-level risk and protective factors; the
interplay between education and health.
Amanda Fairchild, Ph.D., Arizona State University, Professor
Intersection of mediation and moderation models and how the integration of these models
aids in program evaluation; effect size measures for mediation; measurement and evaluation
of programs and outcomes; and statistical pedagogy.
Steven Harrod, Ph.D., Kent State University, Professor
Processes by which prenatal nicotine exposure alters drug motivated behavior in offspring;
novel drugs’ potential ability to decrease drug taking behaviors; whether the sex
of the animal influences various drug effects.
Kimberly Hills, Ph.D., University of South Carolina, Clinical Professor
Autism diagnosis, psychological assessment, prevention and intervention for at-risk
youth, and positive psychology.
Matt Sanders, Ph.D., University of Queensland, Professor
Parenting and Family Support Center; prevention and treatment of psychopathology in
children and adolescents; parent training and family intervention.
Allison Sweeney, Ph.D. Stony Brook University, Assistant Professor
Community-based health promotion intervention development; Social environmental supports
for health behavior change; Mechanisms of health behavior change (social, cognitive,
environmental); Motivation (individual differences and tailoring approaches)
Abraham H. Wandersman, Ph.D., Cornell University, Professor Emeritus
Community psychology; environmental and ecological psychology; citizen participation;
community coalitions; program evaluation.
Douglas Wedell, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles, Professor
Representations and consequences of affect; context effects on music memory and preference;
bias in spatial memory; judgment and choice; probability judgment.
Sara Wilcox, Ph.D., Washington University, Professor, Department of Exercise Science, University of South Carolina