Alumni
Angelica received her Ph.D in the Human Development program at the University of Maryland. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from New York University and her Master of Arts in Human Development from Teachers College, Columbia University. Through her previous work as a research assistant at NYU's Center for Research on Culture, Development, and Education and as a research coordinator at NYU Langone Health, she became interested in the role that culture plays in shaping children’s early experiences. Her research interests include how Latino immigrant parents promote their young children’s development through everyday activities, as well as how parents’ documentation status affects parent-child interactions.
Rachel received her Ph.D in the Human Development program at the University of Maryland. She received a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Michigan, with a minor in Community Action and Social Change. Her research interests include father-child relationships and the impacts of father involvement on children’s emotional and social development throughout the lifespan. She is also interested in interventions to promote healthy development and resilience among low-income children, and public policy work pertaining to the improved support of low-income families.
Tina received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Economics from Grinnell College and her PhD in Human Development from the University of Maryland. Before coming to UMD, Tina worked as a lab manager with Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek at Temple University. Her research focuses on how parent-child interactions and home environment shape child outcomes. She is particularly interested in mothers and fathers from at-risk families and their input on and ways of interacting with their children.
Kelsey is an alumnus of the Family Involvement Lab as of 2021. Dr. McKee received her PhD in human development from the University of Maryland, where she also completed graduate certificates in Measurement, Statistics, and Evaluation, and Population Studies. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Arizona State University. Her past experience includes conducting in-home intervention programs with the Arizona child welfare system. Her interests lie in how parenting interventions can promote positive parent-child relationships and help parents to support children’s early social and emotional development, particularly low-income communities.
Avery is an alumnus of the Family Involvement Lab as of 2021. Dr. Hennigar received her PhD in human development from the University of Maryland, where she also completed graduate certificates in Measurement, Statistics, and Evaluation, and Population Studies. She received her Bachelor of Science in Public Health, Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, and Master of Public Health from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Currently, Dr. Hennigar is a Researcher in the Children, Youth, and Families division at Mathematica. Avery's program of research focuses on parenting and parent-child relationships in early childhood, with a particular emphasis on the role of fathers and father-child relationships to investigate the unique effects fathers have on a range of children’s developmental outcomes. Her work emphasizes the role of these family processes and family relationships on children in the context of poverty and within and across ethnic minority populations.
Catherine is an alumnus of the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology at the University of Maryland, where she also completed a Certificate in Population Studies from the Maryland Population Research Center. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Pennsylvania State University and her Master of Science in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from Fordham University. Dr. Kuhns is a research associate in the Center on Labor, Human Services, and Population at the Urban Institute. Her research focuses on child welfare and public programs that support the well-being of low-income children and families. She is also interested in using research to inform policy at the local, state, and federal levels to enhance child well-being.
Daniela is an alumnus of the Family Involvement Lab. She earned her undergraduate degree in psychology from the Universidad de Chile and received her Master of Arts degree and PhD in Human Development from the University of Maryland. Currently, she is a research faculty at the Centro de Apego y Regulación Emocional (CARE) at the Universidad del Desarrollo in Santiago, Chile. Her research interests include the study of parent-child relationships in disadvantaged populations during the preschool years. She has focused in understanding the development of emotional competences, executive functions, and language in children at risk and how mothers and father can promote an optimal development in their children. She teaches courses for psychlogy undergraduate and doctoral students and directs the Familia, Adolescencia e Infancia lab.
Liz received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from The College of William and Mary, her Master of Arts in Comparative Human Development from the University of Chicago, and her PhD in Human Development from the University of Maryland. Dr. Karberg is a Social Science Research Analyst in the Administration for Children and Families’ Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE). She studies parent-child relationships in fragile families (families in which the parents are not married), and how parent involvement affects early development in these families.
Jenessa is an alumnus of the Family Involvement Lab. She is a Senior Social Science Research Analyst in the Administration for Children and Families’ Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE). Her portfolio includes research and evaluation projects related to child welfare and early care and education programs (Head Start and CCDF). Dr. Malin began her work at OPRE as a Society for Research in Child Development Executive Branch Policy Fellow. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from Duke University. She also has an M.A. in Measurement, Statistics, and Evaluation and a Ph.D. in Human Development, both from the University of Maryland, College Park.