Center Director

Beth Russell, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Department of Human Development & Family Sciences

Faculty Research Associate

Dr. Russell is an Assistant Professor of Human Development & Family Sciences at the University of Connecticut. Her professional interests include the study of parent-child relationships from birth through adolescence, the development of self-control and resilience, and intervention designs to prevent child maltreatment and promote family wellbeing. She has over a decade of experience as a parent educator and has specific interests in program assessment, including both process and outcome evaluations. Dr. Russell is a University of Connecticut Service Learning Fellow and sits on numerous editorial panels for peer review journals including Family Relations, Child Abuse & Neglect, and The Journal of Primary Prevention.

Steering Committee

Eva Lefkowitz, Ph.D.

Professor, Department of Human Development & Family Sciences

Faculty Research Associate

Eva S. Lefkowitz is currently a professor and Department Head of the Graduate Program in the Human Development and Family Sciences Department at the University of Connecticut. She received her bachelors degree from Brandeis University and her PhD in Developmental Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles. She has served as Associate Editor for Developmental Psychology, is a Founding Executive Council Member of the Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood, and chairs the Membership Committee of the Society for Research on Adolescence.

Her research focuses on sexuality during adolescence and emerging adulthood. She takes a developmental approach to studying sexual health, incorporating both sexual development and risk perspectives. She is interested both in how sexual and romantic relationships and experiences develop, and in predictors and outcomes of these relationships and behaviors (e.g., attitudes such as beliefs about gender, religiosity, communication with partners and others, consequences). Her most recent work includes CIEL (College Interactions and Experiences Lab Group), ULS (University Life Study), and Prosper-Peers.

Marlene Schwartz, Ph.D.

Professor, Department of Human Development & Family Sciences

Faculty Research Associate

Dr. Schwartz is Director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity. The mission of the Rudd Center is topromote solutions to childhood obesity, poor diet, and weight bias through research and policy. Dr. Schwartz earned her PhD in Psychology from Yale University in 1996. Prior to joining the Rudd Center, she served as Co-Director of the Yale Center for Eating and Weight Disorders from 1996 to 2006. She has collaborated with the Connecticut State Department of Education to evaluate nutrition and physical activity policies in schools and preschools. She has also served on the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Food Bank. Dr. Schwartz has received research grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the United States Department of Agriculture and the National Institutes of Health. She has studied school wellness policies, the preschool nutrition environment, the effect of food marketing on children, the relationship between food insecurity and diet quality, and how federal food programs can improve the accessibility and affordability of healthy foods in low-income neighborhoods.

In 2014, Dr. Schwartz received the Sarah Samuels Award from the Food and Nutrition Section of the American Public Health Association and in 2016, she was honored by the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame. Dr. Schwartz’s research and the Rudd Center are highlighted in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Public Health Law News – July 2017, Profile in Public Health Law: Marlene Schwartz, PhD.

Sandra Chafouleas, Ph.D.

Professor, Department of Educational Psychology

Faculty Research Associate

Dr. Sandra M. Chafouleas is a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology within the NeagSchool of Education. She also serves as Co-Director of the UConn Collaboratory on School and Child Health (CSCH). Dr. Chafouleas has demonstrated continued success with extramurally funded research since 2006, and contributes content expertise primarily related to school mental health and behavior assessment. She has authored over 150 publications, regularly serves as a national presenter and invited speaker. She is a fellow in both the American Psychological Association and Association for Psychological Science. She received the 2018 UConn Alumni Foundation award for Faculty Excellence in Research and Creativity Award in the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences; the 2016 APA Division 16 Oakland Mid-Career Scholar Award, the 2009 UConn Alumni Association award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching, and previously served as associate dean for The Graduate School (2012-2014) and then the associate dean for research in the Neag School (2014-2016). Prior to becoming a university trainer, she worked as a school psychologist and school administrator in a variety of settings dealing with children with behavior disorders.

Faculty Affiliates

Kari Adamsons, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Department of Human Development & Family Sciences

Faculty Research Associate

Kari Adamsons is an Associate Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Connecticut. Her research focuses on fathering, parenting, coparenting, and couple relationships, particularly during times of transition such as divorce, remarriage, and the transition to parenthood. She is the director of the UConn HDFS undergraduate honors program and Associate Department Head for Undergraduate Studies, and teaches courses on close relationships, parenting, and men and masculinity.

Terry Berthelot, MSW, JD

Lecturer, Department of Human Development & Family Sciences

Faculty Research Associate

Terry Berthelot is a Lecturer in Human Development and Family Sciences. Her research and advocacy is primarily about access to healthcare for people who are over sixty-five and for people with disabilities. She received her Masters degree in social work from Syracuse University, after which she designed, implemented, and then coordinated a Joint Commission Accredited hospice program in the Mississippi delta. Finding herself fascinated by the legal and ethical questions surrounding death and dying, Ms. Berthelot pursued her law degree at the University of Mississippi. After graduating, cum laude, Ms. Berthelot joined the Center for Medicare Advocacy, a national not-for-profit law firm. As a senior attorney, Ms. Berthelot oversaw the Center’s advocacy efforts. She also provided legal advice and representation to Medicare beneficiaries unfairly denied Medicare coverage or access to healthcare, wrote articles for national publications, produced educational materials, engaged in educational outreach activities with a particular focus on the Medicare hospice benefit, was a contributing author to the Medicare Handbook, and served as co-counsel for federal class action lawsuits challenging improper Medicare policies. Also while with the Center, Ms. Berthelot was the lead Medicare trainer for Connecticut’s State Health Insurance Assistance Program and for Connecticut’s Medicare Senior Patrol. Ms. Berthelot is a former chair of the steering committee for the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys’ Health Care Section and she is the former Connecticut liaison for National Healthcare Decisions Day. She is currently a member of the Mansfield Town Council.

Preston Britner, Ph.D.

Professor, Department of Human Development & Family Sciences

Faculty Research Associate

Dr. Britner is a Professor of Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Connecticut. He is a University Teaching Fellow, recipient of the Provost’s Award for Excellence in Public Engagement, a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, and Editor Emeritus of The Journal of Primary Prevention. He holds several editorial appointments and numerous professional service positions at university, state, and national levels. His research interests include single-system design evaluation, attachment-caregiving relationships, youth mentoring, child maltreatment prevention, housing and child welfare, higher education preparation for youth in foster care, and family-focused, community-based prevention/diversion programs for children, youth, and families.

Rachel Chazan Cohen, Ph.D.

Associate Professor and Director of Early Childhood, Department of Human Development & Family Sciences

Faculty Research Associate

Rachel Chazan Cohen is an Associate Professor and the Director of Early Childhood in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies. She has worked in both government and academic settings to bridge the worlds of policy, practice, and research in early childhood, bringing cutting-edge research to decision makers who make state and federal policies and to professionals who work directly with children and families in local communities. Her own research focuses on the biological, relational, and environmental factors influencing the development of children, and on the creation, evaluation, and improvement of intervention programs for families with infants and toddlers, including home visiting, child care, and Early Head Start. She believes strongly in the importance of 2-generation programs that support both children’s development as well as parents in their parenting roles. Rachel is the scientific director of the National Research Conference on Early Childhood and coordinator of the Network of Infant Toddler Researchers, both funded by the Administration for Children and Families in the US Department of Health and Human Services. She is also on the editorial board of the Infant Mental Health Journal. Rachel received her PhD in psychology at Yale University and a master’s degree in Child Study at Tufts University.

Kevin Ferreira van Leer, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Department of Human Development & Family Sciences

Faculty Research Associate

Kevin Ferreira van Leer, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Human Development & Family Sciences at the University of Connecticut. As an action researcher he examines the educational and cultural contexts that promote positive development and liberation for Latine immigrant families. Current research includes examining how Latine undergraduates understand student success and perceive “servingness” at a Hispanic Serving Institution (see the Using Our Voices HSI project) as well as investigating how structural factors, such as variation in social policy exclusions for immigrants, and the assets of immigrant communities, are associated with the wellbeing of immigrant families in the U.S (see the Elevating Equity project). Previous research includes the culturally-bounded decision-making process of choosing early childhood education settings for Latine migrant families as well as participatory action research with migrant communities in New England.

Kevin serves as a Board of Trustees member to United World College Costa Rica and has experiencing working in schools, grassroots and human rights organizations, and local and state policy advocacy. A scholar-activist, Kevin has been sought out for supporting educational institutions in addressing the ways that policy and practice create and perpetuate inequity for people of color, through extra- and inter- institutional efforts. Within the classroom, Kevin aims to co-construct knowledge and co-examine assumptions in the field while preparing students to critically examine their contexts with the aim of positively transforming them.

David Garvey, Ph.D.

Adjunct Professor, Department of Public Policy and Director, Nonprofit Leadership Program

Faculty Research Associate

David Garvey is the Director if the Department of Public Policy’s Nonprofit Leadership Program. The mission of the DPP’s Nonprofit Leadership Program is to strengthen the educational, communication and research infrastructure of the Connecticut and American nonprofit sector. Dr. Garvey has over twenty years of experience as a practitioner, editor, researcher, teacher and education designer in the nonprofit field. Prior to joining the University of Connecticut, Garvey founded and was executive editor of the New England Nonprofit Quarterly, now known nationally as the Nonprofit Quarterly.

Dr. Garvey is the Co-Director of Encore!Hartford, an award-winning experience and skills transition program for age 50+ managers and professionals seeking an encore career in the nonprofit sector, the Hispanic Leadership Institute sponsored by the Hispanic Federation, and is the Director of the department’s Internship and Professional Practice program. In partnership with the Urban Institute and the Connecticut Data Collaborative, Garvey was the principal investigator in the development of the Connecticut Nonprofit Strategy Platform, a web-based data resource on Connecticut nonprofits and communication tool for the Connecticut nonprofit sector.

Bruce Gould, MD, FACP

Associate Dean for Primary Care, School of Medicine, UConn Health

Faculty Research Associate

Much of Dr. Gould’s career has been focused on public engagement and service to the underserved, in one form or another. He came to the University of Connecticut in 1988 as the medical director at the Burgdorf Health Center, an inner city clinic jointly administered by UConn and Mt. Sinai Hospital (now St. Francis), addressing the needs of the underserved and serving as a major ambulatory teaching facility for the University.

In 1995, he was appointed the first Associate Dean for Primary Care at the University of Connecticut (UConn) School of Medicine. In this capacity, he established the Connecticut Area Health Education Center (CT AHEC) Network, which was awarded its Core Funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration in 1997 ($6,686,182) and has been continuously funded since that time. It programs include the Youth Health Service Corps, Collegiate Health Service Corps, and Urban Service Track. In 1996 he founded and remains the advisor to the Migrant Farmworker Free Mobile Clinic operating 3 nights per week during growing seasons.

Dr. Gould also serves as the Medical Director for the Community Health Center Association of CT’s Practice Transformation Network funded by the Center for Medicare/Medicaid Innovation and as Medical Director for the Hartford Department of Health and Human Services in Hartford, CT. He is the Principal Investigator for the State Innovation Model Grant’s Community Health Worker Workforce Development Initiative. He is also a Professor of Medicine at the (UConn) School of Medicine.

Malina Her, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Research and Teaching Scholar, Human Development and Family Sciences

Faculty Research Associate

Dr. Malina Her is a Postdoctoral Research and Teaching Scholar in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences. Her research interests are in situating families within the context of culture and learning how families navigate transitions. She is particularly interested in how divorce impacts parenting practices, relationships, and dynamics within immigrant and refugee groups. She draws on her experience in working with community-based organizations serving marginalized populations. Across her work, Dr. Her is interested in exploring how community driven resources influence the well-being of families.

Jessica Koslouski, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Educational Psychology

Faculty Research Associate

Dr. Jessica Koslouski is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Educational Psychology within the Neag School of Education. She works with Dr. Sandra Chafouleas and the UConn Collaboratory on School and Child Health (CSCH). Dr. Koslouski’s research focuses on supporting schools to meet the academic, social, emotional, and behavioral needs of students. She is particularly interested in the implementation and utilization of whole child and trauma-informed practices in schools. Dr. Koslouski draws on ten years of experience as a special education teacher, including time spent teaching internationally. Across her work, Dr. Koslouski is committed to supporting students, families, educators, and schools to cultivate equitable and supportive learning environments for all.

Maria LaRusso, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Department of Human Development & Family Sciences

Faculty Research Associate

Caitlin Lombardi, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Department of Human Development & Family Sciences

Faculty Research Associate

Dr. Caitlin Lombardi is an Assistant Professor in the Human Development and Family Sciences department at the University of Connecticut. Her research examines the roles of family, early child care, school and community for promoting children’s cognitive and social-emotional development, particularly in the context of economic and social disadvantages. The overarching goal of this research is to understand how policy can best promote young children’s development. Dr. Lombardi has experience working on education, health, and social policy in the U.S. Senate, is a member of the editorial board for Applied Developmental Science, and serves on the Science and Social Policy Committee for the Society for Research in Child Development.

Laura Mauldin, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Department of Human Development & Family Sciences

Faculty Research Associate

Dr. Laura Mauldin is an Assistant Professor with a joint appointment in the Human Development and Family Sciences Department and the Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies Department. Dr. Mauldin is currently researching family narratives about obtaining a cochlear implant for their deaf child, particularly when the the outcome was not considered “successful.” Her other research interests include the social, cultural, and ethical aspects of health, illness and healthcare; disability studies/Deaf studies; science and technology studies (STS); the impact of medical knowledge on motherhood; disability/chronic illness and care negotiation in the family; and feminist theory, the body, and identity. Dr. Mauldin is also on the Board of Corporators for the American School for the Deaf and maintains her national interpreting certification with the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf.

Bianca Montrosse-Moorhead, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, School of Education

Faculty Research Associate

Dr. Bianca Montrosse-Moorhead is an Associate Professor and Director of UConn’s Online Learning for the Research Methods, Measurement, and Evaluation program. As an evaluation researcher, educator, and practitioner, Dr. Montrosse-Moorhead specializes in evaluation methodology, theory, practice, and capacity building. Her research focuses on improving evaluation quality, evaluator education, and conducting applied studies of policies and educational interventions designed to promote student learning and educational equity. From 2018-2021, she served as the Vice Chair for the International Society for Evaluation Education that seeks to improve the quality of evaluation education across the globe.

Nathanael Okpych, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, School of Social Work

Faculty Research Associate

Dr. Nathanael Okpych is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work. His professional experience in social services and higher education dovetail to inform his research on factors that influence postsecondary education outcomes for youth with foster care experience. His work focuses on youth characteristics (e.g., social networks and social support), policies, and programs. Dr. Okpych has published widely in this area, including a sole-authored book Climbing a Broken Ladder: Contributors of College Success for Youth in Foster Care (Rutgers University Press, 2021). He is currently involved in several research projects including a multi-year study in California (CalYOUTH Study), a qualitative study examining the experiences of youth with foster care backgrounds in college, and an analysis of state administrative data on disparities and predictors of college outcomes for youth in Connecticut foster care.

Chris Rhoads, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Department of Educational Psychology

Faculty Research Associate

Dr. Christopher Rhoads received his Ph.D. in Statistics from Northwestern University (NU) and is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology in the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut, where he teaches classes in research design and quantitative methods. He entered his current position following a three-year post-doctoral fellowship at the Institute for Policy Research at NU. Dr. Rhoads’ research focuses on methodological and statistical approaches to improving causal inference in policy-relevant research, particularly in the design and analysis of large field studies for the purposes of policy evaluation. He has published articles in outlets such as Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics, Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness and British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology and is acknowledged as an outstanding peer reviewer for two scholarly journals.

Dr. Rhoads is currently a member of research teams conducting evaluation and efficacy grants in the areas of educational technology, (Institute for Education Sciences Goal 3) and housing and child welfare (Administration for Children and Families) and serves on the advisory boards for several IES and NSF funded projects. He is co-PI for the National Center for Research on Gifted Education at the University of Connecticut. He is also currently co-PI for an IES Goal 1 development grant and co-I for an IES sponsored Javits grant. He is a regular presenter at the IES funded Summer Research Training Institute for Cluster Randomized Trials, where he lectures on the topic of longitudinal models. He is an active consultant on research design and methodological issues to research teams in the areas of both education and the social services.

JoAnn Robinson, Ph.D.

Emeritus Professor, Department of Human Development & Family Sciences

Faculty Research Associate

Dr. Robinson is a professor of Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Connecticut. Her professional interests include prevention and early intervention for families and young children, impact of interventions on emotional development and parent-child relationships, infant mental health, and assessment of emotional development ages 0-8 years.

Ronald Sabatelli, Ph.D.

Emeritus Professor, Department of Human Development & Family Sciences

Faculty Research Associate

Dr. Sabatelli is a Senior Research Associate at the CARHD. He is a Professor and Department Head in Human Development and Family Sciences. Dr. Sabatelli’s research interests include family interaction processes; processes mediating the formation, maintenance, and breakup of intimate dyads; measurement and assessment of the qualities and dimensions of intimate partnerships and family functioning; the influence of family-of-origin factors upon the structure and experience of parenthood; and adolescent and young adult development. He is currently the editor of Family Relations, an Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Studies, published on behalf of the National Council on Family Relations.

Vida Samuel, Ph.D.

Faculty Research Associate, Department of Human Development & Family Sciences

Faculty Research Associate

Dr. Vida Samuel is an Assistant Professor in Residence of Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Connecticut – Stamford. She is a scholar in women’s studies and intercultural communication and teaches undergraduate courses in human sexuality, relationships across the lifespan and gendered communication. Her primary and secondary professional interests include, women and sexuality, sexuality and aging, intercultural and interpersonal communication in intimate relationships at the intersection of age, inter-gender communication, relationship of school success to post-secondary access for students in under-represented and underserved communities, first generation students and formally removed students. She is a contributor to CUNY’s College Now Program curricula – a program that allows qualified New York City public high school students to enroll in courses that earn college credit and provides academic enrichment programs as a foundation for academic success. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes students’ unique experiences as a significant contribution to the classroom environment. She wrote about the “War on Women” for Higher Heights for America, which reported on how voting laws and healthcare legislation impacted girls and women of color. She sits on the board of LiveGirl, a Fairfield County nonprofit with a focus on empowering diverse girl populations through strategic mentorship and leadership development. Dr. Samuel served on the scholarship evaluation committee for the Mandela-Washington Fellows program. She is a frequent speaker at women centered summits and organizations. She earned a BSW from Wheelock College at Boston University, a Masters of Arts in interpersonal communication from New York University and a PhD with a focus in intercultural communication and women’s studies at Howard University.

Rachel Tambling, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Human Development and Family Sciences

Faculty Research Associate

Dr. Tambling is an Associate Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science. From 2015-2019, she was the Director of the MA and PhD Programs in Marriage and Family Therapy. Dr. Tambling’s research is centered on intervention and service utilization in mental health care. She is specifically interested in treatment initiation, client engagement, and client processes of change during psychotherapy. Dr. Tambling is also interested in health equity, and the ways in which social determinants of health impact mental health and substance use treatment services help-seeking, utilization, and reimbursement. She is interested in research that explores ways to address barriers to health equity, including expanding the availability of couple and family therapy to populations who typically do not access or fail to benefit from therapy, and understanding the complex components of effective engagement and change during therapy.

Alex Tsarkov, JD

Executive Director, Connecticut Sentencing Commission

Faculty Research Associate

Alex Tsarkov is the Executive Director of the Connecticut Sentencing Commission. The Commission is staffed through the Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy at the University of Connecticut School of Public Policy. As Director, Alex assists the Commission in its mission to review pre-trial and sentencing policies and make policy recommendations to the General Assembly and the Governor. Prior to joining the Commission, Alex worked for the Judicial Branch Court Support Services Division and before that at the Connecticut General Assembly. Alex holds a Master of Public Policy degree from Trinity College and is a graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Law.

Ryan Watson, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Department of Human Development & Family Sciences

Faculty Research Associate

Dr. Watson is an Assistant Professor of Human Development & Family Sciences at the University of Connecticut. His professional interests include the study of sexual and gender minority youth health and well-being. He has been funded by the National Science Foundation, Ford Foundation, and Canadian Institutes of Health Research. He has published over 25 peer-reviewed articles focused on substance use, disordered eating, and mental health among sexual and gender minorities. Recently, his scholarship has expanded to include HIV risk for young adults of color, hooking up, and educational experiences. Dr. Watson is a consulting editor for the Journal of Research on Adolescence, has leadership roles at the Society for Research on Adolescence, and is part of multiple national organizations that explore the health of sexual and gender minority individuals.

Na Zhang, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Department of Human Development & Family Sciences

Faculty Research Associate

As a family scholar and prevention scientist, her program of research centers around the intra- and inter-personal pathways involved in the development of psychopathology and resilience among youth and adults who were exposed to stressful or traumatic experiences. One major focus of her research is on the development and evaluation of behavioral parent training programs that consider parents as the agents of change. For example, Dr. Zhang has evaluated the proximal or distal outcomes, mechanisms of change, and implementation processes of these programs including how improved parenting may lead to resilience or maladaptation outcomes in children from at-risk families (e.g., post-deployed military families, parentally bereaved families, and divorced families). Her current program of research has focused on mindfulness training as an effective intervention strategy to strengthen and optimize parenting programs. Individuals with high levels of trait mindfulness are found to embrace an accepting, compassionate attitude towards themselves and others. Dr. Zhang considers mindfulness training as a promising approach to reducing parents’ mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, and stress, and to increasing parents’ responses to a behavioral parent training program that focuses on effective parenting.