Expertise

Research Interests:

  • Adolescent and young adult development
  • Alcohol and substance use
  • Externalizing and internalizing behaviors and disorders
  • Gene-environment interplay
  • Individual difference-social context interplay
  • Parenting, peer, sibling, romantic relationships
  • Personality, individual differences, and behavior genetics
  • Risk, protective, and resilience factors

Research Projects:

  •  PreVenture in Alabama  
  • Identifying risk and protective factors for recurrent and potentially co-occurring mental health and problematic substance use at key developmental transitions: Addressing the unique needs of college students of color at a predominately white institution
  • College Experiences Leading to Chronic Alcohol Use Disorder and Depression
  • Persistence of Alcohol Use Disorders: Person and Environment Effects.

Keywords: Human Development and Family Science; Adolescent Development; Substance Use; Depression

 

Communities
Human Development
Degrees
PhD, University of Minnesota, Family Social Science, 2012
MA, University of Minnesota, Family Social Science, 2009
BA, University of Minnesota, Psychology, 2006
Keywords
adoption substance abuse adolescent health externalizing disorders adolescent and young adult development gene-environment interplay personality individual differences risk, protective, and resilience factors
Honors

Fellowship recipient, National institutes of Mental Health Neurobehavioral Aspects of Personality and Psychopathology Training Grant (MH017069), 2012-2013

McFarland Award (Dissertation Funding), Department of Family Social Science, University of Minnesota, 2011-2012

Waller Awards (Summer Research Grants), Department of Family Social Science, University of Minnesota, 2009-2011

Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Assistant Award, Department of Sociology, University of Minnesota, 2006

Associations
American Psychological Association (Division 7: Developmental Psychology)
Behavior Genetics Association
National Council on Family Relations
Society for Prevention Research
Society for Research on Adolescence
Society for Research on Child Development