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.

Sarah R. Edmunds, Ph.D., University of Washington, Assistant Professor
My research focuses on: 1) the “active ingredients” by which early interventions for ASD work; 2) how transdiagnostic factors such as challenging behavior or emotion dysregulation may moderate the effectiveness of these interventions; and 3) strategies for implementing these interventions in early intervention systems such that they are tailored to each context and support equitable access (e.g., training and consultation methods). For example, my research is helping identify the most effective components of Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBIs), a group of early interventions for social communication challenges. Many NDBIs are parent-implemented. I am interested in whether prioritizing the “core” elements of NDBIs reduces family stress, increases provider and family buy-in, eases training and community dissemination, and improves child outcomes.

Caitlin Hudac, Ph.D. University of Nebraska, Associate Professor
Dr. Caitlin Hudac is a developmental cognitive neuroscientist studying the social brain in neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., autism spectrum disorder and related genetic conditions) and neurotypical populations across the lifespan from infancy into adulthood. Her work utilizes a variety of techniques (EEG/ERP, eye tracking, fMRI) to develop possible biomarkers and better understand cognitive mechanisms involved in social perception, social cognition, and social motivation.  

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.

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.

Guillermo Wippold, Ph.D., University of Florida, Assistant Professor
Guillermo Wippold’s program of research focuses on understanding cultural- and context-specific strategies to increase health-promoting behaviors (e.g., physical activity, healthy eating, coping adaptively with stress and depression) among underserved communities and individuals. These strategies then translate into the implementation of tailored interventions to increase health-promoting behaviors among individuals in these communities. He currently is currently PI on 3 external grants and Co-I on 1 internal grant. Among those grants, he is currently funded (as PI) by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop, implement, and assess a barbershop-based, community-informed, peer-to-peer intervention to promote health-related quality of life among Black men in South Carolina.