Congratulations to HDFS graduate student Nate Stekler, newly elected Communications Specialist for the National Council on Family Relations Research (NCFR) and Theory Section.

Alyssa Clark entered the Ph.D. program in Fall 2019 and successfully defended her dissertation in June. She is dedicated to the study of adult romantic relationships, with a focus on LGBTQ+ relationships, physical behaviors, and relationship satisfaction and maintenance, with the goal of promoting healthy and positive relationship experiences. She conducts primarily mixed-methods and qualitative research based on these interests with her doctoral advisor, Dr. Eva Lefkowitz in the DASH lab. Alyssa has also collaborated on projects in the SHINE lab, under the mentorship of Dr. Ryan Watson and Dr. Kay Simon, studying asexual teens’ mental health and school experiences, in addition to the perceptions adult MSM have about how PrEP usage impacts sexual freedom.

Alyssa’s dissertation focused on adults’ sexual and affectionate behaviors in the context of romantic partner relationships. She collected original data to write three papers using both quantitative and qualitative analyses. Overall, results from these papers highlight that adults’ sexual and affectionate behaviors within romantic relationships have similar individual and relational correlates. These results advance our understanding of what factors matter for adults’ physical behaviors and how these behaviors are associated with sexual and relationship satisfaction. They also suggest how clinicians might address physical behaviors and satisfaction in adults’ romantic relationships.

In addition to conducting research while at UConn, Alyssa has also had the privilege of mentoring and teaching students in several HDFS courses, including Infancy Through Adolescence and Family Interaction Processes.

Alyssa is excited for her next professional steps and future endeavors. This fall, she will be joining the College of Wooster’s psychology department as the Walter D. Foss Endowed Visiting Assistant Professor. She will be teaching courses in human sexuality and close relationships, and will be working with students to conduct independent research on LGBTQ+ issues and romantic relationships.

In her spare time, Alyssa enjoys distance biking, cooking, sewing, crocheting, and sharing books with her friends.

Tracy Walters is a PhD candidate who studies sexuality development, including parental messages about sex and adolescents’ and young adults’ sexual attitudes, motives for sex, sexual behavior, and sex-related outcomes and experiences. She primarily conducts quantitative and mixed-methods research related to these interests with her doctoral advisor, Dr. Eva Lefkowitz. Tracy has also collaborated on projects with Drs. Sara Vasilenko and Christina Ross, and members of Dr. Lefkowitz’s DASH lab on topics related to college students’ sex-related consequences, female adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health, and LGBTQ+ college students’ romantic relationships and well-being.

Tracy successfully defended her dissertation in May on correlates of young adults’ sexual behavior and consequences. She wrote three papers using two different young adult samples and a range of methodologies. The findings from these papers advance our knowledge of caregivers’ sex-related messages and young adults’ sex-related consequences and further our understanding of gender identity and sexual orientation differences in these messages and consequences. In particular, the findings highlight the need for, and inform the development of, sexual health resources and interventions for caregivers and youth.

In addition to research, Tracy loves to teach and work with undergraduate students. While at UConn, she had the opportunity to teach Adolescent Development and Diversity Issues in HDFS, as well as advise students in the HDFS Student Services Center. She was recognized for her teaching with the 2021 Outstanding Instructor in Human Development and Family Sciences Award and the 2022 University Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award from the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. In the fall, Tracy will continue to pursue her love of teaching as an Assistant Professor of Psychology in the Department of Integrated Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater at Rock County.

When she’s not busy with work, Tracy enjoys reading books, traveling, baking, volunteering with an animal rescue (she fostered seven dogs in the last 1.5 years), and spending time with her family, friends, and dog.