Hilal Kuscul (who successfully defended her dissertation this summer!) started her position as Visiting Assistant Professor at SUNY Oswego – you can see her in this photo of new faculty on their campus
Author: Janice Berriault
Alumna Constanza Cabello VP of Equity Programs
Constanza Cabello (BA ’08) just celebrated her one year anniversary as VP of Equity Programs at State Street, a financial services provider.
Alum Nick Koberstein named 2022 Professor of the Year
Dr. Nicholas Koberstein (PhD ’16), founding associate professor of Child and Family Studies at Keuka College, was named the college’s 2022 Professor of the Year! Congratulations!
Madeline Jones, HDFS Grad Student Spotlight, September 2022
Madeline Jones (Hebert) received her Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry from Spring Hill College (AL) in 2019 with a minor in Philosophy. She graduated summa cum laude and was a member of various honor societies, including Sigma Alpha Nu. In addition, she was awarded the President’s Scholar Award in Biochemistry, a faculty-nominated award for a senior excelling in biochemistry. In 2022, she received her Master of Science degree in psychology from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Her first year, she was nominated for Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant, and the next year, was awarded the Richard G. Neiheisel Phi Beta Kappa Graduate Award, awarded to a graduating master’s student from one of the classical Arts and Sciences curriculum.
Madeline joined UConn’s HDFS graduate program in 2022 to work with Dr. Eva Lefkowitz. Her general research interests are in understanding how sexuality and gender expression influence the development and maintenance of close relationships. Specifically, Madeline is interested in the relationship experiences of LGBTQIA+ individuals and couples, especially romantic ones, and how intersecting identities, such as political or religious identities, may impact these relationships. She hopes to improve discussion, understanding, and overall relationship quality and satisfaction.
Madeline began studying sexuality as an undergraduate student, but officially shifted career paths when she spent a year volunteering in the Sexuality and Secularity lab run by Dr. Dena Abbott and attended classes at Louisiana Tech University. From this work, Madeline, Dr. Abbott, and colleagues published a paper on sexual education in predoctoral internships.
In 2020, Madeline began a master’s program in psychology working with Dr. Hung-Chu Lin in her Developmental Science Laboratory. There, she assisted Dr. Lin and the lab in exploring adverse childhood experiences, sexual self-esteem, and romantic attachments. In addition, Madeline worked with Dr. Lin on her thesis on discrimination based on gender and sexuality. Specifically, she explored how men’s perceived non-conforming gender expression and sexual orientation affect social distance and what factors mitigate and exacerbate this effect. Madeline and Dr. Lin are in the process of publishing her thesis and continue to collaborate on projects related to romantic attachment and non-conformity.
As a new student, Madeline looks forward to actively participating in her lab and its multiple research projects. She is especially excited to work on projects related to the developmental aspects of sexual health and religious identity, LGBTQIA+ college students’ relational and general well-being, and romantic relationship development. In addition, she hopes to pursue a graduate certificate in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Lastly, she looks forward to teaching and getting involved on campus through leadership positions and graduate school activities.
In her spare time, Madeline enjoys exploring restaurants, watching movies, and attending local festivals and farmer’s markets. She looks forward to exploring Connecticut and New England’s food and trails. Upon obtaining her Ph.D., Madeline aspires to become a professor and continue her research on sexuality and gender in relationships.
Tatiana Melendez-Rhodes, HDFS Alumni Spotlight, September 2022
Dr. Tatiana Melendez-Rhodes came to the United States as a Fulbright Scholar to pursue a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at the University of Connecticut in 2003. She continued her doctoral studies in Marriage and Family Therapy and graduated in 2010 from UConn. During graduate school Dr. Melendez-Rhodes gained professional experience as a researcher, teaching assistant, and clinician. In 2019, she pursued advanced training and received a Program Evaluation Graduate Certificate from UConn.
Through the years, Dr. Melendez-Rhodes has maintained a professional collaboration with Dr. Ronald Rohner on different projects related to Interpersonal Acceptance-Rejection Theory (IPARTheory). She became a participating member of UConn’s Ronald and Nancy Rohner Center for the Study of Interpersonal Acceptance and Rejection.
Dr. Melendez-Rhodes had previous professional experience as a psychologist in her native country of Peru. She taught graduate courses on marriage, family therapy, and supervision in universities in the United States, and has taught undergraduate courses in psychology and family and marriage therapy at universities in Peru. Dr. Melendez-Rhodes has worked in public hospitals, inpatient psychiatric hospitals, in private practice, and in outpatient mental health organizations in Connecticut, Oregon, Washington, and Peru. She has gained extensive clinical experience as a psychologist and marriage and family therapist and applies her knowledge and experience to her teaching and research.
Currently, Dr. Melendez-Rhodes is an Associate Tenured Professor and the Program Coordinator of the Marriage and Family Therapy Master’s Program in the Department of Counselor Education at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU). She previously served as a Clinical Coordinator at CCSU. She is very passionate about teaching, mentoring, and interacting with her students. Dr. Melendez-Rhodes has organized and developed international study abroad courses in her native country, Peru, for her CCSU students. As a faculty member, one of her primary goals is to train competitive and sensitive clinicians who will serve diverse communities to the best of their capacities.
In addition, Dr. Melendez-Rhodes is a licensed marriage and family therapist in Connecticut, a Clinical Fellow of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), and an AAMFT Approved Supervisor. She serves on the Board of the Connecticut Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (CTAMFT). Previously, she served as the Chair of the Ethics Committee and as a Minority Fellowship Program Mentor at AAMFT. She has presented her research in national and international conferences and published scholarly work in peer-reviewed journals.
Dr. Melendez-Rhodes resides in Simsbury with her husband and her son. She enjoys traveling abroad and knowing new people and cultures. She is very grateful for the strong education and support from her professors at UConn.
Mary Tabb Foley, HDFS Faculty Spotlight, September 2022
Kaleigh Ligus blogs on Medicare, patient care and policy impact
Check out HDFS grad student Kaleigh Ligus’ blog posts related to Medicare, Medicaid, policy impact, and more!
- Ligus, K. (2022). Medicare Advantage improves patient-centered care efficiency for older beneficiaries. Read blog here.
- Ligus, K. (2022). Medicaid expansion increased total physician visits but failed to bring in new physicians in early expansion states. Read blog here.
- Ligus, K. (2022). AHRQ Advances the Mission for Relevant, Effective Population Data. Read blog here.
- Ligus, K. (2022). Strategies for Maximizing Policy Impact. Read blog here.
- Ligus, K. & Caplan, J. (2022). Policymakers Need to Hear from Experts. Do You Know How to Reach Them? Read blog here.
Alum Wheeler DeAngelis works with BU colleagues to unionize
HDFS and Early Childhood alum Wheeler DeAngelis (2015), Infant/toddler mentor teacher at Boston University Children’s Center, worked with colleagues to vote to unionize the BU Children’s Center teachers. Learn more about these efforts here.
Laura Mauldin featured in UConn Today
Associate Professor Laura Mauldin featured in UConn Today for new website that provides solutions to everyday problems for disabled people and their caregivers. Read the article here.
Rachael Farina, articles featured in Forbes and Men’s Health
Graduate Student Rachael Farina was featured in an article by Forbes entitled, Commitment Issues: What You Need To Know, According To Experts. Read the Forbes article here. She was also featured in an article by Men’s Health entitled, A Growing Genre of Porn Can Teach You How to Be Better in Bed. Read the Men’s Health article here.