Andrea Lopez Salazar is a researcher, educator, and leader with a history of working in the K-12, higher education, and nonprofit sectors. Andrea graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2014 with a B.A. in Human Development and Family Studies and a minor in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. She credits her experience at UConn as fundamental […]

Peter McCauley joined the HDFS department in the Fall of 2022 and is working with Dr. Ryan Watson. Before coming to UConn, he attended the University of Kentucky, earning a B.A. in Psychology with minors in Spanish and Linguistics and graduated Summa Cum Laude. While at the University of Kentucky, he was a research assistant […]

Maria LaRusso is a developmental psychologist and interdisciplinary scholar with research that integrates perspectives and approaches from human development, psychology, health, education, and anthropology. However, her work has been most profoundly shaped by her training in Human Development, and in particular Bioecological Systems Theory which explains how development is shaped through interactions between the individual […]

The New York Times recently interviewed Professor Rebecca Puhl on the new American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines on treatment for childhood obesity. Read the article here.

Associate Professor Ryan Watson was featured in an article on how state laws restricting the rights of LGBTQ+ youth are detrimental to their mental health. Read the article at 19thnews.org.

Congratulations to Hyanghee Lee (’18 PhD), who is now an assistant professor of Educational Psychology at University of North Texas.

Are you interested in a career working with young children and their families? Many career paths intersect with young children/their development and having a foundation of knowledge of young children’s development can help you be more successful in your career.  If you have questions about career options or want to learn more about this specialized […]

Congratulations to Mamta Saxena (’13 PhD HDFS), for winning second place in the NCFR Cognella Innovation in Teaching Family Science Award. Read more about it here.

Marea Tsamaase received her Ph.D. from HDFS in May 2019. Prior to joining the UConn doctoral program, Marea attained a Masters of Science in Family and Consumer Science from Ball State University as a Fulbright Scholar. She also earned a Masters of Education in Educational Management and a Bachelor of Education in Home Economics from […]

Madison Mas is a first year Ph.D. student working with Dr. Beth Russell. Originally from New Mexico, Madison moved to Tucson, Arizona to begin her undergraduate career. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Arizona with a B.S. in Family Studies and Human Development and a B.A. in Psychology. While studying at the […]