Dr. Joshua Brown to serve on Steering Committee of the University-Based Child and Family Policy Consortium

Dr. Joshua Brown has been elected to serve as one of five Senior Representatives on the Steering Committee of the University-Based Child and Family Policy (CFP) Consortium.

The Consortium includes over 35 member institutions, and focuses on advancing scientific collaboration on child and family policy issues, cross-disciplinary undergraduate and graduate training to support the next generation of child and family policy researchers, and effective translation of research-to-policy and research-to-practice. The Consortium holds weekly calls and regular web-available presentations by researchers and policy scholars open to all faculty and graduate students in the Applied Developmental Psychology program.

Alumni Accomplishments: Jessica H. Mirman, PhD

Fordham Psychology ADP alumna, Jessica H. Mirman, PhD, recently had a paper published in JAMA Ped about her research on teen drivers. The paper describes the results of a randomized controlled trial to test the effect of a parenting intervention on parents' supervision of pre-licensed teen drivers.

The intervention, developed by Dr. Mirman and her colleagues, called TeenDrivingPlan (TDP), is the first to successfully demonstrate that parents can be trained to be more effective practice supervisors and that this supervision is directly linked to teens' skill acquisition.

More information can be found on Dr. Mirman's blog post announcement.

Applied Developmental Psychology Student Wins 2014 APA Division 52 Student International Research Award

Sheena Jeswani, Applied Developmental Psychology, is one of four students awarded the 2014 APA Division 52 Student International Research Award, which recognizes promising graduate student research in international psychology.

Sheena submitted her Master's thesis, which focuses on social support, coping strategies, well-being, and depression in Filipino and American college students.

Congratulations, Sheena!

Dr. Jopp's Centenarian Research Featured In The New York Times

Daniela S. Jopp, Ph.D. was recently interviewed for an article published in The New York Times about the Fordham Centenarian Study, a research projected directed by Dr. Jopp on the characteristics and experiences of people who approach 100 years of age.

Dr. Jopp discusses some of the main findings of her work, which indicates that people approaching 100 years of age tend to have a positive attitude despite having “on average between four and five illnesses, which are pretty disabling and hinder them from doing the things they want to do.”  Dr. Jopp’s work suggests that the key is their ability to accept and adapt to their impairments. Very old individuals also tend to be extroverted, have strong social networks, and exhibit “self-efficacy,” which is a feeling that they are in control of their own lives. Dr. Jopp also discusses a new phenomenon where, due to longer life expectancies, some parents and children are experiencing old age together, which can create unique challenges for a family.

The full article can be read on The New York Times website here.

Dr. Jopp is Assistant Professor of Psychology in the Applied Developmental Program and the head of the Adult Developmental and Aging Lab and the Fordham Centenarian Study.

Fordham Coalition Forms to Advocate for Better Understanding of Autism

By Chris Gosier

A coalition of Fordham professors, students, and administrators has come together around the goal of improving the lives of autistic people by changing the way they're treated in American society.

It’s a long-brewing effort that made strides in November 2013 with a conference among Fordham researchers, educators, and representatives of advocacy groups from outside the University. Next up are more conferences, research, and efforts to change policies and attitudes surrounding the capabilities of autistic people and how they can best be helped.

The full article can be read here on Inside Fordham.

Applied Developmental Psychology Student Interviewed for Psychology Today

Amanda Leeder, Applied Developmental Psychology, was recently interviewed for an article entitled “Quantifying Engagement in Autism Education Models,” published online on the Breaking Barriers blog of Psychology Today magazine. Amanda was one of several experts invited to contribute to an article focusing on the use of empirical data to evaluate and improve current teaching methods, educational programs, and therapeutic interventions developed for students with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Amanda was interviewed about her expertise with researching and implementing therapeutic interventions for ASD in home and school settings. She discussed the necessity for the fields of psychology and education to rely on the integrity of scientific research for evaluation of the utility and efficacy of therapeutic interventions and education programs. However, the development of evidenced-based practices for ASD has been limited.

“While it is no surprise that the term ‘evidenced-based practice’ holds a lot of weight, the evaluation of educational interventions for the ASD population is still in its nascent stages, partly due to the challenge of quantifying implementation practices and goals for these learners.”

Amanda said the paucity of research that is considered valid and reliable can be a problem and misguide families seeking effective treatment and education programs for a child with ASD.

“Many families of individuals with autism assume that a particular approach will be successful for their child, based on anecdotal evidence, case studies, or because an approach is ‘evidence based’. While in twenty years this term will be a reliable indicator of which school parents should enroll their child, the current state of research on autism education does not allow for this approach.”

She concluded the interview with a recommendation for families with a child who is currently in need of these services.

“The best bet for families right now is to comprehensively research what therapies and educational approaches are out there, and try to seek out professionals and experts in the field who will give them unbiased answers about autism education.”

Amanda came to Fordham after obtaining a Masters degree in general psychology from New York University. She plans to complete her dissertation on the role that non-ASD siblings play in ASD children's development. She is also completing her practicum at Emerge & See Education Center in Manhattan, where she works with therapists to develop new methods to teach basic conversation skills to children with ASD.

The full article can be read on the Psychology Today website.

Faculty Achievements - Dr. Celia Fisher chairs SRCD policy committee

The Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects, or “Common Rule”, provides the basis for Institutional Review Boards, such as the one at Fordham University, to evaluate research involving infants, children, and adolescents.  It was last revised in 1991 in a time when most research was conducted in universities, colleges, and medical institutions and took place at a single site.

Dr. Celia B. Fisher, Ph.D.

The United States Department of Health and Human Services is proposing to update the Common Rule policies in response to ambiguities in the current framework highlighted by the expansion of human subject research into other disciplines and an increase in multi-site studies.  Any changes to these policies would have a significant impact on institutional research in the social and behavioral sciences involving minors.

Dr. Celia Fisher has recently served as the chairperson of a task force convened by the Society for Research and Child Development (SRCD) charged with the creation of a report that ensures that any proposed changes to the “Common Rules” serve the interests of and do not present barriers to the responsible conduct of socio-behavioral research.  The resulting report, “Preserving and Enhancing the Responsible Conduct of Research Involving Children and Youth - A Response to Proposed Changes in Federal Regulations” provides recommendations to policy makers for ensuring the responsible conduct of child and adolescent research in whatever final regulatory changes are enacted.

In this report, Dr. Fisher and her colleagues note that the regulations as currently specified in the “Common Rule” were originally created with biomedical research in mind and that the application of these policies to social and behavioral research has created barriers to conducting research with children and youth.  

The complete report can be obtained from the SRCD web site.
 
Resources

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects ('Common Rule')

Social Policy Report - “Preserving and Enhancing the Responsible Conduct of Research Involving Children and Youth: A Response to Proposed Changes in Federal Regulations” (PDF)

News Release - HHS announces proposal to improve rules protecting human research subjects

Faculty Achievements - Dr. Tiffany Yip

Dr. Tiffany Yip

Dr. Tiffany Yip, current director of the graduate program in Applied Developmental Psychology, has recently joined the Editorial Board of the APA Div 45 Journal "Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology" as an Associate Editor.

She has also been elected as a Fellow of the American Psychological Association to divisions 45 (The Society for the Psychological Study of Ethnic Minority Issues) and 7 (Developmental Psychology).

To learn more about Dr. Yip, her research, and her scholarly achievements, visit her faculty Web page.

Dr. Ann Higgins-D’Allessandro publishes “Handbook of Prosocial Education”

Dr. Ann Higgins-D'Allessandro

Dr. Ann Higgins-D'Alessandro has recently published the Handbook of Prosocial Education with Philip Brown, Rutgers, and Michael Corrigan, Marshall University.

She authored Chapter 1:The Second Side of Education, arguing for the necessity of developing shared perspectives and research methods to identify effective teaching across interventions ranging from character and social-emotional learning to mindfulness and diversity education and from democracy and civics to service learning and afterschool programs that promote students' personal and social development that, in turn, supports their academic learning in classrooms, schools, and after school.

Roger Weissberg, NoVo Endowed Chair of Social and Emotional Learning, University of Illinois-Chicago, states that, “Leading scientists and educators' chapters are scholarly, research-based, and practical. This landmark volume will shape education, research, practice, and policy for years to come!”

Dr. Higgins-D’Alessandro is member and former director of the Psychology Department’s Applied Developmental Psychology program.  For more information about her research and scholarly achievements, visit her faculty Web page.

Event recap: Centenarian Study Reception

On November 11th, 2012, Dr. Daniela Jopp of the Applied Developmental Psychology program hosted the Fordham Centenarian Study Reception to honor participants in her two-year study. There were over 70 guests in attendance including 10 centenarians, Fordham administration and faculty, study staff and special guest, Grant Campany of Archon Genomics X PRIZE.

Dr. Daniela Jopp

Fordham Dean of Research Nancy Busch welcomed reception guests and opened the event. Dr. Jopp introduced attending centenarians and gave an overview of preliminary findings of the Fordham Centenarian Study. The study documents the experience of life at age 100 and intends to bring awareness to a growing, but rarely studied population. Dr. Jopp emphasized the challenges centenarians face, for example with respect to health, but stressed that most centenarians who participated in the study indicated to enjoy and value their life. She also highlighted the fact that centenarians have high levels of psychological strengths, such as feeling in control, experiencing life as meaningful, and wanting to live, which helps them to be happy and satisfied and may have contributed to reaching such an advanced age. Mr. Campany presented the 100 Over 100 Competition, noting its significance in learning more about genes that promote longevity and health in centenarians and consequently its imminent impact on healthcare. Two centenarians shared experiences and their take on their own longevity with the audience.

Reception guests enjoyed hearing about Fordham Centenarian Study and getting the chance to meet and learn more about centenarians.

In the future, Dr. Jopp intends to follow up with the study through a project focused on the perspective of the caretakers, children and relatives of the centenarians. She is currently planning on presenting results of the study at the upcoming Gerontological Society of America Conference. Dr. Jopp has recently been featured in Psychology Today and the Financial Times Germany in interviews about her work.

For more information about the Centenarian Study and Dr. Jopp’s other projects, visit the Web page for Dr. Jopp’s Adult Development and Aging Lab.

Sara Douglass, M.A., awarded SPSSI grant

The Fall 2012 Grant-in-Aid Program Committee members and The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI) have announced that Sara Douglass has been selected to receive a grant in the amount of $400 to support her dissertation research.  The announcement of this award will be made in an upcoming SPSSI Newsletter.

Sara is completing her dissertation in the Applied Developmental Psychology program and is expected to graduate in May.

Dr. Laura Sosinsky elected to CFPC’s Steering Committee

Dr. Laura Stout Sosinsky, Ph.D.

The Applied Developmental Psychology (ADP) program has a leadership role in the national University-Based Child & Family Policy Consortium (CFPC), which includes over 30 member programs and centers across the US.

ADP faculty member Laura Sosinsky has recently been elected to CFPC’s Steering Committee and will help provide input on and support for the direction of CFPC activities and initiatives around research, career development, and engagement with practice and policy.  In addition, she continues to be part of the CFPC leadership group for the Initiative for Evidence-Based Early Childhood Policy and Practice, which will strive to support existing collaboration and generate new interaction among early childhood scientists and policy experts across the country.

Dr. Wallace awarded Carolyn Payton Early Career Award

Fordham alumnus, Dr. Scyatta A. Wallace, was recently honored with the Carolyn Payton Early Career Award from APA. Dr. Wallace received her PhD in Applied Developmental Psychology in 2002 from Fordham University, where she specialized in child and adolescent health. Upon graduation, she completed a research fellowship at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, GA where she worked on domestic and international HIV/AIDS programs. Dr. Wallace’s current research focuses on the influence of neighborhood context and sociocultural norms on HIV risk among urban Black youth.  Her work also includes the design and implementation of gender specific and culturally-tailored interventions to promote health and health care utilization among Black youth.   In addition, she is interested in the promotion of community consultation as a tool for addressing ethical concerns in behavioral and mental health research with vulnerable populations.  Dr. Wallace is currently a professor of Psychology at St. John’s University in Queens, NY.  The Fordham psychology department is proud to congratulate Dr. Wallace on her accomplishments!

Dr. Jopp's Centenarian Research Gains Media Attention

Dr. Daniela Jopp spearheads the Fordham Centenarian Study.  The research program investigates the specifics of life at age 100 - how well are centenarians doing, what are the difficulties that they face in everyday life, activities they like to engage in, and how satisfied are they with their lives.  A central aim of the research is investigating psychological factors that enable these very old individuals to handle everyday challenges in a positive way.

Dr. Jopp and the Fordham Centenarian Study have been featured recently on Web MD.  Jopp was quoted about her recent research findings, stating, "We Know personality has a strong genetic background...[Those who live to 100] seem to have a very special psychological makeup."  Read the full article on WebMD.

Dr. Jopp was also interviewed by CBS New York, watch the full feature on centenarians and Dr. Jopp's important research: Super-Agers: Genetic or Good Attitude?

S-R-A Grant Awarded to ADP Graduate Student Sara Douglass

The Innovative Small Grants Program is sponsored by the Society for Research on Adolescence Study Groups Committee, and supports research on adolescence that is innovative in terms of the subject being explored or the methods being employed. A grant was awarded to Sara Douglass, a graduate student in the Applied Developmental Psychology Program, for her proposed research on racial/ethnic teasing behaviors in adolescence, which she is currently exploring in her dissertation. This research focuses on integrating contributions from discrimination and teasing research to explore daily interactions of racial/ethnic teasing as dynamic contexts within a larger developmental perspective. In addition, it uses a daily diary method to explore how the capacity and perspective of the individual in these daily interactions may affect their experiences.

Congratulations to Sara Douglass for this outstanding achievement!