Graduate Student Spotlights
HDFS Doctoral Degree Program
HDFS graduate achievements
Oregon State HDFS graduate students are regularly awarded competitive scholarships, fellowships and grants — a testament to their innovative and promising scholarly work.
They have also co-authored manuscripts published in well-known developmental and family science journals.
Graduates of the HDFS program follow diverse career paths in research and practice, academic and nonacademic tracks.
Congrats Spring 2025 Grads!
Brenda Barrett-Rivera, PhD
Dissertation
“American Dreamin’: Housing Strategies of Rural Families with Low Incomes”
Major Professor
Kate MacTavish
Rebekah Benkhart, MS
Thesis
“The Role of Family-Teacher Relationship Quality in Mitigating the Influence of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Young Children’s Pre-Academic Skills”
Major Professor
Next step
Rebekah will be continuing at OSU to obtain their PhD in HDFS
Kara McElvaine, PhD
Dissertation
“Advancing Equity in Public Schools: Qualitative Insights into DEIB Initiatives and White Racial Identity Development in Educators”
Major Professor
Next step
Kara will focus on translational research at a global education nonprofit, Facing History & Ourselves
Iriana Munoz, MS
Thesis
"Navigating Identity Among Latinx College Students at a Hispanic Serving Institution: Associations between Ethnic Regard, Familism, and Academic Self-Efficacy"
Major Professor
Next step
Iriana will pursue a doctoral degree at Arizona State University
Awards and honors
Publications
2025 Publications Co-Authored by HDFS Graduate Students
*Publications from research conducted while in graduate school
Ahmadi, A., McClelland, M., Pourmohamadreza Tajrishi, M., Geldhof, J., Rothwell, D. R., & Hatfield, B. E. (2025). Adaptation and psychometric properties of the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders task in young Iranian children. Child Neuropsychology, 1-36.
Bradetich, A., Nichols, M. J., & Chandler, K. D. (2025). It’s the thought that counts: Pregnancy intention and relationship stressors across SES. Journal of Family Issues. Advance online publication.
Merculief, A., McClelland, M., Foster, S., Geldhof, J., Lipscomb, S., Anserson, K., & Kile, M. L. (2025). Socioeconomic and racial-ethnic disparities in flame retardant exposure and executive function skills in preschool children. Environmental Health, 24, 46.
Shen, X., King, S., & Geldhof, J. G. (2025). A brief measure of adult playfulness: Development and validation of the ten-item Adult Playfulness Trait Scale (APTS-10). Leisure Sciences, 1-21. Advance online publication.
Tominey, S. L. M., Blodgett, J. A. H., Fenske, L. J., Thogmartin, A. A., Karing, J. T. (2025). Creating caring compassionate youth: How youth development programs foster prosocial development. In M. E. Arnold & T. M. Ferrari (Eds.), Positive youth development. Advancing responsible adolescent development. Springer.
Witzel, D. D., Chandler, K. D., Geldhof, J. G., Hooker, K., & Stawski, R. S. (2025). Partner strain and support associations with affective reactions to daily stressors. Family Relations, 74, 1424-1440.
2024 HDFS graduates
Ahmad Amadi, PhD
Dissertation
“Measuring Executive Functions: Relation to Individual Factors, Parental Education and Academic Skills among Young Children in Iran and the United States”
Major Professor
Next Step
Postdoctoral Scholar at the Marsico Institute for Early Learning and Literacy at the University of Denver with Dr. Douglas Clements and Dr. Julie Sarama.
Ines de Pierola, MS
Thesis
"Employer-Provided Paid Parental Leave and Material Hardship after Childbirth among Oregon Mothers"
Major Professor
Next step
Ines will be continuing at OSU to obtain her PhD in HDFS
Maya Johnson, MS
Thesis
“Teacher-Child Relationships and Preschool Teachers’ Attributions: Relations with Preschool Children’s Emotion Regulation and Emotion Knowledge”
Major Professor
Next step
Maya will be continuing at OSU to obtain her PhD in HDFS.
Terese Jones, PhD
Dissertation
“From Work-First to Learn-First: Navigating Educational Choices Among TANF Recipients Through the Lens of Possible Selves and Stigma”
Major Professor
Justin White, MS
Thesis
“Critical Incident History and Childhood History on Law Enforcement Officer Health Outcomes”
Major Professor
Next Step
Assistant Program Manager at the Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch in Billings, Montana.
Awards and honors
Iriana Muñoz selected as a fellow of the 2024 Revolutionizing Research for Social Change
A Summer Research Institute in Anti-Racist and Decolonizing Research Methods Selected as 1 of 25 spots out of nearly 150 applicants.
Madeline Nichols, MS recognized as a Dean’s Student Spotlight
Doctoral student dives into her passion for research and human development.
Kara McElvaine, MS, awarded the Thurgood Marshall Graduate Fellowship
This fellowship, awarded by the Graduate School, is only offered to four graduate students across Oregon State University and will support Kara as she completes her dissertation, DEIB Interventions and White Racial Identity Development: Exploring Approaches for Advancing Equity in a New Jersey School District.
Ines de Pierola selected for the 2024 Cohort of doctoral research scholars at the Social Policy Institute (SPI) at Washington University in St. Louis
Her current research evaluates the financial outcomes of paid leave programs for families.
Sara King, MS recognized as a Dean’s Student Spotlight
Former collegiate gymnast explores intersection of sport and positive youth development.
Publications
2024 Publications Co-Authored by HDFS Graduate Students
*Publications from research conducted while in graduate school
Kurth, M. L., Segerstrom, S. C., Chandler, K. D., Hooker, K., & Aldwin, C. M. (2024). Resilience and stress trajectories among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Journals of Gerontology, 79(10), gba145.
Settersten, RA, Hollstein, B, McElvaine, K (2024) “Unlinked lives”: Elaboration of a concept and its significance for the life course. Advances in Life Course Research 59(100583)
Lipscomb, S.T., Merculief, A., & Phelps, B. (2025). Measuring resilience in young children: The Child and Youth Resilience Measure- Early Childhood (CYRM-EC). Early Childhood Research Quarterly.
2023 HDFS graduates
Jey Blodgett, PhD
Dissertation
“Seeking Wholeness Within Conditions of Possibility: Trans People's Intersectional Experiences Resisting the Pressure to Conform to the Gender Binary”
Major Professors
Shauna Tominey and Katherine MacTavish
Next Step
Postdoctoral Researcher, Oregon State University
Linda Fenske, PhD
Dissertation
“Youth Wellbeing During the First School Year of the Pandemic: An Intersectional Analysis”
Major Professor
Maria Kurth, PhD
Dissertation
“’Knew it Had to Be and Just Let it Be’: Resilience among Older Adults during the COVID-19 pandemic”
Major Professor
Current position
Postdoctoral Fellow, Pathways T32 Training Program, College of Health and Human Development, Penn State University.
Alexis Merculief, PhD
Dissertation
“Promoting Executive Function in Children from American Indian, Alaska Native, and Other Underserved Races/Ethnicities: Examining Risk and Resilience Factors in the Environment”
Major Professor
Current position
Postdoctoral Fellow, Center on Early Childhood, Stanford University
Yue Ni, PhD
Dissertation
“Youth Civic Engagement in the Online Context: Conceptualization and Measurement”
Major Professor
Current position
Assistant Professor of Psychology, Portland State University.
Isabella Scuito, PhD
Dissertation
“’Can we keep playing?’ Adapting and Testing Red Light, Purple Light Self-Regulation Intervention Games with First Graders”
Major Professor
Next step
2023-2025 Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) State Policy Fellow, Data & Analytics Office in the Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC).
Corine Tyler, PhD
Dissertation
“’Coping for Queer/Trans Youth (C-QT): Scale Development and Validation”
Major Professors
Shauna Tominey and Kelly Chandler
Nest Step
Survey Analyst, Oregon Department of Education
Danielle Zandbergen, PhD
Dissertation
“Relational Resources for Foster Young Adults and the Influence of COVID-19 on Access to Mental Health Care”
Major Professor
Current position
Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Okika Counseling, LLC.
Publications
2023 Publications Co-Authored by HDFS Graduate Students
*Publications from research conducted while in graduate school
Ahmad, A., Chuang, S. S., McClelland, M., Gonzales, C. R., & Beh-Pajooh, A. (2023). Executive functioning and early math skills in young children at risk for mathematic difficulties: Evaluation of interventions efficacy and transfer effects. Early Education and Development, 1-28.
Hung, C., Ni, Y., Geldhof, G. J., Berg, J., & McMahon, R. (2023). Life goal selection pattern and purpose in adolescence: A latent class analysis. Journal of Adolescence, 95(7), 1365-1376.
Jaramillo, J., Kothari, B.H., Alley, Z., Rothwell, D., & Blakeslee, J. (2023). Youth-caseworker relationship quality & academic resilience among transition-age youth in foster care. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 40, 487–502.
Kenny, S. A., Cameron, C. E., Karing, J. T., Ahmadi, A., Braithwaite, P. N., & McClelland, M. M. (2023). A meta-analysis of the validity of the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders task in predicting young children’s academic performance. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1124235.
Merculief, A., Lipscomb, S., McClelland, M. M., Geldhof, G. J., & Tsethlikai, M. (2023). Nurturing resilience in American Indian/Alaska Native preschool children: The role of cultural socialization, executive function, and neighborhood risk. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1279336.
Ni, Y., Geldhof, G. J., Chen, B., & Stawski, R. S. (2023). Maturation or disruption? Conscientiousness development in the transition into adolescence. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 47(2), 111-122.
Segerstrom, S. C., Crosby, P., Witzel, D. D., Kurth, M. L., Choun, S., & Aldwin, C. M. (2023). Adaptation to changes in COVID-19 pandemic severity: Across older adulthood and time scales. Psychology and Aging, 38(6), 586-599.
Stawski, R. S., Cichy, K. E., Witzel, D. D., Schuyler, A. C., & Nichols, M. J. (2022). Daily stress processes as potential intervention targets to reduce gender differences and improve mental health outcomes in mid- and later life. Prevention Science, 24, 876-886.
Turner, S. G., Hooker, K., Chandler, K. D., Settersten, R. A., & Stawski, R. S. (2023). Daily caregiving appraisals, future self-views, and physical activity goals among adult-daughter dementia caregivers. Journal of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences, 78(1), 1813-1823.
Tyler, C., Chandler, K. D., Tominey, S. L., Olsen, S., Fenske, L., McElvaine, K. (2023). Understanding and measuring adolescents’ daily critical consciousness: A research agenda. In L. J. Rapa & E. B. Godfrey (Eds.), Critical consciousness: Expanding theory and measurement. Cambridge University Press.
Witzel, D. D., Chandler, K. D., & Stawski, R. S. (2023). Affective reactions to daily interpersonal stressors: Moderation by family involvement and gender. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 40(3), 1044-1066.
2022 HDFS graduates
Jessica Dahlgren, PhD
Dissertation
“Maternal Primary Caregiver Criminal Justice Involvement: The Importance of Understanding Child Outcomes”
Major Professor
Hye Soo Lee, PhD
Dissertation
“Social Support and Optimal Aging during the Covid-19 Pandemic”
Major Professor
Nicole Mullican, PhD
Dissertation
“Foster Parent Stress, Formal Support, and Intent to Continue Fostering: Differences Between Kinship and Non-Kinship Foster Caregivers”
Major Professor
Madeline Nichols, MS
Thesis
“Generativity, Cognitive Reappraisal, and Self-Acceptance: Optimizing Well-Being in Midlife”
Major Professor
Current position
Madi is continuing at OSU to obtain her PhD in HDFS.
Kylee Probert, PhD
Dissertation
“Role-Related Self-Efficacy and Retention of Third-Party Caregivers: Understanding Antecedents of Self-Efficacy in Home-Based Child Care Educators and Foster Caregivers”
Major Professor
Next Steps
Postdoctoral Scholar, Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) Federal Executive Branch Fellow in the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE).
As of Sept 2024: Social Behavioral Scientist Administrator, Prevention Services Branch, National Institute on Drug Abusee.
Shelbie Turner, PhD
Dissertation
“Adult-Daughter Dementia Caregivers’ Pursuit of Personal Physical Activity Goals: The ACHIEVE Study”
Major Professor
Current position
Postdoctoral Associate in Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College
Dakota Witzel, PhD
Dissertation
“When We’re Good, It’s All Good: Associations between Marital Quality and Daily Stress Processes”
Advisors
Kelly Chandler and Robert Stawski
Current position
Assistant Professor, Human Development and Family Studies, School of Education, Counseling, and Human Development, South Dakota State University.
Awards and honors
Madi Nichols selected as a 2022 LIFE Scholars Awardee
The Summer LIFE Scholars Program provides an opportunity for students to work with a Center for Healthy Aging Research faculty member to develop research skills and an understanding of opportunities in science and research.
While in the program, Madi worked on The Contextual Influences on Daily Emotion Regulation (CIDER) Study.
Dakota Witzel featured in HealthDay News
Do You Feel Old? It Could Be Aging You. People who believe their bodies and minds will break down with age may be creating a self-fulfilling prophecy, a recent study suggests.
Oregon State HDFS alumna is helping the nation’s most vulnerable children
Kylee Probert, HDFS PhD ’22, doesn’t like America’s childcare system, so she’s doing something about it.
Publications
2022 Publications Co-Authored by HDFS Graduate Students
*Publications from research conducted while in graduate school
Chandler, K. D., Hodge, C. J., McElvaine, K., Olschewski, E. J., Melton, K. K., & Deboeck, P. (2022). Challenges of ecological momentary assessments to study family leisure: Participants’ perspectives. Journal of Leisure Research, 53(1), 159-165.
Ni, Y., Geldhof, G. J., & Hershberg, R. M. (2022). Psychological toll of being awakened: Asian-origin youth’s critical reflection and mental health. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 83, 101471.
Yu, D., Geldhof, G. J., Buckingham, M., Goncalves, C., Yang, P., Michaelson, L. E., Berg, J., Ni, Y., Lerner, R. M. (2022). “Today, I cared about how a classmate felt”: Fluctuations in empathy are linked to daily mood in adolescence. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 79, 101386.
Yu, D., Goncalves, C., Yang, P., Geldhof, G. J., Michaelson, L., Ni, Y., & Lerner, R. M. (2022). Does prior night’s sleep impact next day executive functioning? It depends on an individual’s average sleep quality. Journal for Person-Oriented Research, 8(1), 10-23.
Bellingtier, J. A., Rauers, A., Nichols, M. J., & Buttelmann, F. (2022). Stereotyping older adults: How labels and perceived age influence ratings. Educational Psychology, 48(7), 298-304.
Hatfield, B. E., Finders, J. K., Zandbergen, D. L., & Lewis, H. (2022). Associations between consistent and high-quality teacher-child interactions and preschool children’s self-regulation and activity in the stress response system. Early Education and Development, 33(7), 1222-1236.