Kirby Deater-Deckard
Interim Director, Center for Research in Families; Co-Director, Family Research Scholars
Professor, Psychological and Brain Sciences
Early Childhood Research Group, Stress Research Group, Steering Committee
Kirby Deater-Deckard is a developmental psychologist who studies child and adolescent cognitive and social-emotional development, and the role of parenting and peer environments on developmental outcomes. He is the director of the Healthy Development Initiative (HDI) based at the UMass Center Springfield. HDI is a group of UMass scientists and students who discover and share new knowledge about human development across the lifespan in collaboration with community partners. HDI strives to understand and promote the psychological and physical health and well-being of children, adolescents, adults and seniors in our communities.
Holly Laws
Director, CRF Methodology Program
Lecturer, Psychological and Brain Sciences
Dr. Laws joined the CRF Methodology Program as Co-Director in Fall 2017. Formerly an Associate Research Scientist in Yale University's Psychiatry Department, Dr. Laws also serves as a research psychologist in the VA Connecticut Healthcare System.
Lorraine Cordeiro
Former Director, Center for Research on Families; Senior Faculty Family Research Scholar
Professor, Department of Nutrition, SPHHS
Family Research Scholar, 2010-11
Dr. Cordeiro studies the associations between food security, high-risk health behaviors, and nutritional outcomes in multiple social and cultural contexts. Her research applies principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR), leveraging the insights of communities and helping to build their research capital.
Bi-sek Hsiao
Student Award Winner 2020-2021
Research Fellow
Bi-sek Hsiao is a PhD candidate in Nutrition in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences. Under Dr. Lindiwe Sibeko, Bi-sek’s dissertation research examines the ways that breastfeeding interacts with stress from multiple sources (e.g. neighborhood deprivation, discrimination, interpersonal violence, food insecurity, pregnancy stress) and the potential for breastfeeding to improve health outcomes for African American families.
Gabrielle Hill
Events, Communications and Office Manager
Events, Communications and Office Manager
