UNCG Department of Human Development and Family Studies

09/03/2026

Great time celebrating the start of the semester with our HDFS faculty, staff, and PhD students!

07/11/2026

We love our alums! Here, Dr. Savannah Girod ('23 Phd) and Dr. Kierra Sattler connect in Incheon, South Korea at the ISSBD conference!

07/10/2026

Congratulations to HDFS PhD student Emma DiLissio who presented two first authored posters at the 28th Biennial Meeting of the International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development (ISSBD) in Incheon, South Korea.

Special thanks to Emma's advisor and co-author on both presentations, Dr. Kierra Sattler, and HDFS PhD students (Morgan Gilmer and Favour Omondi) and faculty (Dr. Esther Leerkes and Dr. Cheryl Buehler) contributing co-authors!

HDFS@UNCG proud!

07/10/2026

Congratulations to HDFS PhD student Morgan Gilmer (Outstanding May 2026 HDFS MS graduate) on their first authored paper entitled "Socioemotional Resilience Among Rural Youth Involved With CPS: An Exploration of Profiles of Socioecological Protective Factors" published in Child Maltreatment with co-author HDFS PhD student George Emory, and their advisor Dr. Kierra Sattler.

Children impacted by child protective services (CPS) may demonstrate maladaptive outcomes across developmental domains. Yet, the broader context in which childr...

07/08/2026

Maggie Jackson looks at emerging research around contexts of precarity.

05/14/2026

Celebrating two of our May 2026 graduates, A'Niyah Choice and Dr. Yu Chen, both mentored by Dr. Esther Leerkes. A'Niyah earned her MS in HDFS and will begin a position as a Family Resource Partner at Family Solutions, Greensboro. Yu, the HDFS Outstanding PhD Graduate, just accepted a Postdoctoral Fellow position at the Yale Child Study Center to work with Dr. Helena Rutherford. Congratulations A'Niyah and Dr. Chen!

HDFS@UNCG proud!

05/14/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Jocelyn R Smith Lee on being awarded the 2026 UNCG School of Health and Human Sciences Excellence in Teaching Award!

See the link below to read about Dr. Smith Lee's impactful approaches to creating inclusive and stimulating classroom environments for students.

The School of Health and Human Sciences announces the winners of our 2025-26 faculty and staff awards.

04/26/2026

Last week the HDFS Graduate Student Colloquium Committee hosted Dr. Shourya Negi, the 2025 Vira Kivett Publication Award recipient, who presented her award winning publication “Indirect Pathways from Sociodemographic Risk to Mothers’ Supportive Emotion Socialization via Psychological Distress and Social Cognition” published in the Journal of Child and Family Studies (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10826-024-02969-x).

Dr. Negi, HDFS@UNCG ’25 PhD Alum, is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Thrive Center for Children, Families, and Communities in the Georgetown University School of Medicine.

HDFS@UNCG proud!

04/22/2026

HDFS PhD Student Morgan Gilmer has been named an MDRC Gueron Scholar! The Gueron Scholars Program offers paid internships and doctoral fellowships to introduce students to the field of education and social policy research. As a Gueron Scholar, Morgan will spend their summer in NYC working at MDRC as their Evidence-to-Practice Intern. Congratulations Morgan!

HDFS@UNCG Proud!

This summer, MDRC is pleased to welcome four undergraduate interns, one master’s-level Evidence-to-Practice intern, and two doctoral fellows in the Gueron Scholars Program. The Gueron Scholars Program (GSP), which runs this year from June 8 to July 31, offers paid internships and doctoral fellowsh...

04/18/2026

Congratulations to HDFS@UNCG PhD student A'Niyah Choice on the successful defense of her thesis, "Exploring the moderating role of child temperament, age, and s*x on the association between black mothers' suppressive emotion socialization and child behavior problems." A'Niyah is pictured with committee members Drs. Jocelyn Smith Lee and Andy Supple and her advisor, Dr. Esther Leerkes.

HDFS@UNCG proud!