I’m a developmental scientist working at the nexus of child health, science communication, and community engagement. I’m passionate about leveraging evidence-based research and policy to improve child health and well-being. I'm guided by the belief that translating research into usable knowledge means making it available, accessible, and actionable for stakeholders at all levels and that effective science communication relies on bidirectional, collaborative relationships between researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and the communities they aim to serve.
I'm currently serving as one of 20 Civic Science Fellows, where I'm working with the Standing Committee on Advancing Science Communication at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to foster effective, authentic engagement with diverse communities. In June 2022 we hosted Reimagining Science Communication in the COVID Era and Beyond: The 5th National Academies Science Communication Colloquium.
I completed my PhD in the Institute of Child Development at the University of Minnesota, where I worked under the mentorship of Drs. Jed Elison and Michael Georgieff, in collaboration with the Infant Brain Imaging Study, the Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, and the Center for Neurobehavioral Development. My doctoral work focused on social-cognitive and brain development in typically-developing infants, infants at an increased risk of autism, and infants born preterm.
Prior to my doctoral studies, I conducted infant brain development research in the Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center at Boston Children's Hospital. I took my EdM in Human Development and Education from Harvard University, where I worked in the Laboratory of Developmental Studies, and a B.A. in psychology from Boston University.