Committee Chair:
Dr. Meenal Rana is a Professor of Child Development at Cal Poly Humboldt, where she also coordinates Directed Field Experience. She began her academic career in India with a B.S. and M.S. in Child Development, later earning a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from Michigan State University. Before joining Humboldt, she taught at Brown University. Dr. Rana's teaching emphasizes experiential learning and cultural diversity across various developmental courses.
Rana’s research focuses on identity, resilience, and intergenerational socialization, particularly in Sikh immigrant and refugee communities. She has published extensively, including peer-reviewed articles, edited volumes, and book chapters that explore youth development through cultural and social lenses. Her work earned her the 2023 Kauffman Foundation Best Paper Award in Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation, as well as recognition for teaching and assessment.
Dr. Rana also chairs the Diversity Science Initiative subcommittee within the Society for the Study of Human Development. She actively leads community-based programs such as the federally funded “Rural Youth Volunteers in India,” fostering youth development across borders, and initiatives like the Black Excellence Speaker Series and Student Parent Success Initiative. Her work reflects a deep dedication to equity, inclusive education, and intercultural engagement.
Nelson, R. N., Johnson Bertucci, A., Swenson, S., Seguine, A., & Rana, M. (2024). Building resilience during Compassion Fatigue: Autoethnographic accounts of college students and faculty. Education Sciences, 14(10), 1118. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14101118
Abo-Zena, M. M., & Rana, M. (2024). Introduction to the Special Issue “Focusing on the elusive: Centering on religious and spiritual influences within contexts of child and young adulthood development”. Religions, 15(11), 1344. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15111344
Roy, M., Rana, M., & Bhatta, T. (2024). Transnational families and COVID-19: Health and wellbeing of South Asian older parents with adult children overseas. Michigan Sociological Review.
Rana, M., Phelps, B. J., & Camacho, Y.* (2023). Acculturation gaps in Asian American families. In C. Su-Russell, L.T. Russell, & A. James (2023). Handbook of Asian American Families. Cognella Publishing.
Co-chairs of the Publicity Committee:
Dr. Deborah J. Johnson is an MSU Foundation Professor in Human Development and Family Studies and Eco-community Psychology. She is the inaugural Director of the Diversity Research Network (DRN) in the Office for Institutional Diversity and Inclusion at Michigan State University. The DRN serves faculty through mentoring, facilitating scholarly productivity, creating interdisciplinary networking communities, and enhancing research visibility. She has been innovating for faculty support, space, places, and retention since DRN’s launch in 2016. Dr. Johnson received the Senior Mentor Award in 2019 Society for the Study of Human Development (SSHD). She has served SSHD in several capacities as Steering Committee Member, co-founder and co-chair of the Diversity Science Initiative (DSI), and Co-Chair of the Publicity Committee. Johnson is a Fellow of both American Psychological Association Divisions 7 (Developmental Psychology) and 45 (Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity and Race). Her research explores racially and culturally related development, parental racial socialization and coping, and cultural adjustment from early childhood through emerging adulthood, among domestic, immigrant, and international children and youth.
Slaughter-Defoe, D. T., Stevenson, H., Arrington, E., & Johnson, D.J. (Eds.) (2011). Black Educational Choice in a Climate of School Reform: Consequences for K-12 Student Learning and Development. Westport, CT: Praegar Press.
Fitzgerald, H., Johnson, D.J., Villarruel, F., Qin, B. & Norder, J. (Eds.) (2019), Children and Prejudice, NY: Springer Press.
Johnson, D.J. & Chuang, S. (Eds.) (2022). (Re)Formation and Identity: among Immigrant Youth: Intersectionality of Development, Culture and Immigration. NY: Springer Press.
Dr. Yoko Yamamoto is a faculty member in the Department of Education at Brown University. She has also served as an invited summer scholar at Osaka University, Japan, since 2013. Yoko's research centers on family engagement in education and parental support for children's learning, exploring the complex intersections of culture, socioeconomic status, and immigration. She was a co-founder and co-chair of the SSHD's Diversity Science Initiative from 2019 to 2023, alongside Dr. Deborah Johnson. Deeply committed to community-engaged teaching and research, she works closely with schools and nonprofit organizations dedicated to supporting families and children and promoting educational equity.
Committee Members:
Dr. Hyun-Kyung You is a Professor in the Child Development Department at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt. With a passion for exploring the dialectic interactions between individual agency and sociocultural contexts, her research delves into topics such as family life and child disability, the cultural dimensions of motherhood, and intergenerational relationships in transnational families. In addition to these areas, Hyun-Kyung has expanded her research to include the vibrant BTS fandom, known as ARMY (Adorable Representative MC of Youth), viewed through the lens of human development and family studies. Her commitment to the Diversity/Equity/Inclusion is further highlighted by her role as co-chair of the Asian American Families Focus Group for the National Council on Family Relations from 2012 to 2022, and she was honored with the 2012 Jessie Bernard Outstanding Research Paper Award from a Feminist Perspective. Hyun-Kyung teaches various courses on early childhood development and practices, families and children with disabilities, and families in community and cultural contexts.
Jeong, Y., You, H., & Yang, S. (2024). Revisiting transnational activities: Korean immigrant mothers’ home visit for families. Sage Open, 14(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241240912
You, H. (2020). Sociocultural and family system perspectives: Families who have children with disabilities. San Diego, CA: Cognella Press.
You, H., & McGraw, L. A. (2011). The intersection of motherhood and disability: Being a “good” Korean mother to an “imperfect” child. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 42, 579-598.
As an applied psychologist, Dr. Del Toro examines how ethnic-racial discrimination, identity, and socialization shape human development across the life course from childhood to adulthood. Specifically, Dr. Del Toro distinguishes between multiple perpetrators of ethnic-racial discrimination (e.g., peers, school adults, and law enforcement) and ethnic-racial socialization (e.g., parents, school adults, and peers) to inform setting-specific policies and interventions working to improve the well-being of all youth.
In his research, Dr. Del Toro takes multi-method, multidisciplinary, and collaborative approaches to investigate: (1) why distinguishing between perpetrators of ethnic-racial discrimination matters, (2) what are the direct and intergenerational consequences of involvement in the criminal justice system, and (3) what are opportunities (e.g., ethnic-racial identity, ethnic-racial socialization) that peers, educators, and families can leverage to reduce the harmful effects of ethnic-racial discrimination and unwarranted involvement in the criminal justice system on children’s wellbeing.
Del Toro, J., Atkin, A., Golden, A. R., Ip, K. I., & Wang, M.-T. (2024). Ethnic/racial discrimination, school cultural socialization, and negative affect: Daily diaries reveal African American, Asian American, and Latinx adolescents’ resilience. Journal of Educational Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000893
Del Toro, J., Bernard, D., Lee, R. M., & Adam, E. K. (2024). Framing resilience linked to parental ethnic-racial socialization as hidden: A hidden resilience conceptual framework. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 18(7), e12984. https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12984
Dr. Kristine J. Ajrouch is Research Professor in the Research Center for Group Dynamics at the Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan where she co-directs the Michigan Center for Contextual Factors in Alzheimer’s Disease (MCCFAD). A gerontologist and Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America, she adopts a life course perspective to the study of social relations and health. Dr. Ajrouch's findings have been published in high-impact journals including the Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, Developmental Psychology, and Advances in Life Course Research. Her research has focused, for over twenty-five years, on Middle Eastern/Arab American populations (MENA) beginning with ethnic identity formation among adolescent children of immigrants followed by the study of aging and health disparities. Dr. Ajrouch’s current work is funded by the National Institute of Aging where she addresses social aspects of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). These projects seek to establish prevalence levels of AD among MENA older adults compared to blacks and whites in the metro-Detroit area by collecting biomarkers, social and cultural data and neuropsychological assessments.
Ajrouch, K. J., Tarraf, W., Brauer, S., Zahodne, L. B., & Antonucci, T. C. (2024). Adapted MoCA for Use among Arabic-Speaking Immigrants in the United States. Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, 1-13.
Ajrouch, K. J., Zahodne, L. B., Brauer, S., Tarraf, W., & Antonucci, T. C. (2024). COVID-19 Stress and Cognitive Disparities in Black, MENA and White Older Adults. The Gerontologist, gnae073.
Ajrouch, K. J., Vega, I. E., Antonucci, T. C., Tarraf, W., Wesbter, N. J., Zahodne, L. B. (2020)Partnering with Middle Eastern/ Arab American and Latino Immigrant Communities toIncrease Participation in Alzheimer’s Disease Research. Ethnicity & Disease, 30(Supp 2): 765-774.
Ajrouch, K. J., Barr, R., Daiute, C. Huizink, A. C., Jose, P. (2020). A lifespan developmental science perspective on trauma experiences in refugee situations. Advances in Life Course Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcr.2020.100342
Dr. Michael Cunningham is a developmental psychologist and professor at Tulane University, where he also serves as Associate Provost for Graduate Studies and Research. He holds an appointment in Psychology and Africana Studies. A Tulane faculty member since 1996, he earned his Ph.D. from Emory University. Dr. Cunningham is a 2024 AAAS Fellow and recipient of the 2025 Norman Anderson IDEA Award. He directs the Lion’s Lab and mentors underrepresented scholars through initiatives like the Frances D. Horowitz Millennium Scholars Program.
With a focus on assets, Dr. Cunningham’s research explores resilience and vulnerability among African American adolescents. He examines developmental issues associated with the intersection of gender, racial, psychosocial, and socioeconomic influences.
Boyne, K, Hamlin, F., Cunningham, M., & Abo-Zena, M. (2020). You see your own eyes reflected back: The radical potential of art and oral history in imaging a new humanism. Research in Human Development,
Abo-Zena, M., Brittian-Lloyd, A., Cunningham, M. (2020). Introduction to Mentored Scholarship: Mirrors, Windows, and Doors to Understanding and Supporting Research in Human Development. Research in Human Development.
Cunningham, M. (2019). Introduction to myths and realities associated with research and theorizing for human development. Research in Human Development, 16, 1-4. Doi:10.1080/15427609.2019.1578117
Rious, J. B., Cunningham, M., & Spencer, M. B. (2019). Rethinking the notion of "Hostility" in African American parenting styles. Research in Human Development, 16, 35-50. doi.org/10.1080/15427609.2018.1541377
Dr. Mona M. Abo-Zena is an Associate Professor of early childhood education at the University of Massachusetts Boston. On individual, social, and structural levels, she integrates research, theory, and practice to support children and families given their experiences and backgrounds, and those who support them. Her equity focus balances an asset-based perspective of diverse (i.e., all) children, families, and communities while acknowledging contextual challenges and resources. Her work focuses on religious and spiritual experiences from an intersectional perspective and is informed by teaching and administrative work in PK-16 educational and community-based contexts. In addition to contributing to the Diversity Science Initiative and Steering Committee of the Society for Study of Human Development, she serves as the co-chair of the Ethnic-Racial and Issues committee of the Society for Research in Child Development, and a Board Member of the Religion and Education Special Interest Group of the American Education Research Association.
Abo-Zena, M. M. (2024). Towards understanding developmental complexities of religiously minoritized youth (2024). Towards understanding developmental complexities of religiously minoritized youth. Archives for the Psychology of Religion, 46(2).
Abo-Zena, M. M., Jones, K., & Mattis, J. (2022). Dismantling the academic house: Decolonizing “rigor” in psychology scholarship. Journal of Social Issues. 78, 298-319.
Abo-Zena, M. M. & Beatty, L. (2022). Promoting reciprocity: Transforming family contexts through education while bringing family contexts into education. Family Science Review, 26(2).
Abo-Zena, M. M. (2019). Being young, Muslim, and female: Youth perspectives on the intersection of religious and gender identities. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 29(2), 308-320.
As a social work practitioner, scholar, and educator, Dr. Hubbard has over 20 years of experience in child welfare, mental and behavioral health, case management, advocacy, and clinical practice. She also has over 13 years of experience teaching in higher education, is trained in family therapy, and is certified in rational emotive behavioral therapy (REBT) and child sexual abuse therapy.
Her practice experience informs Dr. Hubbard’s PhD dissertation research, which aims to understand the preparation process of young Black women transitioning into adulthood from foster care from the perspectives of Black female social workers.
Dr. Hubbard designs curricula and provides workshops, keynotes, webinars, and publications about her scholarship and practice interests. These focus on implicit bias and dismantling structural inequities, promoting inclusive and transformative leadership and practices in human service organizations, teaching through a liberatory consciousness lens, the mental and relational health and well-being of Black women and families, and oppositionality in adolescence.
Hutchinson, E. D. & Hubbard, T.L. (2024). Families. In Hutchinson, E.D. (ed.), Dimensions of human behavior: Person and environment 7th edition, (Chapter 10). Sage Publications.
Cummings, C. & Hubbard, T.L., & Walsh, J. (2024). Psychosocial person: Relationships, stress, and coping. In Hutchinson, E.D. (ed.), Dimensions of human behavior: Person and environment 7th edition, (Chapter 5). Sage Publications.
Hubbard, T. L. & van Eeden-Moorefield, B. (2024, November 22). The important role Black female social workers play in helping young Black women transition into adulthood from foster care [Poster Session]. 2024 National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference “Building Resilience Among Individuals, Families, and Communities” Bellevue, Washington.
Hubbard, T. L. (2024, Jan. to March). Implicit Bias-Moving from the Unconscious to the Conscious. 2-hour Webinar, NJ Statewide. Rutgers School of Social Work Institute for Families ICARE Program & The NJ Division of Family Development at the Department of Human Services
Dr. Yue Ni is an assistant professor of Applied Developmental Psychology at Portland State University. Her research centers on Positive Youth Development in diverse sociocultural contexts, with a focus on understanding how to foster thriving among youth from historically marginalized communities. Guided by the question of what experiences and environments support youth well-being, her current work examines critical consciousness and civic engagement as key developmental assets that promote well-being, agency, and purpose. Her work pays particular attention to the psychological well-being of racially and ethnically minoritized youth, especially Asian American youth. She is interested in how Asian American youth's intersectional identities and experiences can shape their developmental trajectories and opportunities for thriving. At the intersection of her research foci, Dr. Ni is currently leading a study on critical consciousness development and its links to mental health among Asian American college students. Her methodological approach integrates advanced quantitative and qualitative methods to better capture the complexity of youth experiences. Dr. Ni is the recipient of the 2023 Diversity Science Initiative Graduate Student Award from SSHD.
Berg, J., McMahon, R., Hung, C., Geldhof, G. J., Ni, Y., Chavarria, M., & Boyd, M. (2025). Adolescent sense of purpose and associations with characteristics and contexts of students within and across individuals: an intensive longitudinal study. Applied Developmental Science, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2025.2505134
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. https://doi.org/10.1002/jad.12209
Ni, Y., Geldhof, G. J., Chen, B.-B., & Stawski, R. S. (2023). Maturation or disruption? Conscientiousness development in the transition into adolescence. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 47(2), 111–122. https://doi.org/10.1177/01650254221104068
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. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2022.101471