The faculty, students, and staff of the Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) department conduct and apply rigorous research, program evaluation, and policy studies that aim to strengthen the well-being of children, adolescents, adults, and families, and the relationships they share. Ranked among the top programs of its kind, our department is proud to train this field’s next generation of researchers, leaders, and practitioners.
HDFS faculty include interdisciplinary scholars working across research, program, and clinical capacities to address some of the most pressing questions and possibilities in our field.
The School of Human Ecology also supports HDFS research and engagement through two centers housed in its building: the UW Child Development Lab, a child development and early learning program for young children and a teaching and research laboratory for university students and faculty, under faculty director Dr. Heather Kirkorian and executive director Dr. Amy Lee Wagner; and the Center for Community and Nonprofit Studies, which hosts the Prenatal to Five Initiative.
Department Chair
Partners & Affiliations
Areas of Specialization
- Black family resilience, Black fatherhood
- Family financial instability
- Developmental disabilities and family impacts
- Parent emotional well-being and relationships
- Early learning and play in the digital world
- Family caregiving for ill and elderly relatives
- Youth obesity and nutrition
- Health-risk behaviors among adolescents and young adults
- Parental incarceration impacts on children
- Ancient therapies to treat depression
- Romantic relationships across the lifespan
- Mindfulness and compassion training interventions
Human Development & Family Studies News & Research
Human Development & Family Studies Faculty
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Joshua BrownPostdoctoral Research Associate
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Kristy BurkholderTeaching Faculty
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Janean Dilworth-BartAssociate Dean for Faculty Affairs; Professor
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Larissa DuncanElizabeth C. Davies Chair in Child and Family Well-Being, Associate Professor
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Sarah Halpern-MeekinProfessor
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Sigan Hartley100 Women Distinguished Chair in Human Ecology, Director of SoHE Graduate Studies, Professor
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Margaret KerrAssistant Professor
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Heather KirkorianLaura M. Secord Chair in Early Childhood Development, Department Chair; Faculty Director Child Development Lab, Professor
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Polina LevchenkoTeaching Faculty
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Kristin LitzelmanAssociate Professor
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Robert NixAudrey Rothermel-Bascom Professor
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Lauren M. PappAssociate Dean of Research, Jane Rafferty Thiele Professor in Human Ecology
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Julie PoehlmannDorothy A. O’Brien Professor of Human Ecology
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Charles L. Raison, MDMary Sue and Mike Shannon Distinguished Chair for Healthy Minds, Children & Families; Professor
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Alvin ThomasAssistant Professor, Phyllis Northway Faculty Fellow