Research Interests: My research interests and projects have encompassed a range of topics from children’s responses to illnesses and hospitalization and interventions (including play), to play/temperament of nonhuman primates, to teacher beliefs and dispositions, and most recently, to increasing children’s school readiness through enhancing the literacy capacity of pre-K and pre-school teachers. I have supervised the research of both Master’s and Ph.D. students at The Ohio State University and Walden University. Further, I have had collaborative projects with faculty at the University of Maryland, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and currently with Georgetown University. I’m re-activating my project on teacher beliefs/dispositions and adding a component on play/literacy. Over the years, the students I have worked with have been diverse in racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and even ability characteristics. Both my recent Ph.D. students/graduates at Walden were African-American, one a “Head Start” graduate as well.

Selected Honors and Awards:
1988: Outstanding Contribution to the Child Life Profession, Child Life Council
1989-1990: Research Investigator, National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development, NIH, Bethesda, MD (IPA)
2008-pres.: Research Associate/Co-Principal Investigator, The Early Childhood Education Excellence in Teaching Partnership (U.S. Department of Education Research Grant) with the Early Childhood Leadership Institute at UDC and Georgetown University.

Career in Brief:
Highest Degree
Ph.D. (1980) The Ohio State University: Early Childhood EducationRelevant/Post-Ph.D. Positions
1973-1994 Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, Instructor, Family Relations and Human Development, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
1994-1999 Professor, Associate Professor, Human Development, Mount Vernon College, Washington, DC (including Chair,1997-1998, Department of Social and Natural Sciences)
1999-present: Professor, Associate Professor, Visiting Professor, Adjunct Professor, Department of Education, University of the District of Columbia, Washington, DC (including Chair, 2002-2004)