Category: Faculty Partner Research

Heather Eicher-Miller – What Americans eat has changed over time, but which trends matter most for nutrition and health? This review examines long-term patterns in food, beverages and dietary quality across the U.S. population, providing context on differences by age, sex, race and ethnicity, income, and progress toward dietary recommendations.

Zoe Taylor – How do family culture and identity shape the ways young people help others? Following rural U.S. Latino youth across three years, this study examines links among family ethnic socialization, ethnic identity, familism and prosocial behavior, offering insight into cultural strengths and positive youth development in rural communities.

Trent Mize – How does gender shape the way people approach health? Using data from more than 11,000 adults, this study looks beyond comparisons between men and women to examine gender identity, presentation and behavior. The findings reveal distinct connections between different dimensions of gender and patterns of health-related behaviors.

Jeremy Reynolds – A good job involves more than a paycheck. Research with U.S. steelworkers examines how workers value salary, overtime and different shift schedules. The findings reveal distinct preferences across workers and point to the importance of flexibility and choice in creating jobs that better reflect the varied needs of today’s workforce.

Leanne Nieforth – Can interacting with animals change the human microbiome? A scoping review of 30 studies examines this emerging area of research. Most studies identified significant effects on microbiome composition, but differences in study methods, animal species and reporting make the evidence difficult to compare and highlight priorities for future research.

Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth – Returning to civilian life can bring complex challenges for military veterans. This study examines how adverse and positive childhood experiences, military experiences and family resilience relate to reintegration outcomes, highlighting the lasting influence of early experiences and the potential role families play as veterans navigate the transition from military to civilian life.

A.J. Schwichtenberg – A smile, a shared glance or a turn in conversation can become part of an ongoing rhythm between an infant and caregiver. This study examines those moments of coordination across the first three years of life, revealing how patterns of dyadic synchrony differ among infants with different developmental outcomes.

Annabelle Atkin – A race question can shape what researchers ultimately see in their data. With more than one in 10 Americans identifying with two or more races, this article offers 10 recommendations for asking race demographic questions and categorizing Multiracial participants in ways that better capture diverse identities and experiences.

David Purpura – How do different skills develop and influence one another during early childhood? This study examines how researchers model skill development over time, using executive function and math skills as an example. The findings show that different modeling decisions can produce substantially different estimates, underscoring the importance of connecting statistical methods with developmental theory.

Kim Updegraff – Siblings can remain important sources of support and companionship throughout life. This chapter reviews research on Latino sibling relationships from early childhood through adulthood, examining how family and sociocultural contexts shape these connections. It also highlights important gaps in research across developmental stages, Latino subgroups and long-term sibling relationships.