CSC Administrative Core

Dr. Eiden’s research focuses on understanding developmental trajectories among children at risk due to multiple adversities associated with parental substance use and problems, as well as early childhood interventions designed to ameliorate these risks and promote competence. Her studies, many of which follow cohorts of children across multiple developmental stages (e.g., prenatal period to adolescence), seek to understand developmental mechanisms that may explain the association between parental risk factors and child outcomes (e.g., infant-parent attachment, parent-child self-regulation, individual differences in children’s autonomic and stress reactivity, and immune/inflammatory mechanisms).  She has a particular interest in prenatal and early childhood interventions for substance using parents, with the goal of promoting family health, including positive developmental cascades for children. Current projects include a randomized clinical trial for first time expectant parents to promote co-parenting and reduce hazardous drinking among father/non-pregnant partners; a translational (human-animal) study of prenatal tobacco and cannabis exposure effects on middle childhood outcomes in a sample recruited in pregnancy; developmental pathways to violence, victimization, and substance use in a sample exposed to cocaine and other substances in utero; a collaboration with Dr. Mary Dozier on a randomized clinical trial for low-income mothers with opioid use disorder using a modification of the Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-Up; and a collaboration with Drs. Jenae Neiderhiser, Danielle Downs, and colleagues in Geisinger on a pilot rural birth cohort study from pregnancy to 3 years of child age.

Dr. Neiderhiser’s research is focused on understanding how genes and environment work together to shape development throughout the lifespan. Much of this research has focused on interpersonal relationships – including parent-child, spouse, sibling and peer relationships. Examining how individuals influence their environments, and what role genetics may play in this (gene-environment correlation), has long been a focus. She has also examined gene x environment interaction (GxE) and the role of early life experiences, including prenatal experiences, in shaping development throughout the lifespan. Her more recent research has included an examination of the roles of neighborhood context and pubertal hormones on child and adolescent development in combination with the other environmental and genetic influences. She has used studies of twins, siblings, adopted children, and other family members to examine these research questions. All of her research has included extensive assessment of the environment within the household, family relationships, peer relationships, adult and child adjustment, temperament and personality and other related measures. Most recently, in an effort to help address rural health disparities, she is collaborating with Drs. Rina Eiden and Danielle Downs to understand risk and protective processes in families living throughout rural Pennsylvania.

Jenae is also a faculty mentor of graduate and postdoctoral fellows as part of: The Prevention and Methodology Training Program (PAMT) and The Center for Healthy Aging.

Karen Bierman is an Evan Pugh University Professor and a former Director of the Child Study Center at The Pennsylvania State University. Her 40+ year research career has focused on social-emotional development and children at risk, with an emphasis on the design and evaluation of school-based programs that promote social competence, school readiness, positive peer relations, and that reduce aggression and related behavior problems. She has directed several longitudinal studies evaluating the long-term impact of early school-based and family-focused preventive interventions designed to reduce aggression (Fast Track) and enhance school success (Head Start REDI). She has also developed and evaluated small-group social skill training interventions for peer-rejected children (Friendship Group). Bierman has received funding for prevention and school readiness promotion from the National Institutes of Health, the Institute of Educational Sciences, the National Science Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the W.T. Grant Foundation, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, and the Pennsylvania Department of Health. She is a fellow of the American Psychological Society, the American Psychological Association, and the Society for Prevention Research. She has published eight books and contributed to three published intervention manuals, and authored over 240 articles and chapters, and has served as an educational advisor to a number of organizations devoted to improving early education for disadvantaged children, including Head Start and Sesame Street.

Dr. Laureen Teti has researched children’s emotion regulation and its relation to parent-child interactions in a variety of high-risk families, including children prenatally exposed to cocaine and Black adolescent mothers living in a low-income urban community. She worked in 2006 with a small group of Penn State faculty to promote relations between communities of color in Harrisburg and child clinical and developmental researchers at the Child Study Center, which resulted in the establishment in 2007 of Parents And Children Together (PACT), a community-university partnership which includes representatives from early childhood agencies, parents, and other key leaders from communities of color in Harrisburg, PA. Laureen served on PACT’s Administrative team, and as an Associate Director, from 2007 to 2020. In her role as the CSC’s Associate Director, she facilitates initiative activities and events, works closely with the Director on strategic planning, annual reports and budget management, and organizes the CSC’s Speaker Series.

Robin Kephart joined the Child Study Center as our Program Manager and Grants Specialist in January 2023 after having over 30 years of experience in the College of the Liberal Arts. In her role as Program Manager and Grants Specialist, Robin works with CSC faculty on both pre- and post-award budgets and helps with the development of grant applications and work plans. She also manages the CSC Training Institute, both its programs and its budget.

Nancy came to the CSC from the Penn State Executive Programs in September 2017. She is a Penn State alumna and has been employed by Penn State since 2002. As the CSC Administrative Coordinator, her responsibilities range from managing Center procedures, budgets, and operations to supporting research and education needs for faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students. She provides direct support to the Director and Associate Director, communicates and collaborates among campus units, and serves as liaison for visitors and guests at the Center.

Jacqui graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor of science degree in psychology and has been working at the CSC since 2010. Her primary responsibilities are to manage the FIRSt Families database, act as website editor and content manager for the CSC and FIRSt Families websites, as well as manage the CSC’s social media accounts and informational monitor. She provides direct assistance to the Associate Director and works directly with the Graduate Research Assistant on specific projects.

Jennifer Murray Connell is a Penn State alumna and joined the CSC in September 2017. Jenn earned her Masters of Social Work from the University of South Carolina and is a licensed clinical social worker. She has over 20 years of experience working with children and families around issues of mental health, family engagement, education, child welfare and juvenile justice. Prior to joining the CSC, she worked as a school social worker and the Coordinator of Social Work and School Counseling for Achievement First Connecticut and as Clinical Instructor of Social Work at the Yale Child Study Center. At the CSC, Jenn is the Project Manager for the Guided Play Program with Dr. Karen Bierman and is the Friendship Group Program Director. Additionally, Jenn provides clinical supervision and clinical and consultative services to children, youth, and adults at the Penn State Psychological Clinic. Jenn provides clinical supervision and serves as a member of the Center’s Trauma Informed Collaborative.

Myles Arrington is a fifth-year Ph.D. student in the Developmental Psychology program, working with Dr. Suzy Scherf in the Lab of Developmental Neuroscience and Dr. Dawn Witherspoon in the Context and Development Lab. Myles attended the University of Maryland, College Park, where he graduated in 2019 with a B.S. in psychology with a minor in neuroscience. As an undergrad, Myles also spent time at the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education as a summer intern. His primary research interests revolve around understanding how individuals learn to healthily engage with others in their social context, with a particular emphasis on how face recognition abilities allow individuals to better connect with those around them. He is currently working on his dissertation project investigating these ideas with first-year students at PSU. As the CSC Graduate Research Assistant, Myles prepares for and takes notes during CSC faculty meetings, assists with the Speaker Series, maintains CSC-related databases, and writes articles for the CSC website.