Review the research interests of all HD faculty or see below to learn about the specialties of faculty with outreach and extension responsibilties.
Karene Booker, Extension Associate
Managing the Extension Technology Support Project and other Human Development Outreach & Extension initiatives designed to leverage the Internet to make the lessons from faculty research more accessible to Cooperative Extension Educators and other professionals.
Stephen Ceci, Professor
Principal Investigator and Co-Director, Center for Research on Children (CIRC). Preparing curriculum for judges to assist them in assessing children's competence. Delivering workshops for judges across the US and Canada. Doing translational research for the legal community on child witness issues.
John J. Eckenrode, Professor Director of the Family Life Development Center (FLDC). Principal Investigator/Director, National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect. Conducts research studies and participates in extension efforts in the area of child abuse and neglect. These efforts include research on the characteristics of official child maltreatment reports, the academic effects of child abuse and neglect, and the long-term effects of a program of home visitation on the development of high-risk mothers and their children.
Claire Forest, Sr. Extension Associate
Providing program leadership for Cornell Family Development Credential (FDC) program which emerged from Cornell research (parental empowerment; Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory). Leading five hundred instructors who have trained thousands of life coaches "family workers" to help families set and reach their own goals for increased self-reliance within their own communities.
Stephen Goggin, Sr. Extension Associate
Developing resources and providing project management for state and federally funded projects aimed at system-wide capacity building for youth development. Collaborating in statewide inter-agency efforts to promote youth development in New York State. Principal Investigator for the Advancing Youth Development (AYD) Partnership, Community Improvement Through Youth (CITY) Project in New York City and Broome county, and oversight and review of USDA Children, Youth and Family At Risk (CYFAR) projects in 8 states. Co-leadership for the annual CYFAR Conference.
Joan Padula, Extension Support Aide
Program Manager for the Cornell Family Development Credential (FDC) program. Engaging in research, policy, outreach, and collaboration related to teaching front-line workers to coach low-income families to reach self-reliance goals.
Lisa McCabe, Extension Associate
Conducting applied research and outreach in early childhood education for the Cornell Early Childhood Program (CECP). Evaluating Caring For Quality, a new home visiting training and support program for regulated (licensed) and informal (Family, Friend and Neighbor) family child care providers. Examining issues related to early care and education in rural areas, including connections between child care settings and public elementary schools. Developing outreach materials addressing young children’s stress while in group early care and education settings.
June P. Mead, Sr. Extension Associate
Project Director and Program Evaluator for the Community Improvement Through Youth (CITY) Project. Editor for the Children, Youth and Families Education and Research Network (CYFERnet)-Parent/Family. Evaluation and outreach related to youth and community development and the National Children, Youth and Family at Risk (CYFAR) Program. Providing program evaluation for eldercare projects. Providing leadership for the eXtension Family Caregiving Community of Practice and related eldercare projects in New York.
Rhoda Meador, Extension Associate
Associate Director, Cornell Institute for Translational Research on Aging (CITRA). Developing and implementing long-term care staff training programs. Consulting, presenting seminars, and facilitating numerous events on topics including recruitment and retention of frontline workers, elder abuse, communications, and adult learning.
Katie Palmer-House, Extension Associate
Senior Instructor for Empowering Families Project that trains Cooperative Extension educators and human service instructors in New York State to deliver the Cornell Family Development Credential (FDC) program.
Karl Pillemer, Professor
Principal Investigator, Cornell Institute for Translational Research on Aging (CITRA). Research and outreach on aging and life course development. Promoting social integration in later life, including intervention programs to reduce social isolation among older persons. Improving the quality of care provided by employees in nursing homes. Improving cooperation and communication between families and staff in nursing homes. A new program area explores ways of engaging older persons in environmental volunteering, in collaboration with county Extension Associations in New York State.
Valerie Reyna, Professor, Department Extension Leader
Disseminating intervention programs to reduce unhealthy risk taking, especially behaviors that lead to premature pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections in high-school aged youth.
Wendy M. Williams, Professor
Co-Director, Cornell Institute for Research on Children (CIRC). Developing, disseminating, and evaluating educational outreach programs for underrepresented youth, including girls and disadvantaged White youth, to enhance practical science-based thinking and reasoning applied to problems in daily life (e.g., Thinking Like A Scientist). Designing and offering summer science programs for disadvantaged high-school youth on Cornell campus. Studying lifecourse trajectories and critical experiences of successful adults who began life as disadvantaged youth.
