Psychology - Early Intervention for Families Lab - Dr. Barbara Burns
Barbara M. Burns is a developmental psychologist whose research has focused on cognitive and social-emotional factors that support school readiness. Her current major research interest is caregiver-child attachment and its significance for the development of self-regulation processes in young children. Dr. Burns directs the Early Intervention for Families Lab in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Louisville. Together with her team of developmental and clinical graduate students in psychology, she works to design and evaluate the impact of parent-centered interventions for high risk families. Barbara Burns's research studies have been published in Child Development, Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, and a range of other developmental and experimental psychology journals (see vita). Between 2003-2008, Barbara Burns was the Editor of the National Head Start Association quarterly peer-reviewed journal NHSA Dialog: A Research to Practice Journal for the Early Intervention Field. In 2005-06, as a Visiting Professor in Psychiatry at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, she worked in the Therapeutic Nursery in the Child Psychiatry Division. During this time she also served as the Chief Clinical Officer for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s (NYCDoHMH) Early Intervention Program. She is currently collaborating with child development scientists in NCBDDD at the CDC in Atlanta. These experiences working in public health reflect her focus on translating basic science discoveries in developmental psychology to early intervention practice and policy.
Early Intervention for Families Lab
The research done in the Early Intervention for Families Lab is focused on understanding the development of self regulation in young children facing adversity (e.g., economic disadvantage, developmental delay, etc.). We are interested in basic science questions regarding children's self regulation and applied questions regarding the effectiveness of early intervention. Graduate students from the Early Interventions for Families Lab have taken research and teaching positions in universities and colleges, educational consulting firms and assessment and evaluation program in school systems, and government and industry. Undergraduates who work with our team typically go on to graduate training in developmental psychology, clinical and counseling psychology, educational psychology and counseling or social work.
People
Graduate Students: Crystal Day, M.S. Emily Fister Paulette Flores, M.A. Tara Weatherholt, M.S. Research Associates: Dr. Danielle Brown, Department of Pan African Studies Dr. Lora Haynes, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences Dr. Deborah Davis, Department of Pediatrics Dr. Yasmin Senturias, Department of Pediatrics
Opportunities
we are recruiting undergraduate students who are energetic, organized, reliable and interested in training in the Early Intervention for Families Lab. Read about our work from the web page information and email Barbara Burns bburns@louisville.edu to set up a meeting to discuss our work. Previous lab experience is not necessary and being sophomore or junior is preferred.
