Educational Background:
I received my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Simpson Collge, and my Ph.D. in Human Development from the University of California, Davis, mentored by Larry Harper, Linda Acredolo, and Kathy Conger. Following a year as a Faculty Fellow at UC Davis, I won a research training grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to study as a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Education with mentors Kurt Fischer and Catherine Ayoub. The title of my NICHD-funded study was ‘Symbol and Social Skills in Typical and At-Risk Children.’

I have been the recipient of the UC Davis Professors for the Future Fellowship and Graduate Honors Program, University of California Dissertation Year Fellowship, University of California Faculty Fellowship, the Ruth L. Kirschstein Clinical Research Service Award, the National Institutes of Health Clinical Research Fellowship, and the New Investigator Award from the World Association of Infant Mental Health.

Research:
My general research interests are the early development and integration of cognitive-linguistic and social skills within the context of caregiver-child relationships and family risks. I have specific expertise in infants’ use of symbolic gestures – also known as infant signs – and uses infant signing as a method to gain insight into infants’ social and cognitive worlds and the nature of the preverbal mind. I have an active interest in translational research to improve the quality of training for the early child care and education workforce. You can learn more about specific research projects here.

I am a member of groups of scientists to support collaborative research and education: 

Literacy Achievement Research Center (LARC) http://www.msularc.org/
My LARC Project: Literacy Before Language http://www.msularc.org/html/project_litbeforelang.html

International Infant Sign Researchers (IISR) http://groups.google.com/group/IISR

Courses:
I teach undergraduate courses on developmentally appropriate early child education and intervention, and graduate courses on infant development, and methods used in studying development.

FCE 322: Infant Development and Program Planning
FCE 892: Observational Methods for Studying Development: Build Your Own Coding System from Concept to Reliability  

Interdepartmental Graduate Certificate in Infancy and Early Childhood (IGCIEC)
The IGCIEC program provides graduate students with an interdisciplinary specialization in infant and early childhood developmental studies. The specialization appears on the degree transcript with completion of the program. IGCIEC students come from a variety of units across campus, and more than a dozen academic units participate in the IGCIEC program. IGCIEC students attain core competencies in infant/toddler and early childhood development, research and evaluation, programs and practices in serving very young children and their families, assessment, and other key areas. Core competencies are attained through completing course work, participating in colloquiums and discussions with faculty across campus, assigned readings, and field experiences. The IGCIEC program provides a unique opportunity for students to engage in scholarly dialogue and study with faculty and peers across campus and across the community.   Please contact Holly Brophy-Herb for more information.

Organizations Related to Infant/Toddler Research & Practices

International Society for Gesture Studies
International Society on Infant Studies
Nat'l Assoc for Educ Young Children
Society for Research in Child Development
World Association for Infant Mental Health
Zero to Three

Curriculum Vitae