Virginia Tech Human Development & Family Science

We are so thrilled to announce that Dr. Caroline Sanner has been promoted to Associate Professor of Family Science!

From Dr. Sanner: "Receiving tenure at Virginia Tech is a tremendous honor and a meaningful milestone. I feel incredibly fortunate to be part of a department that has become home—one where I am surrounded by generous colleagues, thoughtful students, and a community that values my work and encourages me to grow. I'm grateful for the opportunity to continue building my career alongside people I admire, and I'm excited for what lies ahead."

She is an integral faculty within the HDFS department, and we are so fortunate to have her!

Happy Wednesday! This week for our alumni spotlight, we have Sade Cole, who graduated with a Bachelor's in HDFS in 2021. From there, Sade completed a Master's of Public Policy (MPP) from Georgetown University in 2024. Swipe to see what Sade has been up to lately.

Congratulations to Dr. Bradburn and Dr. Velez on receiving a 2026 Overton Award! Overton is a company with a mission to bridge research to policy. Along with GRA Julianna Strati, this team will use the award to explore university metrics of societal impact.

Their project assesses research and administrative faculty understanding of and interest in using Overton's policy citation information as a measure of societal impact in professional reporting and advancement. In the U.S., peer-review publication indices and grant awards constitute the metrics for success at R1 universities. Metrics related to societal benefit, however, are not widely adopted or required. At a time when the Academy is particularly concerned with advertising its value to the public, their mixed-methods study aims to explore what faculty and administrators from a range of disciplines want in a social impact metric, and ways that policy citation reports may contribute to developing such an index.

We are looking forward to seeing their findings!

Here is the link to all Overton Award Recipients: https://www.overton.io/blog/first-look-at-overtons-2025-26-policy-grant-awardees

Our recent graduates are gearing up for exciting new things!

This week we want to congratulate Neelam Patel on continuing her education at University of North Carolina at Greensboro in the Developmental Psychology PhD program. We are so proud of you!

Always a Hokie 🧡

Click below to read an article featuring Dr. Brittany Howell, a research faculty in the HDFS department!

Research is strongest when every community has a seat at the table.

Proud to see Dr. Brittany Howell recognized for her work ensuring that mothers and infants from rural communities are represented in child development research. Through our lab, we're committed to building partnerships, fostering trust, and advancing science that reflects the experiences of all families.

Because better representation leads to better research, and better outcomes for everyone. 🧠💙

Read the full article here
🔗https://news.vt.edu/articles/2026/05/research_fralinbiomed_howellnhra.html

Check out this post with our very own department head, Dr. Paul Springer, discussing family vacation stress:

Expert shares advice for reducing family vacation drama Vacationing with multiple family members or friends of different ages and interests for extended periods of time can create tension. Paul Springer says communication before the vacation is key to reducing challenges.

We have the best alumni from the HDFS program!

Today, we have Dr. Kate Singer, who graduated from the HDFS PhD program in 2024. We are so proud of you and the work you do, Dr. Singer!

Planning a family vacation soon? Check out some tips to reduce vacation stress from Dr. Paul Springer, the Department Head in HDFS.

VT Marriage and Family Expert Shares Tips to Reduce Vacation Stress Travel stress tends to bring out the worst in us, but one VT expert says it doesn’t have to. With vacation season on its way, Paul Springer - a marriage and family therapist of nearly two decades, and a Department Head of Virginia Tech’s Department of Human Development and Family Science – sa

Led by Dr. Matthew Komelski, recently-graduated seniors completed their senior capstone projects by engaging in MindBody Flow, a community enrichment program that is a collaboration between Hokie Wellness and the HDFS department.

Swipe to read more about MindBody Flow and a student perspective on completing the project!

We want to spend today highlighting two individuals whose dedication and impact make a difference in the lives of our students every day: Carolyn Ballard and Sarah Jarrett, our HDFS academic advisors! Carolyn is the advisor for Human Development majors and Sarah is the advisor for Early Childhood Development and Education majors

Here are some reflections from Victoria Lael, an advanced instructor in HDFS, about Carolyn:
"I asked students in my class for feedback on Carolyn, and I got dozens of responses referring to her competence in helping students address complicated academic advising situations (switching majors, double majoring, preparing for specific careers, etc.) and just as many referring to how caring and kind she is. Many commented on the personal attention she gives students and how she remembers or notices things about them individually. She consistently helps provide students the information they need to stop stressing about their academic planning and put their energy toward their academics."

and Sarah:
"In addition to her familiarity with VT's academic policies and requirements, Sarah also has in-depth knowledge of Virginia State Teaching Licensure requirements. Also, she advises students from a variety of majors (all planning to teach), which adds to the difficulty of her work. She is incredibly knowledgeable and does an amazing job keeping track of so much detailed information. Students she advises comment on her friendliness, her quick response times, and her ability to help students figure out the best path for their goals. One student said, "She always makes me feel less stressed." Another said, "She's been extremely patient, understanding, and someone know I can always talk to and be completely honest
with without feeling judged."