PhD candidate Megan Allbright-Campos receives research grant from the Behavioral Interventions Scholars program

Congratulations to PhD candidate Megan Allbright-Campos who recently received a prestigious dissertation research grant from the Behavioral Interventions Scholars program, funded by the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The $25,000 grant will support Allbright-Campos’s project titled, “Factors Influencing Caseworker Decisions About Family-Centered Interventions for Postpartum Parents in Child Welfare” for a year under the mentorship of Dr. Bridget Freisthler, former professor at the college. Dr. Sharvari Karandikar serves as Allbright-Campos’s dissertation co-chair.

“I am thrilled to have this opportunity to collaborate with families and caseworkers to guide research and intervention design in child welfare,” says Allbright-Campos. “I hope this grant and my partnerships with OPRE, Bridget and Sharvari will identify methods to better serve families of infants impacted by the child welfare system using family-centered approaches. Thank you to the college and all who have provided mentorship and support along the way!”

Known for their highly competitive nature and rigorous selection process, OPRE grants support research projects that apply behavioral economics principles to examine and improve social service programs and policies impacting low-income populations in the United States.

“Congratulations, Megan!–this is such an outstanding achievement,” says Karandikar. “Your research will utilize family-centered approaches and elevate family voices within the child welfare systems. I am so proud of your accomplishments and wish you all the best.”