Earlier this month, UConn Postdoctoral Fellow Leah Lessard was awarded a prestigious grant from the Society in Research in Child Development (SRCD). Since 1933, the Society for Research in Child Development has focused on stimulating and supporting research to encourage collaboration among individuals within the field of child development and fortify applications of research findings. The grants were selected from a competitive pool of professional applicants that cover many different areas of research and topics. A selection for this grant deserves recognition, so we at UConn KIDS want to take part in congratulating her for this exceptional accomplishment.
Dr. Lessard received her Ph. D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles, where much of her experience and expertise within child development and psychology took place. After about five years in Los Angeles, Dr. Lessard’s current research is taking place here at the University of Connecticut at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. Her research focuses on how social experiences contribute to stigma-based health and educational disparities during adolescence. She seeks to identify mechanisms that effectively promote inclusion and acceptance within the school setting as a way to improve marginalized adolescents’ access to the social resources critical for healthy and academically successful outcomes.
As a top 25 public university, we here at UConn recognize research as an integral part of the formation of our students and the growth of its faculty and professors. With this in mind, we at UConn KIDS want to congratulate Dr. Lessard as she continues to make her mark within the field of psychology and child development. Her professionalism and expertise make her more than a qualified professional, but an advocate to promote social inclusion and acceptance for middle and high school kids.
Once again, congratulations.
Best wishes in all your personal and professional endeavors Dr. Lessard.
Francisco A. Carrillo
Research Assistant, UConn KIDS