Education:
Ph.D., Cultural Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania
B.A., Political Science, Yale University

Courses taught:
IFST 202: Foundations in Family Studies
IFST 230: Emerging Lifestyles
IFST 246: Pathways Course: Relationships
IFST 339: Adult Development and Aging
IFST 346: Delivery of Human Services
IFST 390: Honors Colloquium: Culturally Diverse Families
IFST 422: Family Relationships
IFST 621: Graduate Seminar in Family Studies
IFST 860: Diversity in Families and Human Development
IFST 855: Topics in Family Studies

In my research, I have sought to work on both global and national issues pertaining to non-Western as well as diverse families in the United States. I have focused specifically on the interrelationship between family, work and gender roles, as well as intergenerational relationships between adult children and their parents. I am currently involved in a major national project funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation that is examining these issues from the perspective of family support and community economic development. I am also developing another project that examines the intersection of work, family life and educational systems in the United States and Austria. My global perspective is reflected in the classes I teach: I always stress that we can only begin to understand family life by also examining the larger context within which families live and make their decisions. On a more personal level, I am also involved with a home for teenage pregnant girls in the Philadelphia area called The Cradle of Hope.