Karen Nylund-Gibson, Ph.D., is a professor of quantitative research methodology in the Department of Education. She has been at UCSB since 2009. Prior to joining the department, she was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Mental Health at Johns Hopkins University. She earned her Ph.D. at UCLA, working with Bengt Muthen. Her research focus is on latent variable models, specifically mixture models and she has published many articles and book chapters on developments, best practices, and applications of latent class analysis, latent transition analysis, and growth mixture modeling.
Erin Dowdy, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology at the University of California Santa Barbara. She is a licensed psychologist and a nationally certified school psychologist. Her research career and scholarly publications have focused on universal assessment for social and emotional health and risk. She is focused on equitable screening practices. Dr. Dowdy has a record of past success at disseminating research in peer- reviewed journals and at professional conferences, and her research and collaborative work with schools, state, and community agencies has been funded by various agencies.
Michael Furlong, Ph.D., is a Research Professor and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of School Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has received the 2022 School Mental Health Research Award from the National School Mental Health Center and the 2021-22 UCSB Edward A. Dickson Emeritus Professorship in recognition of his contributions. Dr. Furlong's expertise includes providing consultation and support to the California Department of Education and WestEd on California Healthy Kids Survey matters. He is also a co-editor of the Handbook of Positive Psychology in Schools (2009, 2014, 2022) and a dedicated collaborator on Project Covitality.
School Mental Health Collaborative Researchers
Arlene Ortiz, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Teaching in the Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology at the University of California Santa Barbara. She is a licensed psychologist and a nationally certified school psychologist. Her scholarly interests focus on assessment and intervention practices for culturally and linguistically diverse students.
Jon Goodwin, PhD., is an Assistant Teaching Professor and licensed psychologist at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has expertise in comprehensive psychoeducational assessment and counseling services for students with advanced cognitive ability, including "twice-exceptional" students. He also specializes in the diagnostic evaluation of neurodevelopmental disorders. He is interested in the assessment of learning differences, identification of students for gifted and talented programs, and advocacy for underrepresented gifted and talented students.
Hee Kyung Park, Ph.D, is a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She holds a Pupil Personnel Services Credential in School Psychology. Her research interests include the development, implementation, and assessment of culturally responsive social-emotional learning interventions within multi-tiered systems of support, with a focus on both national and international contexts.
