Program Coordinator, Dr. Carrie Saetermoe
Carrie Saetermoe, Program Coordinator, Psychology: I have in three areas of research: (1) transition to adulthood of youth with disabilities; emphasis on youth of Latin descent (LA and Guatemala), (2) academic achievement in Mexican descent youth, and (3) immigrant and international health psychology and disabilities. In all research, a contextual approach that employs critical social science approaches – mixed methods that integrate demographic information, ethnography, quantitative (archival, survey) and qualitative (ethnography, interview, focus groups) data collection to provide a broader perspective on understanding health disparities as well as the strengths that can be found in Latina/o youth and their families. Data analytic techniques on some projects include structural equation modeling, grounded theory, narrative analysis, and other mixed models. We have found, in our studies of the transition to adulthood, that families in the US attempt to normalize their child with a disability’s experience but also expect less from them than healthy siblings, Latina/o families cope differently from families of other ethnic background, and that Latina/o families can access strengths that are not always found in families of other ethnic groups, including close-knit relationships with extended family who can be relied upon to help with advanced homework, taking siblings to their clinic therapies, and taking care of financial matters within their families.
The PC has had extensive administrative leadership experience as the PD of a Career Opportunities in Research (COR) program (2001 – present), PD and PI on M-RISP infrastructure and empirical grants (2003-2005), and currently serves as department chair. She secured external private funding from the California Endowment and from her university for the COR program. She has served as a reviewer for the NIH on several occasions and served in a leadership capacity on the COR Conference committee for 3 years. The PC has won many university honors including the Distinguished Teaching Award, Richfield Scholarship for excellence in research, Don Dorsey Faculty Mentoring Award, and the Outstanding Faculty Member Award. Over 50 students from the PC’s lab have gone on to doctoral program with lower than a 10% dropout rate. Several of the PC’s former students of color are currently professors and researchers and carry on a tradition of respect and authenticity in culturally competent research. Therefore, the PC is highly committed to the RIMI mission of training scholars to conduct research that is relevant and efficacious in reducing health disparities. While the academic pipeline continues to constrict opportunities for people of color and people of economic need, there is a strong need to train highly motivated faculty who can, themselves, exhibit cultural competence in mentoring an emerging cohort of researchers who identify relevant research questions and use methods that are responsive to the needs of populations most at risk.
The PC has a PhD from the University of California at Riverside in Developmental and Health Psychology. Her empirical work includes projects related to family-level and cultural adaptations to adolescent disabilities in diverse samples including Latinos in LA (NIH-funded) and in Guatemala (US Department of Education-funded). In so doing, the PC has developed liaisons with local hospitals and clinics (Olive View Medical Center, Orthopedic Hospital, Childrens Hospital LA) and with FUNDABIEM rehabilitation center and with the Psychology faculty at Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala in Guatemala. Conducting international research in Guatemala in 2004 and 2005 was an education in cultural competence and cooperation that exceeded any classroom knowledge and has informed future projects. She is currently working with the Filipino government to arrange a delegation to conduct needs assessment and research on rural disabilities there. Finally, she is collaborating with visiting scholar Wael Abu-Hassan from the West Bank in Palestine on resource development and study of individuals with disabilities.
The PC, along with two colleagues, has started the Institute for the Study of Immigrant Children and Families and has served a leadership role in the meetings of the Society for Research in Child Development and the Society for Research in Adolescence. As a result, she has co-authored an article, submitted, related to cultural competence and ethics in the study of immigrant populations. As PD for Career Opportunities in Research (funded by the NIMH and the California Endowment), the PC has read extensively and prepared classes and publications employing qualitative research methods. Finally, for over two years our department benefited from an M-RISP grant when we were able to attend seminars by Dr. Kevin Kim on the use of structural equation modeling techniques.
The PC has published nine papers and is currently working on two for submission within the next six months. Several other manuscripts are in preparation. Since 1991, the PC has authored over 85 conference papers and two symposia, all but four with students. In addition, she occasionally reviews COR and B-START applications and other grants for the NIMH, is a member of 4 professional associations, reviews for Disability and Rehabilitation, and is active in a research project related to the identification of resilience to aging in an urban population and another related to Latino Adolescent Resilience.
The PC has attempted to bring faculty and students together in problem-focused ways to develop skills, build community, and provide a locus of support for developing scholars. In so doing, an emphasis is laid on building a community of scholars that better reflects our local and national environment as well as who study the environment in culturally competent ways. We are building a network of scholars who ultimately will apply for funding from other mechanisms and build research alliances and centers based on the diverse population who live in Los Angeles.