[Prevscilist] Introducing Dr. Heather Leonard!

[Atika Khurana]

Dear Prevention Science community,

It is my great pleasure to share with you that Heather Leonard 
successfully defended her dissertation titled "/Longitudinal 
associations between early parenting and adolescent allostatic load: 
Examining the mediating and moderating role of child delay of 
gratification/" last week. Her dissertation used the NICHD SECCYD 
<https://www.nichd.nih.gov/research/supported/seccyd/overview> study 
data to examine longitudinal associations between parenting behaviors in 
early childhood and allostatic load in adolescence, including testing 
the mediating and moderating role of childhood delay of gratification. 
She was guided in this research by her committee members: Drs. Derek 
Kosty, Leslie Leve, Sara Schmitt, Wendy Hadley and myself.

I first met Heather when she applied to our MEd program in 2017. A 
non-traditional student, Heather had been active in research, teaching, 
and public health efforts for nearly two decades before she decided to 
return to graduate school. As her MEd advisor, I was so impressed with 
her passion for prevention-related work, strong work ethic, and clear 
sense of purpose that I encouraged her to apply to the PhD program. She 
graduated from the MEd program in 2018, with the promise that she will 
consider applying to the PhD program. Later in 2019 I bumped into Doug 
(Heather's husband) at a local pizza joint and asked him to nudge 
Heather to apply to the PhD program. It worked! Heather applied and got 
accepted in the PhD program, starting at the height of the pandemic in 
Fall 2020. She has been a fantastic student collaborator on research 
projects and a gifted instructor, who most recently worked as a GE for 
the Ballmer Institute's inaugural 3-course graduate micro-credential 
<https://childrensbehavioralhealth.uoregon.edu/graduate-microcredential> 
in children's behavioral health. Heather will continue sharing her 
incredible teaching and research skills with students in the Prevention 
Science program in her new role as career faculty member in the CPHS 
department starting Fall 2023.

Please join me in congratulating Heather on her many accomplishments!

Best,
Atika
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