CSBS affiliate and assistant professor of psychology Violeta J. Rodriguez has been awarded the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s DP5 Early Independence Award from the NIH Common Fund’s High-Risk, High-Reward Research program.  

The Early Independence Award is designed for exceptional junior scientists who have recently completed their doctoral degrees, allowing them to bypass traditional postdoctoral training and launch independent research careers. Rodriguez’s selection highlights her remarkable achievements and potential in the field of clinical psychology. She earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Georgia in 2023, following her doctoral internship at the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Institute for Juvenile Research. 

Rodriguez’s project, titled “Optimizing the Assessment of Parenting: A Multi-Method and Multi-Informant Approach,” aims to fill significant gaps in existing parenting assessments, particularly for ethnoracially minoritized populations. Her research will enhance parenting assessments through qualitative interviews and advanced psychometric methods, including innovative techniques like unsupervised machine learning and text modeling. This project will focus on the unique experiences of ethnoracially diverse and Spanish-speaking parents, developing multiple versions of the assessments for parent, coparent, and youth reports, as well as ecological momentary assessment (EMA) tools. Ultimately, Rodriguez aims to inform the development of tailored parenting interventions that effectively support ethnoracially minoritized parents and their children. 

Reflecting on her collaboration with CSBS, Rodriguez shared, “The Center for Social & Behavioral Science (CSBS) has been an invaluable resource throughout the grant development process. Kaylee’s assistance with a checklist ensured that I submitted all necessary components, especially since this was my first R01-level grant. Moreover, having Eva Pomerantz, the CSBS director, serve as a mentor on the grant underscored the level of mentorship and support I could expect if awarded, particularly in terms of disseminating research outcomes. The proposal development review also proved essential in anticipating potential issues during the review process, further strengthening my submission. The infrastructure and community at CSBS provide a collaborative and supportive setting, ensuring my long-term success in driving impactful research forward.” 

This article draws from a longer version originally published by the department of psychology.