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Hello there! My name is Kayley Davis McMahan, and I am the new communications specialist for the Research and Theory (RT) Section. As the communications specialist, it is my goal to increase RT’s visibility to current and potential new members and to highlight the many accomplishments of our members as well as available opportunities. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions about communication in RT, please feel free to contact me. For this issue, we highlight a recent RT awardee, Todd M. Jensen, Ph.D. (pictured here receiving his award from Past Chair Kari Adamsons, Ph.D.).

Member Spotlight: Todd M. Jensen, Ph.D.

Todd M. Jensen, Ph.D., received the Research and Theory Section’s Best Abstract by a Student or New Professional Award in 2019 for the symposium abstract “Stepfamily Processes Across Stages of Child and Family Development.” The symposium focused on adaptive family processes in the context of stepfamilies with young children, stepfamilies with adolescent children, and stepfamilies who experience the dissolution of the step-couple relationship. Abstract materials were developed alongside collaborators with whom Dr. Jensen shares all credit: Caroline Sanner, Luke Russell, Chang Su-Russell, Lawrence Ganong, and Marilyn Coleman. Dr. Jensen is currently a research associate at the Jordan Institute for Families and a research assistant professor in the School of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He enjoys driving his motorcycle, playing his guitar, and traveling with his partner, Maggie.

Would you like to know more about this award?

Best Abstract by a Student or New Professional Award

Purpose: The award is intended to recognize outstanding scholarly work by a student or new professional member of the Research and Theory Section.

Award: The award winner receives a $200 cash award and a plaque. The award is presented at the Research and Theory Section meeting at the Annual NCFR Conference.

Criteria: The nominee must be a student or new professional; must be a current member of NCFR and the Research and Theory Section; and will have the highest-rated proposal submitted to the Section.
Nomination/application process: The recipient is selected on the basis of the average rating from peer reviews. The paper with the highest average score is selected as the award recipient. In cases when multiple papers receive the same score, the members of the RT Section’s Executive Committee review each of the top-scoring papers and vote on the winner.
Deadline: The 2020 award recipient will be notified by July 31, 2020.

Moving forward: What can we do to make RT feel more relevant?

We are interested in ways we can make RT feel more relevant to our members, as well as highlight our applicability to all NCFR members. If you have ideas, please email them to me ([email protected]).

NCFR 2020

Thank you to those of you who submitted proposals to the Research and Theory Section, as well as those of you who have signed up to review proposal abstracts for the conference! It is going to be an outstanding conference program!