Research Assistant Professor

Valerie Wood is a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Vermont in the Center for Disability and Community Inclusion (CDCI), which is housed in the College of Education and Social Services at the University of Vermont.

Dr. Wood earned her Ph.D. in Applied Social Psychology from Colorado State University in 2010. After completing her Ph.D., she worked in Vermont state government, first with the state's child welfare agency (DCF-Family Services Division) and later with the Department of Mental Health. Both positions were focused on program evaluation, quality improvement, and community and stakeholder engagement.

Prior to joining the faculty at CDCI, she was a Post-doctoral Research Associate in the Department of Social Work where she supported the work of the Child Welfare Training Partnership. Her current research interests include: evaluation science, systems integration and change management, the psychology of inclusion/exclusion, positive youth development, and conflict resolution.

Publications

Leake, R., Wood, V. F., Bussey, M., & Strolin-Goltzman, J. (2019). Factors influencing caregiver strain among foster, kin, and adoptive parents. Journal of Public Child Welfare,13(3),285-306. 10.1080/15548732.2019.1603131

Wood, V. F. & Bell, P. A. (2008). Predicting interpersonal conflict resolution styles from personality characteristics. Personality and Individual Differences, 45(2), 126 -131.

Slater, M. D., Hayes, A., & Ford, V. L. (2007). Examining the moderating and mediating roles of news exposure and attention on adolescent judgments of alcohol-related risks. Communication Research, 34(4), 355 – 381.

Slater, M. D., Long, M., and Ford, V. L. (2006). Alcohol, illegal drugs, violent crime, and traffic related and other unintended injuries in US local and national news.  Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 67(6), 904 – 910. 

Brown, T. C., Peterson, G. L., Brodersen, R. M., Ford, V., & Bell, P. A. (2005). The judged seriousness of an environment loss is a matter of what caused it. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 25, 13 – 21.

Awards and Recognition

  • Award for Outstanding Original Research at RMPA (2005)  
  • Carol Lynne Baird Memorial Scholarship Recipient (2003)
Valerie Wood

Areas of Expertise and/or Research

  • Positive youth development
  • Program evaluation
  • Systems change and integration

Education

  • Ph.D in Applied Social Psychology from Colorado State University
  • M.S. in Applied Social Psychology from Colorado State University

Contact

Email:

Valerie.Wood@uvm.edu

Phone:
  • 802-656-3258
Office Location:

313 Mann Hall