Human Development and Family Studies | Penn State College of Health and Human Development

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Early identification of cognitive problems

Blood tests can provide early detection for declining cognitive abilities among people whose cells are aging early due to stressors like psychiatric disorders or experiencing child abuse. From The Center for Healthy Aging.

Congrats to HHD Faculty and Staff Award winners

Congrats to Molly Countermine, teaching professor, who received the HHD Joyce Hopson-King Diversity Achievement Award for sustained and significant contributions to fostering diversity and inclusion at Penn State and within the college.

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Almeida receives distinguished Kleemeier Award

David Almeida, professor of human development and family studies, has been selected as the 2023 recipient of the Robert W. Kleemeier Award, awarded by the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) annually to a member in recognition for outstanding research in the field of aging.

Alumni group endows award to honor Sherry Corneal

Members of the Human Development and Family Studies Alumni Group recently gifted $20,000 to endow the Sherry Corneal Award for Outstanding HDFS Student Achievement, which honors the late faculty member’s legacy.

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Start your undergraduate journey

Explore this versatile undergraduate degree for anyone who is intrigued by human nature and the forces that help shape it.

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Faculty member, Tim Brick, assists a graduate student during a class.

Learn about graduate training

Discover how research and graduate training in HDFS provides students with the knowledge needed to contribute to the field of human development.

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Explore HDFS research areas

Understand the variety of research areas and current projects that push the boundaries of knowledge in the field.

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Student meeting in the Diversity and Inclusion office.

Engage in HDFS diversity initiatives

Learn how HDFS is encouraging and fostering an environment in which every member of the community can flourish.

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Interventions to address stimulant and opioid use that consider race and gender may prove more effective at preventing overdose deaths than current methods, according to a Penn State-led team of researchers who studied how drug treatment admissions and overdose deaths differed among race and gender.

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An older woman with a concerned look on her face. The back of her head is dissolving to suggest the loss of cognitive function

Newly identified biomarkers may detect early cognitive decline via blood test

The golden rule may get a boost when teens feel connected to others

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Health and Human Development rallies the pride in support of engaged learning