Visiting Poverty Scholars Program

Anna R. Haskins’ research examines how three of America’s most powerful social institutions—the education system, the family, and the criminal legal system—connect and interact in ways that both preserve and mitigate social inequality, with emphasis on early educational outcomes, intergenerational impacts, and disparities by race/ethnicity.

Haskins is visiting the Center for Population, Inequality, and Policy, at the University of California, Irvine.

X: @AnnaRHaskins, Department of Sociology: @sociologyND

Dr. Brian Holzman is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Administration and Human Resource Development at Texas A&M University. His research examines the pathway to college, paying particular attention to first-and second-generation immigrants, English learners, students of color, and students from socioeconomically marginalized backgrounds. He completed an M.A. in Sociology and a Ph.D. in Sociology of Education and Higher Education Administration at Stanford University.

Holzman is visiting the Center for Population, Inequality, and Policy, at the University of California, Irvine.

X: brianholzman, Department of Educational Administration and Human Resource Development: TAMUEAHR

Bluesky: brianholzman.bsky.social

Dr. Ekjyot Saini earned her Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Science from Auburn University, as well as a Masters in Social Work from the University of Michigan. Her program of research utilizes an interdisciplinary approach, including family systems perspectives and biopsychosocial models, to understand how family and sociocultural contexts contribute to the well-being of children and families across developmental periods. Saini is particularly interested in how relational (e.g., parenting, attachment) and regulatory processes (e.g., sleep, autonomic nervous system functioning) operate within stressful contexts such as socio-economic adversity, neighborhood and family environments, and social contexts of discrimination. She also examines how these factors contribute to socio-emotional and relational outcomes, as well as disparities in these domains.

Saini is visiting the Center for Poverty and Inequality Research, at the University of California, Davis.

X: @Ekjyot_Saini, Health and Human Development College: @pennstateHDFS

Dr. Kathryn Thompson is an Assistant Professor at Boston University’s School of Public Health (BUSPH) in the departments of Community Health Sciences and Health Law, Policy, and Management. Thompson’s research leverages economic frameworks to quantitatively study how social, demographic, and policy contexts shape health and disparities for women, people of color, and Medicaid populations. Her research provides evidence that social identities-like race/ethnicity-and social positions—like socioeconomic status—combine in unique ways to structure health care access, health service utilization, and health outcomes among vulnerable populations. Prior to joining BUSPH, she completed her PhD in Health Services Research at the Brown University School of Public Health.

Thompson is visiting the Institute for Research on Poverty, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

X: @Kathryn_DThomp, School of Public Health: @busph

Mariana Amorim is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Washington State University.  Her work sheds light on the role of public, private, and “shadow” safety nets in promoting the well-being of parents and children during an era of increasing family complexity and economic inequality.

Zibei Chen is an Assistant Professor at the University of Tennessee Knoxville College of Social Work. She is a poverty scholar with a research agenda centered on understanding causes and consequences of living in a fringe economy and developing evidence-based interventions that promote financial capability and economic prosperity among the poor, racial minorities, and other financially disenfranchised groups. Her current research projects include investigating the role of income volatility in using alternative financial services, examining the impact of financial stability and asset building programs, and exploring the intersection of finance and health with a particular focus on the roles of race and class.

Chen is visiting the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality at Stanford University.

X: @Zibei1 | @utkcsw

Rene Crespin, Ph.D., is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Economics at Michigan State University. His research focuses on examining levers that lessen or exacerbate inequality, specifically in terms of schools, housing, and neighborhoods. Among his ongoing projects, he studies the economic and social impacts of education and immigration policies.

Crespin is visiting the Center for Poverty & Inequality Research at the University of California, Davis.

X: @Crespin_Rene | @MSUEconomics

Qiana Cryer-Coupet, Ph.D., is Associate professor of Social Work in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University. Her program of research explores drivers of health and wellness among fathers and the impacts of father involvement and engagement on child, caregiver, and community well-being.

Cryer-Coupet is visiting the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

X: @qcryercoupet