The first in a two part series, this episode highlights VIRL's collaboration with the National University of Singapore (NUS) and The Center for Holistic Initiatives in Learning and Development (CHILD). Join four of our undergraduate research assistants—Saylor Mullarkey, Freddy Zettersten-Mansour, Michelle Sun, and Eric Eubank—in their interviews with Drs. Keri McCrickered, Grace Lum, and Evelyn Tan. These interviews explore the backgrounds of the three featured guests, the ways they engage with Singapore as a context for research and implementation, and some of the work that CHILD conducts.

About the Guests:

Dr. Keri McCrickerd: With a background focused on nutrition and eating habits, Dr. McCrickerd employs her experience as both an experimental psychologist and learning support teacher as the executive director of CHILD. As a key part of the management team of the consortium that comprises CHILD, Dr. McCrickerd pilot's CHILD's research and implementation strategies to sustain and champion the organization's mission.

Dr. Grace Lum: Having experience in training early childhood educators, teaching, lecturing, and serving as a principal, Dr. Lum's work focuses on capacity building ​ and helped develop and pilot training for migrant domestic workers participating in the LET's Care program. 

Dr. Evelyn Tan: As a principal investigator at the Center for Evidence and Implementation (CEI), much of Dr. Tan's work relates to developing, consulting, and refining CHILD programs. A psychologist by training, Dr. Tan has worked in school contexts as well as private practice and employs an expertise in children's attachments to their parents and caregivers.

Check out the Lab Website: About | Vanderbilt Implementation Research Lab

Follow us on Instagram @VUImplementation

Visit CHILD's website!  https://thechild.sg/

Find CHILD on Instagram @thechildsg

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, undergrad Eric Eubank has a conversation with Dr. Adrea Truckenmiller. The two discuss Dr. Truckenmiller's work on the development of novel writing assessment tools, the importance of research on reading and writing within the special education field, and processes of advocacy and implementation. 

About the Guest:

Dr. Adrea Truckenmiller is an associate professor in the College of Education at Michigan State University, where she conducts research on the component skills underlying reading, writing, and language development as a mechanism for selecting more effective and equitable instruction. Through this research, Dr. Truckenmiller has developed assessment tools such as the Writing Architect and the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, which seek to bridge gaps in instruction, assessment, and intervention.

Check out the Lab Website: About | Vanderbilt Implementation Research Lab

For more information on Dr. Truckenmiller's scholarly work, visit these resources: 

Adrea’s team provides research-based and usable interpretations of reading screening that actually informs instruction in effective ways: https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.2274

Adrea’s team describes the latest findings from the Writing Architect – the best place to start with writing instruction. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10534512251346794

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, junior Michelle Sun hosts Dr. Carrie Mason, an attorney and independent consultant who works extensively with the foster care system in Tennessee. They discuss Dr. Mason's work and the implementation of policies that better serve foster youth, including youth aging out of foster care.

Check out the VIRL lab website: About | Vanderbilt Implementation Research Lab

For more information on Dr. Carrie Mason's scholarly work, check out these resources:

Chow, J. C., Wallace, E. S., Senter, R., Kumm, S., & Mason, C. Q. (2022). A systematic review and meta-analysis of the language skills of youth offenders. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_JSLHR-20-00308

Mason, C.Q, (2016). The social maladjustment exclusion: Leaving a category of students behind and the problem with state and judicial interpretation of congressional intent. UDC Law Review · May 4, 2016. Law Journal Library - HeinOnline.org

Chow, J. C., Boyle, J., Ramos-Torres, S., Granger, K. L., (2025). Contextual and systems-level factors that influence outcomes for families of students with EBD. In F. E. Obiakor and J. P. Bakken (Eds.), Special Education (Advances in Special Education, Vol. 39). Emerald Publishing Limited. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/S0270-401320250000039003

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we have a chat with Dr. Lauren Hampton and Dr. Hannah Fipp-Rosenfield about their work supporting caregivers implementing naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions or NDBIs. Hosted by one of our lab's undergraduates, sophomore Saylor Mullarkey, and master's student Kelly Cattano, this episode explores the intersection of research and practice by diving into our guests' experiences in speech-language pathology and behavior analysis and the ways this informs their research today. 

About the Guests: 

Dr. Lauren Hampton: An associate professor in the Department of Special Education at The University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Hampton conducts research surrounding the early identification of communication delays and challenging behaviors, and autism characteristics to optimize the use of parent-mediated interventions for these groups. As a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Dr. Hampton has experience in many roles within early intervention settings, focusing on collaboration with children and their families.

Dr. Hannah Fipp-Rosenfield: Currently a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Little Longhorn and IDEA Research Labs at The University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Fipp-Rosenfield's work focuses on applying NDBIs for young autistic children, specifically focusing on the role of parent mediation in this process. Her research stems from her education as a speech-language pathologist and also seeks to engage with community stakeholders to adapt practices surrounding early childhood interventions

Check out the website for the Little Longhorn Lab! Little Longhorn Lab

Follow the Little Longhorn Lab on Instagram! @littlelonghornlab

For more information on this scholarly work, check out these resources:

Hampton, L. H., Fall, A. M., Butler, J., Roberts, G., & Noh, Y. (2026). Optimizing Measurement of Communication in Autistic Children and Their Caregivers: Dependability of the Caregiver‐Child Interaction. Autism Research, e70191.

Hampton, L. H., Stern, Y. S., Fipp-Rosenfield, H., Bearss, K., & Roberts, M. Y. (2022). Parent-implemented positive behavior support strategies for young children on the autism spectrum: A pilot investigation. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 65(5), 1921–1938. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_JSLHR-21-00361

For more information on NDBIs:

Theoretical background: https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10803-015-2407-8.pdf

Language strategies core to NDBI's: https://meadowscenter.org/resource/10-key-policies-and-practices-for-supporting-language-development/

AFIRM Modules on Naturalistic Interventions: https://afirm-modules.fpg.unc.edu/Naturalistic-Intervention/content/#/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we sit down with three of our lab’s Ph.D. students—Zoe, Phoebe, and Andrew—to learn about the research they conduct, how they hope to see it implemented in practice, and why they do what they do. Hosted by Eric, one of our lab’s undergraduate researchers, we learn how our graduate students’ work impacts VIRL’s work with research implementation and about the journeys that brought them into research.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/yc828yn6

About the guests:

Phoebe Ahn: With experience as a special education teacher, Phoebe is now a doctoral student in the Department of Special Education. With specific interests in EL students, Phoebe uses research to better understand the ways that students engage with their classroom settings and how this impacts social-emotional well-being to better equip teachers to do the same.

Andrew Chang: At the time of release, Andrew has now defended his dissertation and received his PhD in Special Education with a minor in quantitative analysis. Andrew focuses on the intersection between statistical modeling and meta-analysis with classroom support in order to compare the efficacy and impact of various interventions in practice.

Zoe Hussey: As a doctoral student in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Zoe draws upon her experiences as a speech language pathologist to examine the interplay between training and research within school settings and bridge the gaps between these knowledge pools to achieve more cohesive practitioner environments.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.