Verda Rana
I am currently a fourth year Ph.D. Human Development/Developmental Psychology student at The Catholic University of America. I am passionate about working with families and kids, and understanding the positive aspects of couple and parent-child relationships. I am also interested in exploring how religious beliefs, or involvement, tie in with family dynamics and positive attributes. I am currently working on designing a study, with potentially a cross-cultural component, of what role religion plays within families, more specifically, in development of young kids.
I was born and raised in Pakistan, where I did my Masters in Behavioral Sciences and M.Phil. in Psychology, with primary focus on parenting practices, children, and cross-cultural comparisons. Before starting my doctorate, I worked as a consultant for several years at The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, and U.S. Department of Agriculture, to name a few. I have also worked as a Research Assistant with Dr. Todd Kashdan at George Mason University, where I was engaged in exploring positive aspects of romantic relationships.
Right now, I am also working at the Food and Drug Administration and helping them in their training and e-learning initiatives. When I am not busy with research, I like to spend time with my 12 year old son, or can be found taking pictures around our beautiful campus. I look forward to many adventures in this lab, as the fun has just started! If you want to know more about my work, feel free to email me at [email protected].
