Extension collaborations
The Department of Family Social Science includes faculty from the University's Extension Service who ensure research is translated into programs that support and improve the lives of families and communities. Learn more about them below.
Jodi Dworkin
Jodi Dworkin’s research and outreach focuses on risk-taking among adolescents and college students, promoting positive family development, parenting adolescents and college students, and the role of technology in these relationships. A critical piece of her work is developing research-based outreach services to promote positive family development.
Current projects
Parenting College Students: When your child goes to college
This website provides research-based comprehensive resources to parents of college students to support and empower successful transitions to college, increasing responsibility, and good decision-making skills.
Teen Talk Fact Sheet Series
There are resources for parents and professionals designed to build family strengths and more confident parenting, including better family communication and decision-making, and parent-teen relationships.
Jenifer McGuire
Jenifer McGuire’s extension focus in family development considers individuals well-being within the context of family and social structures, and seeks to create systems that can best support structures for optimal development. Her research areas have focused predominantly on adolescent sexual identity and health, and the health and well-being of transgender youth.
Her current focus is on gender identity development across a broad spectrum and family relationships among transgender and genderqueer identified youth and young adults. She has collaborated closely with the Parent Education team in family development and the Center for Sexual Health over the last several years in the development of new assessment and research protocols.
Current projects
Children Youth and Families Consortium (CYFC)
In her work, McGuire collaborates with Extension to help Minnesotans make informed decisions leading to better health and well-being. Additional materials included:
National Center for Gender Spectrum Health
This UMN center expands longitudinal cross-site data collection opportunities for clinics serving transgender clients.
Parents Forever coparent education program
This program provides in person and online education to families in transition to support parents through changes in custody arrangements.