Mary Beth Bruder, PhD (Major Advisor)
Dr. Mary Beth Bruder has been in the early childhood intervention field since 1976. She began her career as an early childhood intervention public school teacher in VT. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Oregon in Developmental Disabilities in 1983. She was an assistant professor of early childhood special education at Virginia Commonwealth University, and since 1986, Dr. Bruder has been at the University of CT School of Medicine where she is a professor in Public Health Sciences, Pediatrics and Educational Psychology. She currently directs the University of Connecticut A.J. Pappanikou Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service (UConn UCEDD).
Dr. Bruder has directed over 75 federal and state research demonstration and training grants and contracts, and is on the editorial board of several peer reviewed journals in disabilities. She is the editor of Infants and Young Children and she is on the board of the International Society of Early Intervention.
Dr. Bruder is a recognized leader in the early childhood intervention and has an extensive history in the UCEDD Network. She is also the parent of children with disabilities.
Email: bruder@uchc.edu
Tara Lutz, PhD, MPH, MCHES®
Tara is the coordinator of health promotion at the UConn UCEDD. She is an assistant professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at UConn School of Medicine. She completed her M.P.H. and Ph.D. in public health at UConn and is a Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES®). She coordinates the Certificate of Interdisciplinary Disability Studies in Public Health. Her areas of interest include health promotion and sex education for individuals with developmental disabilities as well as integrating disability in public health education.
Email: lutz@uchc.edu