The University of Oregon College of Education is pleased to welcome seven new tenure-track faculty members this year: Sarah Kate Bearman, Sofia Benson-Goldberg, Maithreyi Gopalan, Cindy Huang, Ashley Linden-Carmichael, Kristin Perry, and Amanda Tachine. 

These new faculty bring a diverse range of backgrounds and research interests and will strengthen our college across our academic departments and research centers and will support the important work of The Ballmer Institute for Children’s Behavioral Health. They will expose our students to impactful areas of research including youth mental health promotion, high-risk alcohol use in young adults, prenatal substance use and early childhood outcomes, Indigenous students’ experiences in higher education, and using educational policy and data science to improve outcomes for underserved students.

“I am thrilled to welcome this strong cohort of new colleagues to our College of Education. Their research is impactful and will advance our academic programs and accelerate the impact of our research mission, driving positive change, and supporting and empowering our students,” said Laura Lee McIntyre, dean of the College of Education. Learn more about each new faculty member below.

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Sarah Kate Bearman, PhD

Professor, Special Education and Clinical Sciences | The Ballmer Institute

 

Sarah Kate Bearman brings significant experience focused on evaluating and implementing scientifically supported mental health practices for youth and families in resource-limited settings. She works in partnership with community constituents to adapt, develop, and support interventions that are effective, user-friendly, accessible, and sustainable. Bearman joins the Ballmer Institute this fall as Director of Clinical Training.

Research Interests: Youth Mental Health, Treatment Effectiveness and Implementation, Transdiagnostic Interventions, Mental Health Workforce Training and Support

Sofia Benson-Goldberg, PhD

Assistant Professor, Special Education and Clinical Sciences

 

Sofia Benson-Goldberg’s work supporting the communication and literacy development of students with diverse needs fits perfectly within our department’s focus on ensuring that all children have the access and tools to thrive at home, in schools, and the world around them. Benson-Goldberg is a nationally-certified Speech-Language Pathologist who has worked with children, adolescents, and young adults who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems and their families in home-based, clinical, and school settings.

Research Interests: Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), Emergent and Early Literacy for AAC Users, Reading Comprehension for Individuals with IDD, Eye-Tracking

Maithreyi Gopalan, PhD

Associate Professor, Education Studies

 

Maithreyi Gopalan’s expertise in educational policy and data science, including her work as the inaugural data science impact fellow in the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education, brings a unique perspective to improving outcomes for underserved students. Dr. Gopalan's interdisciplinary approach will strengthen our college’s research initiatives and prepare our students to address complex educational challenges using advanced analytical tools.

Research Interests: Policy Analysis, Quasi-Experiments, Education-Health Nexus, Social Psychology for Policy

Cindy Huang, PhD

Associate Professor, Counseling Psychology and Human Services

 

Cindy Huang brings significant expertise in cultural factors associated with child development and psychopathology among ethnic minoritized and immigrant youth to the department. Huang’s intervention work aims to improve the well-being of minoritized youth and families in culturally informed ways. Prior to joining UO, Huang was an Assistant Professor in Counseling Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University. She received her PhD in Counseling Psychology from the UO and completed her clinical internship in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine.

 

Research Interests: Cultural Risk and Protective Factors; Racial/Ethnic Minority Youth Mental Health; Immigrant Youth and Families, Culturally Responsive Prevention Interventions

 

Ashley Linden-Carmichael, PhD

Associate Professor, Counseling Psychology and Human Services

 

Ashley Linden-Carmichael’s research examines high-risk alcohol use in young adults using a range of innovative analytic methods. As a prevention scientist, Linden-Carmichael’s skillset and content area will be impactful for both our undergraduate and graduate students. Prior to her appointment at UO, Linden-Carmichael was faculty for 8 years at the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center at Penn State and Assistant Training Director for their NIH T32 Prevention and Methodology Training Program.

Research Interests: Alcohol and Cannabis Use, Intensive Longitudinal Designs, Young Adulthood

Kristin Perry, PhD

Assistant Professor, Counseling Psychology and Human Services

 

Kristin Perry’s research focuses on prenatal substance use and developmental outcomes in early childhood, areas of high public health significance. Prior to joining the University of Oregon, Perry was a postdoctoral fellow in the T32-funded Prevention and Methodology Training Program at Pennsylvania State University. She received the 2024 NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Early-Stage Investigator Award and has received awards and funding from the American Psychological Association and the International Society for Research on Aggression.

Research Interests: Prenatal Substance Exposure, Early Childhood Development, Aggression, Family Processes, Peer Processes

Amanda Tachine, PhD

Assistant Professor, Education Studies

 

Dr. Amanda R. Tachine is Navajo from Ganado, Arizona. She is Náneesht’ézhí Táchii’nii (Zuni Red Running into Water) born for Tł’ízí łání (Many Goats). She is an Assistant Professor in Educational Studies at University of Oregon. Amanda’s research explores the relationship between systemic and structural histories of settler colonialism and the ongoing erasure of Indigenous presence and belonging in college settings using qualitative Indigenous methodologies.