Roberts, PhD student in special ed, awarded 2022-23 IDF

Caroline Roberts, PhD student in the Department of Educational Psychology’s special education program, has been awarded a 2022-23 Interdisciplinary Doctoral Fellowship (IDF) by the Graduate School at the University of Minnesota.

In her fellowship, Roberts plans to facilitate knowledge translation between the fields of special education and psychiatry related to the issue of self harm or, in individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, nonsuicidal self injury (NSSI).

“Rarely, if ever, have the fields of special education (my major), family social science (my minor) and psychiatry (my IDF mentor) engaged in interdisciplinary research and knowledge generation related to SIB/IDD and NSSI,” Roberts explains.

Roberts plans to advance an interdisciplinary SIB-NSSI program of research informed by family systems theory to clarify pathways to care, beginning with focus groups with providers and building upon existing interviews with family caregivers.

“I am not just a researcher of SIB, but also a family caregiver. My brother has IDD and has struggled with self-injury since he was 3,” she shares.

Roberts says her personal experience as a sister motivates her and provides her with a deep understanding of the impact of this issue on families.

“I am excited to gain an understanding of the perspective of psychiatry in order to continue to develop a depth of knowledge that I hope can contribute to solutions for families like mine over the long-term.”