Departmental Affiliations
Radhika Raghunathan, MSPH '16, PhD '20, examines multilevel and longitudinal processes influencing children’s social, emotional, and behavioral well-being, and antecedents of mental health disorders.
Research Interests
Child mental health and well-being; socio-emotional development; social epidemiology; longitudinal data analysis; latent variable analysis; structural equation modeling
Experiences & Accomplishments
As a public health and developmental scientist, Dr. Raghunathan’s research focuses on multilevel (psychophysiology, behavior, family, and social and built environments) and longitudinal processes influencing children’s development and well-being. Her research includes investigating the role of self-regulation on children’s socio-emotional development, school-related outcomes, and developmental antecedents/etiology of mental health disorders.
Dr. Raghunathan has expertise in developing and applying advanced statistical methods, such as latent variable and longitudinal modeling, to understand developmental processes and differences both at the individual and population levels. Her research agenda leverages developmental science to inform public health and prevention programs that support the well-being of children and families.
Honors & Awards
2019-2020 Donald A. Cornely Scholar, JHSPH
2018-2019 Bernard and Jane Guyer Scholarship Fund, JHSPH
2016-2020 Maternal and Child Health Training Grant, HRSA
Select Publications
Selected Recent Publications:
Raghunathan, RS., Musci, RJ., Knudsen, N., & Johnson, SB. (2023). What children do while they wait: The role of self-control strategies in delaying gratification. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 226, 105576 (doi:10.1016/j.jecp.2022.105576).
Raghunathan, RS., Musci, RJ., Voegtline, KM., Chambers Thomas, T., Johnson, SB. October 2021. Children’s Attention and Self-Regulatory Behavior before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. (doi: 10.1097/DBP.0000000000001027).
Johnson SB., Raghunathan, RS., Li M., Nair, D., Matson, PA. Moving up but not getting ahead: Family socioeconomic position in pregnancy, social mobility, and child cognitive development in the first seven years of life. March 2022. Social Science and Medicine- Population Health. (doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2022.101064).
Raghunathan RS., DiPietro, J., Musci, RJ., Knudsen, N., Johnson SB. More Than Meets the Eye: Examining Physiological and Behavioral Regulation during Delay of Gratification Task. (doi: http://doi.org/10.1002/dev.22282).
Musci, RJ., Voegtline, KV., Raghunathan, RS., Ialongo, NS., Johnson, SB. Differential Impact of a Universal Prevention Program on Academic Self-Efficacy: the moderating role of baseline self-control. October 2021. Prevention Science. (doi: 10.1007/s11121-021-01315-7).