Kathryn H. Howell, Ph.D., Director
Dr. Kathryn Howell is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She was previously on faculty at The University of Memphis from 2013-2024. Dr. Howell is a licensed psychologist in Wisconsin and Tennessee.
Dr. Howell’s program of research centers on the health and well-being of children and families. Across her projects, she assesses individual, relational, and community factors that enhance resilience or reduce psychopathology following exposure to traumatic events during childhood. A common theme underlying her studies is the promotion of resilience among youth and families exposed to adversity. Much of her work is devoted to the development of strengths-based interventions for trauma-exposed groups, including youth experiencing adversity and women exposed to intimate partner violence. Thus, she has developed a research specialization in empirically supported interventions to promote well-being for children and families exposed to trauma.
Dr. Howell is author or co-author of more than 140 publications. She has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Early Career Award for Contributions to Practice in Child Maltreatment from the American Psychological Association, the American Psychological Foundation & APA Division 37 Diane J. Willis Early Career Award, and the American Psychological Foundation & APA Division 12 Theodore Blau Early Career Award for Outstanding Contribution to Professional Clinical Psychology. She recently became a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and is the previous chair of the APA Committee on Children, Youth, and Families.
Graduate Students
Hannah C. Gilliam, M.S.
Hannah C. Gilliam is a fifth-year student in the Clinical Psychology doctoral program at The University of Memphis. She received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from Clemson University in 2017. Her research interests include examining the intergenerational effects of violence on parenting and family functioning while considering multifaceted pathways of resilience. She is particularly interested in community-based participatory intervention development and evaluation that addresses the effects of violence for marginalized groups and highlights culturally specific strengths.
Kari N. Thomsen, M.S.
Kari N. Thomsen is a fifth-year student in the Clinical Psychology doctoral program at the University of Memphis. Kari graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. Kari worked as the Lab Coordinator for a child clinical psychology lab at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst prior to starting graduate school. Her research interests revolve around pathways of risk and resilience for psychopathology across ecological systems following exposure to childhood adversity.
Project Coordinator
Nikki Dwyer, M.S.
Nikki Dwyer is the project coordinator for the Pregnant Moms’ Empowerment Program (PMEP). She began volunteering in the REACH lab during the summer of 2020. Her previous research experiences include examining psychophysiology and emotional disorders, workplace development, and trauma.
Lab Manager - UW Madison
Will Dwortz, B.A.
Will Dwortz is the project coordinator for the Empowerment Program #4mykids and the lab manager at UW-Wisconsin. He began in 2024 after graduating with degrees in English and Neuroscience from the University of Notre Dame. His previous research includes investigating the relationship between reminiscing style and emotion regulation in mothers and their children. His research interests include protective factors against the transmission of psychopathology across generations.
Laney Limburg
Laney Limburg is a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin-Madison studying psychology and Spanish with a certificate in criminal justice. She joined the REACH Lab in 2025, and her research interests revolve around how to build community systems of resilience.
Nicky Thompson
Nicky Thompson is a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She began working as an undergraduate research assistant in Spring 2025. Her research interests include child development and psychopathology, with a particular interest in focusing on preventative measures during childhood and adolescence.