Ph.D.
Assistant Professor for the Department of Health Sciences
Co-Principal Investigator, SRSD Replication
Principal Investigator, Writing Model Project
Co-Investigator, Preschool and Middle School Projects
Graduate Research Assistant, Elementary School Project
Lara is an Assistant Professor for the UNC-CH Department of Health Sciences. She earned her bachelor’s degree in 2014 at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in Special Education: Behavioral and Emotional Disabilities. Upon graduation, she began her teaching career at Trask Middle School in Wilmington, NC as a special education teacher. She has worked with students with disabilities as a classroom teacher, camp counselor, and clinician. During her graduate studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she received training as part of the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disorders (LEND) and Maternal and Child Health Bureau Leadership programs. In May 2014, she earned her Ph.D. from UNC-CH School of Education in Educational Psychology, Measurement and Evaluation program after completing her dissertation which examined the relations among the development of written language and executive functions in elementary aged students. In July 2019, she received her first grant as principal investigator from the Institute of Education Sciences (R305A190405).
When Lara is not directing the UNC Writing Skills Development Program projects or writing grant proposals, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their two sons. During her free time, she likes cooking with her mom, camping with her friends, and reading a book at the beach.
