April Highlander

  • Assistant Professor
  • Department of Psychology; Clinical Psychology
  • Phone: 401.874.4316
  • Email: april.highlander@uri.edu
  • Office Location: Chafee 410

Accepting Students: Dr. Highlander will be accepting new doctoral graduate students for the 2026-2027 academic year. 

Biography

I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at URI and a licensed psychologist. I earned my Ph.D. in clinical psychology from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and completed a predoctoral clinical internship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center/Western Psychiatric Hospital. I also completed an NIMH T32 postdoctoral fellowship in child mental health and an NICHD T32 postdoctoral fellowship in childhood stress, trauma, and resilience at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University. My research has been funded by the National Science Foundation and recognized through several fellowships and awards (e.g., NIMH Child Intervention, Prevention, & Services [CHIPS] fellowship).

Research

My research focuses on the psychosocial mechanisms underlying symptom presentation and unequal mental health outcomes among children and families experiencing stress and adversity. Specifically, I examine how socio-ecological factors and individual or dyadic characteristics (e.g., income, affect, emotion regulation, parenting practices) influence child and family well-being. Much of my work focuses on parent-mediated interventions (e.g., behavioral parent training programs) aimed at supporting early childhood psychosocial development. The overarching goal of my research is to enhance mental health care for underserved communities by identifying, implementing, and disseminating effective, culturally responsive interventions.

Education

  • Brown University, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development T32 Postdoctoral Fellowship in Childhood Stress, Trauma, and Resilience; 2025
  • Brown University, National Institute of Mental Health T32 Postdoctoral Fellowship in Child Mental Health; 2024
  • University of Pittsburgh Medical Center/Western Psychiatric Hospital, Clinical Residency; 2023
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology; 2023
    West Virginia University, B.S. in Psychology; 2017

Selected Publications

Highlander, A., Parent, J., & Jones, D. J. (2024). Helping the Noncompliant Child and child behavior outcomes: An exploratory examination of financial strain. Prevention Science.
 
Merrill, S. M., Hogan, C., Bozack, A. K., Cardenas, A., Comer, J. S., Bagner, D. M., Highlander, A., & Parent, J. (2024). Telehealth parenting program and salivary epigenetic biomarkers in preschool children with developmental delay. JAMA Network Open.
 
Fischer, M., Loiselle, R., Weber, D. M., Highlander, A., McCall, M., Cain, G., Forehand, R., & Jones, D. J. (2024). Parent-child emotion dynamics in families presenting for BPT: Is there a link with child behavior, parenting, and treatment outcome? Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 
 63, 992-1001.

Highlander, A., & Jones, D. J. (2021). Integrating objective and subjective social class to advance our understanding of externalizing problem behavior in children and adolescents: A conceptual review and model. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review.
 
Highlander, A., Zachary, C., Jenkins, K., Loiselle, R., McCall, M., Youngstrom, J., Forehand, R., McKee, L., & Jones, D. J. (2021). Clinical presentation and treatment of early-onset behavior disorders: The role of parent emotion regulation, emotion socialization, and family income. Behavior Modification.

Highlander, A., Quetsch, L., Girard, E., & McNeil, C. B. (2021). Preliminary outcomes of an incentive-based parent-training intervention. Journal of Child and Family Studies.