Courtesy photo Emily Jensen, daughter of David and Kristine Jensen of Gladstone, recently graduated with her PhD in Human Development and Family Studies from Michigan State University.

EAST LANSING — Emily Jensen, daughter of David and Kristine Jensen of Gladstone, recently graduated with her PhD in Human Development and Family Studies from Michigan State University. Her work focuses on supporting children with disabilities and their caregivers in healthcare and educational settings through community-based research and practitioner training to ensure inclusion, access, and high-quality care.

Jensen successfully defended her dissertation entitled: “Investigating the consilience between the needs of caregivers of children with medical complexities and the training experiences of pediatric residents: A mixed-methods, multi-phase exploration.”

During her time at MSU, she managed the Research in Autism and Developmental Disabilities lab, served as an assistant coach for a baseball league for children with disabilities, published several peer-reviewed journal articles, and taught numerous undergraduate courses. She currently works as an inclusion consultant on an early childhood curriculum and hopes to land a tenure-track academic position. Her parents are very proud.