People

Canan Karatekin, Ph.D.

Canan Karatekin is an associate professor at the Institute of Child Development. She has a BA in Psychology from Harvard, and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from UCLA. She studied cognitive impairments in children with youth-onset psychoses or ADHD for many years. However, after her close collaborator, Tonya White, M.D., left the Psychiatry Department at the U of M for the Netherlands, it became difficult to recruit young participants with psychosis. Canan started volunteering for Safe Passage for Children in the spring of 2010. After becoming increasingly involved with the organization, she decided to shift her research focus to the child welfare system in May, 2011. She's particularly interested in public policy regarding services and interventions for maltreated children.

Richard Gehrman, MBA

Rich Gehrman is the founder and Executive Director of Safe Passage for Children.  Mr. Gehrman developed expertise in child welfare metrics and Best Practices in his work for clients including the Center for the Study of Social Policy, the Ramsey County ACE program, and Growing Home – a Minnesota foster care agency.  This background led him to develop the core strategy and resources for Safe Passage.

In his consulting work Mr. Gehrman is an experienced project manager who represents business owners in major Business Process Redesign projects and IT systems upgrades.  He has managed projects in federal, state, county and municipal governments in the areas of health, human services, state court administration, higher education, and juvenile justice. 

Mr. Gehrman has served as the chief finance and administrative officer for the Westchester County New York Department of Social Services, the Maryland Department of Human Resources, and the City of Saint Paul Minnesota.

Mr. Gehrman is a graduate of Williams College, Harvard Divinity School, and Harvard Business School.

Jamie Lawler, M.A.

Jamie Lawler, is a graduate student pursuing her Ph.D. through the Developmental Psychopathology and Clinical Science Program at the Institute of Child Development.  Her research interests focus on the social and emotional effects of early adversity, including child maltreatment, child welfare involvement, and early institutionalization.  In particular, she is interested in interventions to promote positive development in these children.  Prior to coming to the University of Minnesota, Jamie worked as a socio-therapist for a therapeutic foster care intervention in the Bronx, NY. Jamie received her BA from Emory University in 2007, where she studied normative socio-emotional development across cultures.

Rebecca Shlafer

Rebecca is a post-doctoral fellow at the Prevention Research Center in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Adolescent Health.  She completed her BS and MS in Human Development and Family Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and her PhD at the Institute of Child Development at the University of Minnesota. Her research interests include understanding the developmental outcomes of children with incarcerated parents. She is particularly interested in understanding how antisocial and criminal behavior are transmitted across generations and how effective interventions can disrupt cycles of offending. In addition to her academic work, Dr. Shlafer volunteers as a guardian ad litem in Hennepin County.

Lensa Hunte

Lensa is a senior at the University of Minnesota's Liberal Arts College. Her major is Child Psychology. She loves working and learning about children. After graduating, she wants to apply to medical school in order to be a Pediatrician. She is interested in learning about health factors in terms of physical health and other areas that affects the child's development.

Lizbeth Tenorio

Lizbeth Tenorio is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the College of Liberal Arts. Liz is currently working on receiving her BS in Child Psychology. She is also a member of the Honors Program and of the Community Engagement Scholars program at the University of Minnesota. Liz is planning to go to graduate school after graduation next spring and begin working on getting her Masters in Social Work.

Trent Barden

I am a Child Psych major. I chose Child Psych because I have always been good with kids and it just felt like the best option. I enjoy being active and I appreciate a good joke. I like books, guitars, and motorcycles and I always try to look at life as a great adventure.

Alaa Sakallah

Alaa Sakallah is a 3rd and final year undergraduate student completing a Bachelor of Science in Child Psychology.  She hopes to continue on to get a Master's in clinical psychology, and potentially a Psych Doctorate after that. In her free time, Alaa likes to listen to Arabic music, read, and cook Middle Eastern foods. 

Courtney Kral

Courtney is an Undergraduate in her third and final year in Child Psychology. She plans on receiving her Master's in Occupational Therapy. She loves spending time on her parent's farm, playing volleyball, rollerblading, and being at the lake.

Beatrice Lau

Beatrice is an undergraduate working toward her B.S. degree in Child Psychology at the University of Minnesota.  After graduation, she plans on attending graduate school and conducting research in the field of toddlers' cognitive and temperament development.  In her free time, she loves fixing computers, cooking and traveling.

Tristine Miller

Tristine is in her third year of work towards her Bachelor of Science in Child Psychology, with an added focus on Applied Psychology in Education and Community Settings. She enjoys her work on campus with fellow students as an Access Assistant for Disability Services. In the future, she hopes to earn her
Master’s in Special Education to continue her dedication and work to improve the lives of people with disabilities. Tristine is also a proud parent..