Elena L. Grigorenko

Dr. Elena L. Grigorenko received her Ph.D. in general psychology from Moscow State University, Russia, her Ph.D. in developmental psychology and genetics from Yale University, USA, and her re-specialization in clinical (forensic) psychology from Fielding University, USA.

Currently, Dr. Grigorenko is affiliated with five universities: Baylor College of Medicine, University of Houston and Yale University in the USA, and Moscow State University for Psychology and Education and St. Petersburg State University in Russia.

Dr. Grigorenko has published more than 500 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and books.

She has received multiple professional awards for her work and obtained funding for her research from numerous federal and private sponsoring organizations in the USA and Russia and other countries.

Dr. Grigorenko has worked with children and their families in the USA as well as in Africa (Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar, Ghana, the Gambia, and Zambia), India, Saudi Arabia, and Russia.

Title of presentation: Language challenges in orphans and vulnerable children: Contributions to understanding language development.

Abstact: In this presentation, Dr. Grigorenko will review the existing literature on language development in orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), reflect on what is established in this work, and introduce completed and ongoing research on language acquisition in OVC unfolding in her laboratory.