Dr. Megan Golonka

Biography

Megan Golonka is a research scientist at the Center for Child and Family Policy within the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. She has a strong focus on child welfare issues, particularly in the context of strengthening health and social service systems to improve child well-being. Golonka engages in data collection and management across nine international sites as part of the Parenting Across Cultures project. Her research interests include child welfare, adolescent risk behavior, social development, and the impact of parental incarceration, viewed through a lens of risk and resilience within an ecological framework. Passionate about addressing challenges faced by children and families, Golonka emphasizes the importance of research in policy development. She is dedicated to teaching and mentoring undergraduate students, encouraging them to explore child and family policy issues through interdisciplinary study and original research. As part of her teaching initiatives, she introduces students to child policy research through a cornerstone seminar in the Child Policy Research Certificate Program and supports them in conducting their own research and independent studies. Golonka's academic background includes a Ph.D. in developmental psychology and a Certificate in College Teaching from Duke University, as well as an M.A. in developmental psychology and a B.A. in psychology from the University of Notre Dame.

Research Interests

Experience