Dr. Salzer is a graduate of the developmental psychology program at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. After completing her PhD in 1991, Dr. Salzer began her post-doctoral fellowship in developmental psychopathology at Vanderbilt University with Dr. Ken Dodge. As a graduate student, her primary area of research focused on parent-child relationships in families with aggressive and socially rejected children. While at Vanderbilt University, she adopted a social-information processing model and expanded her area of interests to include the examination of children's internal social cognitive models and their impact on childhood aggression.
After completing her postdoctoral fellowship, Dr. Salzer joined the faculty at Vanderbilt where she remained until 1998. At that time, she accepted an appointment at the University of Pennsylvania and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia where she embarked on a longitudinal, multi-site study of the impact of parental treatment for depression on the development of childhood psychopathology. In addition, she has received federal grant funding to examine the impact of the treatment of childhood anxiety on parent-child interactions. This study focuses on the impact of symptom reduction via psychopharmacological interventions and whether or not changes in children's expression of anxious symptoms elicits alternative parenting styles.
Dr. Salzer joined the core faculty at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in the summer of 2004. She serves as the vice chairperson of the Institutional Review Board and teaches courses in developmental psychology, developmental psychopathology and dissertation research development. Most of the doctoral candidates for whom she serves as committee chairperson have focused their research on the examination of parent-child relationships in families in which either the parent and/or the child are currently experiencing some form of psychopathology. In particular, the students are examining how parents model and reinforce various forms of psychopathology, with a long-term goal of adopting intervention programs aimed at altering the environments in which children are exposed to aberrant parenting styles.
In addition to her work at PCOM, Dr. Salzer serves as a scientific reviewer for National Institutes of Health grant funding programs and as an ad hoc reviewer for Developmental Psychology, Child Development, Social Development, and Family Psychology.
Selected Publications: (NOTE THAT DR. SALZER PUBLISHES UNDER THE NAME OF BURKS)
Fontaine, R. G., Yang, C., Burks, V. S., Dodge, K. A., Price, J. M., Pettit, G. S., & Bates, J. E. (2009). Loneliness as a partial mediator of the relation between low social preference in childhood and anxious/depressed symptoms in adolescence. Development and Psychopathology, 21, 479-491.
Dodge, K. A., Lansford, J. E., Burks, V. S., Bates. J. E., Pettit, G. S., Fontaine, R., & Price, J. (2003). Peer rejection and social information processing factors in the development of aggressive behavior and problems in children. Child Development, 74, 374-393.
Fontaine, R. G., Burks, V. S., & Dodge, K. A., (2002). Response decision processes and externalizing behavior problems in adolescents. Development and Psychopathology, 14, 107-122.
Burks, V. S., Dodge, K. A., Price, J. M., & Laird, R. D. (1999). Internal representational models of peers and teachers: Implications for problematic behavior. Developmental Psychology, 35, 802-810.
Burks, V. S., Laird, R. D., & Dodge, K. A. (1999). Knowledge structures, social information processing, and children's aggressive behavior. Social Development, 8, 220-236.
Burks, V. S., & Parke, R. D. (1996). Parental and child representations of social relationships: Linkages between families and peers. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 42, 368-378.
Burks, V. S., Dodge, K. A., & Price, J. M. (1995). Models of internalizing outcomes of early rejection. Development and Psychopathology, 7, 683-695.
Parke, R. D., Burks, V. S., Carson, J. L., Neveill, B., & Boyum, L. A. (1994). Family-peer relationships: A tripartite model. In R. D. Parke & S. Kellam (Eds.), Exploring family relationships with other social context. Family research consortium: Advances in family research, (pp. 115-145). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Carson, J. L., Burks, V. S., & Parke, R. D. (1993). Parent-child physical play: Determinants and consequences. In K. MacDonald (Ed.), Parent-child play: Descriptions and implication (pp. 197-220). Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
Parke, R. D., Cassidy, J., Burks, V. S., Carson, J. L., Boyum, L. (1992). Familial contribution to peer competence among young children: The role of interactive and affective processes. In R. D. Parke & G. W. Ladd (Eds.), Family-peer relationships: Modes of linkage, (pp. 107-134). Hillsdale NJ: Erlbaum.
Hartup, W. W., Parke, R. D., Carson, J. L., Burks, V. S., Bhavnagri, N., Kreppner, K., Farnill, D., Maiya, K., Yamamoto, E., et al. (1989). Social development. In M. A. Luszcz & T. Nettlebeck (Eds.), Psychological development: Perspectives across the life-span. Proceedings of the 24th International Congress of Psychology of the International Union of Psychological Science, Vol. 7, (pp. 3-51). North Holland, Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier Science Publishers.
Parke, R. D., MacDonald, K. B., Burks, V. S., Carson, J., Bhavnagri, N., Barth, J. M., & Beitel, A. (1988). Family and Peer Systems: In Search of the Linkages. In K. Kreppner & R. M. Lerner (Eds.), Family systems and life span development (pp. 65-92). Hillsdale, N.J.: Erlbaum.
Conference Presentations
Burks, V. S., Schloredt, K., & McCauley, E., (2003, April). Social Problem-Solving in Families With a Depressed Parent. Paper presented that the biennial meeting the Society for Research in Child Development, Tampa, FL.
Garber, J., McCauley, E., Diamond, G., & Burks, V. S. (2003, April). The Effect of Parents' Treatment for Depression on Offspring Family. In J. Garber & A. W. Riley (Chairs), Treating Parents' Depression: How Does It Affect Their Children? Symposium conducted at the meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Tampa, FL.
Burks, V. S., Boyd, R. C., Diamond, G. S., Garber, J., McCauley, E., & Schloredt, K. (2002, August). Relationship Between Cognitions and Psychotherapy in Children of Depressed Parents. Paper presented that the meeting the American Psychological Association, Chicago, IL.
Greenberg, A., Burks, V. S., Schloredt, K., Diamond, G., Garber, J., & McCauley, E. (2002, May). Social Information Processing, Parental Depression, And Childhood Depressive Symptomology. Paper presented at The Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND), Philadelphia, PA.
Pushkas, J., Burks, V.S., Greenberg, A., Diamond, G., Schloredt, K., Garber, J., & McCauley, E. (2002, May). Parental Control As A Mediator Of Attachment And Child Depression. Paper presented at The Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND), Philadelphia, PA.
Burks, V. S. (2002, April). Impact of Treatment for Parental Depression On Parent-Child Interactions. Paper presented at the meeting of the Conference on Human Development, Charlotte, NC.
Burks, V. S., Leckrone, J. M., & Usas, J. (2001, August). Impact of Depression of Treatment of Substance Abusing Adolescents. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, San Francisco, CA.
McCauley, E., Garber, J., Diamond, G., Schloredt, K., Burks, V. S., & Hanford, R. (2001, June). Treatment of Depressed Parents: Changes in Parent-Child Relationship as Reflected in Expressed Emotion. Paper presented at the International Society for Research in Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, Vancouver, British Columbia, CANADA.
Fontaine, R. G., & Burks, V. S. (1999, April). Dimensions of response-decision style and externalizing behavior in adolescence. Paper presented at the meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Albuquerque, NM.
Burks, V. S., Valente, E., Dodge, K. A., & Price, J. M. (1996, November). Social-cognitive and relational predictors of juvenile arrest. In A. Sullivan (Chair), Social-cognitive and relational predictors of juvenile arrest. Symposium conducted at the meeting of the American Society of Criminology, Chicago, IL.
Burks, V. S., & Dodge, K. A. (1995, April). Interactive effects of emotional autonomy and social relationships on the regulation of adolescent negative affect. In K. A. Buss & K. Stansbury (Chairs), Emotion regulation: Moving beyond description. Symposium conducted at the meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Indianapolis, Indiana.
Burks, V. S. (1993, March). Family talk about friends: What mothers say and what children learn. In G. S. Pettit & J. Mize (Chairs), Learning lessons about peer relationships: How parents intentionally teach their children social skills. Symposium conducted at the meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, New Orleans, LA.
Burks, V. S., & Parke, R. D. (1991, July). Parental and Child Representations of Social Relationships: Mediators of child's social adjustment. Paper presented at the Biennial Meeting of the International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Parke, R. D., Burks, V. S., & Carson, J. L. (1989, July). Relations between family and peer systems: Lessons from parent-child play. Paper presented at the Tenth Biennial Meetings for the International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development, Jyvaskja, Finland.
Burks, V. S., Carson, J. L., & Beitel, A. (1987, April). Parent child interaction and peer sociometric status: The role of emotional decoding. Symposium presentation Family and peer systems: Modes of Linkage at the Biennial Meeting for the Society for Research in Child Development, Baltimore, MD.
Burks, V. S., Higley, J. D., & Wagman, I (1984, April). Stress responses and coping mechanisms in very young rhesus monkeys. Paper presented at the International Conference on Infant Studies, New York, NY.
