Jerel P. Calzo, University of Michigan
Jerel P. Calzo, M.A., was born and raised in San Diego, CA. He holds Bachelor's degrees in Psychology and English from UCLA. While at UCLA, Jerel served as a research assistant to Dr. Patricia Greenfield at the Children's Digital Media Center, and as a project manager to Drs. Vickie Mays and Susan Cochran at the Black Community AIDS Research and Education Project and the UCLA Center for Research, Education, Training, and Strategic Communication on Minority Health Disparities. Jerel is currently a doctoral candidate in Developmental Psychology and a participant in the Development, Psychopathology, and Mental Health Program at the University of Michigan, where he works with Drs. L. Monique Ward and John Schulenberg. Jerel's research examines adolescent health and social development. His specific foci are developmental transitions, such as puberty, and the intersections of mental health, gender, sexual socialization, and sexual health. Jerel's current projects examine college men's hookup experiences, and the socialization of beliefs and attitudes about homosexuality. He recently completed a Master's thesis focusing on the connections between sexual socialization, intentions to lose virginity, and engagement in non-coital and coital sexual behavior among emerging adults. Future projects will examine body image socialization during the pubertal shift, boys' health and social experiences during puberty, and social contributors to gender differences in psychopathology. In his spare time, you can find Jerel immersed in his daily yoga practice, cycling for HIV/AIDS services, or at karaoke with his fellow graduate students.