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Fantasy Lozada, Ph.D.

Dr. Fantasy Lozada

Associate Professor
Developmental Psychology
808 W Franklin, rm 404
ftlozada@vcu.edu
(804) 828-9089

Associate Professor (tenure-track)
Developmental Psychology 

Ph.D. (2013), North Carolina State University

Website

S.H.I.E.L.D. Lab

Research Interests

My research takes a developmental and community-based approach to understanding the normative emotional experience and promoting the emotional liberation of Black and Brown populations, with a specific emphasis on African American and Latino/a/e/x communities. Emotional liberation refers to an individual having full access to the range of emotions that are a part of the human experience without worry about the ways that their emotions may be misinterpreted and weaponized against them through racial bias. I pursue these goals in three ways: (1) by conducting within-group research to understand the cultural and racial factors that shape the emotional development of Black and Brown populations, (2) publishing developmental and affective science to elucidate these cultural and racial factors, and (3) partnering with community organizations to translate and disseminate my research findings into practice by educators, leaders, youth service providers, community health workers, and others who support Black and Brown youth and families. Within cross-sectional and longitudinal research design, I rely on both qualitative (i.e., thematic analysis) and quantitative analytic methods (i.e., structural equation modeling, negative binomial regressions, multilevel latent class analysis, hierarchical linear modeling) of data obtained through questionnaire, observation, interview, and psychophysiological assessment.

Select Publications

Volpe, V., Smith, N., Skinner, O., Del Toro, J., Lozada, F. T., & Hope, E. (2022). Centering the heterogeneity of Black adolescents' experiences: Perspectives and guidance for within-group designs among African diasporic communities. Journal of Research on Adolescence. Advanced Online Publication.
Lozada, F. T., Riley, T. N., Catherine, E., *Brown, D. W. (2021). Black emotions matter: Understanding the impact of racial oppression on Black youth’s emotional development. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 32(1), 13-33.
Dunbar, A. S., Lozada, F. T., *Ahn, L. H., & Leerkes, E. (2021). Mothers’ preparation for racial bias messages and responses to Black children’s distress predict emotion regulation: An attachment perspective. Attachment & Human Development, 24 (3), 287-303.
Bocknek, E., Lozada, F. T., *Brown, D. W., Richardson, P., & McGoron, L. (2021). Paternal biopsychosocial resilience in triadic interactions among families exposed to trauma and socioeconomic adversity. Developmental Psychobiology, 63 (6).
Lozada, F. T., Jagers, R. J., & Nguyễn, H. X. (2022). Socioemotional competence in context: Black males’ socioemotional competence, neighborhood-school racial (in)congruence, and social adjustment. Journal of Community Psychology, 50, 465-486.
Lozada, F. T., Seaton, E. K., Williams, C. D., & Tynes, B. M. (2021). Exploration of bidirectionality in African American and Latinx adolescents' offline and online ethnic-racial discrimination. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 3, 386-396.

Recent Courses

  • Experimental Methods, undergraduate level

Recent Grants

VCU Breakthroughs: Merging Developmental and Educational Perspectives on Ethnic-Racial Identity and Ethnic-Racial Socialization to Foster Culturally Responsive Education, (PI: Chelsea Williams, Co-PI: Fantasy Lozada, Hillary Parkhouse, and Jesse Senechal), 2022-2023. ($199,600), Awarded.

Center for Disease Control (CDC) CE21-005: The CDC National Centers of Excellence in Youth Violence Prevention (YVPCs): Rigorous Evaluation of Prevention Strategies to Prevent and Reduce Community Rates of Youth Violence. (PI: Terri Sullivan, Co-PI: Nicholas Thomson, Co-I: Fantasy T. Lozada, Elizabeth Zimmerman), 2021-2026. VCU Healthy Communities for Youth: Evaluation of Violence Prevention Strategies to Prevent and Reduce Community Levels of Youth Violence. ($5,994,301), Awarded.

National Science Foundation (NSF). Racial Socialization in Multiracial Families: A Mixed-Methods Investigation. 2021-2023. PI: McKenzie Stokes, Supervising PI: Fantasy T. Lozada. ($138,000), Awarded. Grant Number: 2104888.

National Science Foundation (NSF) – Social Psychology/Developmental Sciences. CAREER. Emotion regulatory flexibility among African American youth. 2021 – 2026. PI: Fantasy T. Lozada. ($575,475), Awarded. Grant Number: 2046607.

Institute of Educational Sciences (IES). Partnerships and Collaborations Focused on Problems of Practice or Policy. MERC School-Based Action Research Team Professional Development Model to Support the Use of Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices that Impact Student Learning. 2019-2021. PI: Jesse Senechal; Co-PIs: Fantasy T. Lozada, Hillary Parkhouse, Tameshia Grimes, Monica Manns. ($395,553), Awarded. Grant Number: R305H190053

Awards

  • VCU Psychology Outstanding Scholarship Award, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2022
  • VCU Psychology Outstanding Community Engagement Award, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2019

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