Fernanda L. Cross

Fernanda L. Cross is an Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan's School of Social Work, where she conducts research at the intersection of developmental psychology, social work, and immigration studies. She holds a PhD in Developmental Psychology (2019) and an MSW in Interpersonal Practice/Children & Youth (2010), both from the University of Michigan. Her work bridges academic research with community engagement, drawing on her personal experience as a Latinx immigrant and over a dozen years of community advocacy in southeast Michigan.

Dr. Cross's research program employs a strength-based approach to examine how family and cultural factors promote healthy development among Latinx adolescents and families, particularly those with mixed immigration status. Her work utilizes qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methodologies to investigate undocumented status's impact on family processes, ethnic-racial socialization, identity development, and adolescent outcomes. She has published extensively on topics including documentation status socialization, discrimination experiences, and mental health disparities affecting Latinx communities.

Her recent publications reveal a strong focus on health disparities during the COVID-19 pandemic, with particular attention to vaccination challenges among Black and Latinx Michigan residents. She also examines how racism and discrimination impact Latinx immigrant youth mental health, and explores documentation status as a critical dimension of ethnic-racial socialization within immigrant families.

• 2023 Anti-Racism Research & Community Impact Faculty Fellow
• 2021 Society for Research on Child Development Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award
• 2024 Career Development Grant recipient
• Featured expert on WXYZ Detroit, WEMU, and Deutsche Welle discussing immigrant student support and Latinx teen empowerment

Dr. Cross leads community-based participatory research projects, including the Michigan CIVIC study funded by NIH-NIMHD, which focuses on improving vaccine uptake among marginalized communities. Her teaching includes graduate courses on life-course development and social work research methods. She collaborates extensively with community organizations through the Michigan Community Engagement Alliance (MICEAL), working to translate research into practical interventions that address health disparities and promote immigrant family resilience.