Daria Boeninger

Daria Boeninger is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of Massachusetts Boston, holding a Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis. As an interdisciplinarily-trained lifespan developmental scientist, she brings applied expertise in prevention, health promotion, and policy to her academic role, driven by a passion for education's transformative potential within learning communities.

Her educational foundation includes doctoral training at UC Davis, preceded by extensive frontline experience in crisis intervention, psychoeducation, and prevention programs for children, youth, and adults across school and community settings. She maintains long-standing engagement with international nonprofit initiatives focused on vulnerable children and families through psychoeducational support.

Dr. Boeninger's research centers on lifespan development, developmental psychopathology, suicide prevention, and stress/coping processes, utilizing longitudinal quantitative methodologies to examine critical transitions—particularly into adulthood. Her work investigates parenting influences, self-regulatory mechanisms, and stage-salient tasks in mental health outcomes, with strong emphasis on prevention frameworks and health promotion strategies across developmental stages.

Her publication record (2000-2014) reveals consistent focus on developmental trajectories in mental health, especially adolescent suicidal behavior and coping adaptations across the lifespan. She integrates longitudinal analysis to explore parenting dynamics, self-regulation, and life transitions while contributing to community-based prevention models like the InterCept Program, demonstrating applied translation of research into practice.

She teaches core psychology curriculum including Psych 100 (Introductory Psychology), Psych 215 (Abnormal Psychology), and Psych 343 (Adult Development & Aging), alongside innovative first-year seminars addressing health disparities, social determinants of health, and evidence-based critical thinking in digital contexts, reflecting her commitment to health equity and educational transformation.