As part of our research, Mommy’s Milk follows up with participants through our Neurodevelopment Follow-Up Program to learn more about their child’s cognitive and behavioral development. The goals of the program are to identify exposures that increase the chance of developmental and/or learning delays and its long-term effects.  The questionnaires and face to face assessments determine development of language, gross and fine motor, problem-solving, and social-emotional skills.

Kelly Kao, BA
Program Manager

Kelly is the Program Manager of the Developmental Follow-Up Program at the UC San Diego Center for Better Beginnings, where she oversees the team of psychometrists that conducts developmental assessments for the Center’s research programs, including Mommy’s Milk. She has been with Division of Environmental Science & Health since 1993. Kelly obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology at the UC San Diego with minors in Biology and Spanish Literature. She became interested in prenatal environmental exposures that cause birth defects and long-term developmental effects when she took a Sociology of Law course that examined the death penalty case of a man who was diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). She actively demonstrates her dedication to educating the community about prenatal environmental exposures through her outreach activities, lectures, and research projects.

Violet Webb, MS.Ed.
Pyschometrist

Violet Webb is a Psychometrist and Research Associate at the UC San Diego Center for Better Beginnings. In this role, she conducts standardized assessments with both maternal and child participants for the Center’s research programs, including Mommy’s Milk. She also coordinates the collection of and scores maternal well-being and infant development questionnaires. She attended San Francisco State University where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. In 2017, she went on to receive her Masters of Science and Advanced Certificate in Educational Psychology from CUNY Brooklyn. Violet is passionate about working with children and contributing to the research that will provide insight about child development. Her goal is to provide assessments that are both fun and comfortable for parent and child.

Haley Henry, BS
Pyschometrist

Haley Henry is a psychometrist for the Developmental Follow-Up Program at the UC San Diego Center for Better Beginnings. In this role, she conducts standardized assessments with both maternal and child participants for the Center’s research programs, including Mommy’s Milk. She also coordinates the collection of and scores maternal well-being and infant development questionnaires. Previously, she served as a Clinical Research Specialist at the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development. She received her Bachelor’s in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh where she also worked as a research assistant. Haley plans to continue contributing to research that seeks to improve the developmental outcomes of children.