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Katherine Allen

Katherine Allen, Professor

Katherine Allen portrait
Katherine Allen, Professor Emerita of Human Development and Family Science and Editor of the Journal of Family Theory & Review.

Department of Human Development and Family Science
295 West Campus Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24061
kallen@vt.edu

Katherine Allen was a professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science at Virginia Tech before her retirement in 2020. She now holds the honored title of professor emerita. In addition, she is the Editor of the Journal of Family Theory & Review, for which she will serve as editor from 2023 to 2026. 

  • Family diversity over the life course
  • Family gerontology
  • Feminist family studies
  • LGBTQ families
  • Qualitative research methods
  • Ph.D., Syracuse University
  • M.A., Syracuse University
  • B.A., University of Connecticut
  • Member, Board of Directors, Warm Hearth Village Retirement Community, Blacksburg, Virginia
  • Editorial Board Member, Journal of Marriage and Family; Family Relations; Journal of Family Issues; Journal of Family Theory and Research; Journal of Sex Research
  • Faculty Affiliate, Virginia Tech: Faculty of Health Sciences; Center for Gerontology; Women's and Gender Studies; Human Sexuality Studies
  • Inaugural Fellow, National Council on Family Relations
  • Fellow, Gerontological Society of America
  • 2016: Ernest W. Burgess Award for Distinguished Career in Family Research, National Council on Family Relations
  • 2015: Alumni Award for Excellence in Graduate Academic Advising, Virginia Tech (university award)
  • 2014: Alexis J. Walker Award for Lifetime Achievement in Feminist Family Studies, National Council on Family Relations (inaugural award)
  • 2014: Felix Berardo Scholarship Award for Mentoring, National Council on Family Relations

Recent Journal Articles

Goldberg, A. E., Allen, K. R., & Sanner, C. (2023). Cherished families, unspoken truths: Navigating hidden and challenging family experiences while growing up with LGBTQ parents. Journal of Marriage and Family. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12941

Allen, K. R. (2023). Feminist theory, method, and praxis: Toward a critical consciousness for family and close relationship scholars. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 40(3), 899- 936. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075211065779

Lavender-Stott, E. S., & Allen, K. R. (2023). Not alone: Family experiences across the life course of single baby boom sexual minority women. Family Relations, 72(1), 140-158. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12721

Goldberg, A. E., & Allen, K. R. (2022). “Failed” matches, child removals, and disrupted placements: Devastating and invisible losses during the family building journey for LGBTQ adoptive parents. Journal of Family Nursing, 28(4), 368-380. https://doi.org/10.1177/10748407221090274

Allen, K. R., & Henderson, A. C. (2022). Family theorizing for social justice: A critical praxis. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 14(3), 364-383. https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12450

Russon, J., Allen, K. R., Few-Demo, A. L., & Case Pease, J. (2022). Using critical family theorizing and intersectional feminist praxis to navigate reflective conversations on race and power in academic settings. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 14(3), 537-560. https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12471

Allen, K. R., & Goldberg, A. E. (2022). Apart, but still together: Separated parents living in limbo during COVID-19. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 48(3), 845-860. https://doi.org/10.1111/jmft.12556

Munly, K., Allen, K. R., & Roberto, K. A. (2022). Experiences of Black women adult foster care providers for aging adults: Negotiating power and care. Journal of Women & Aging, 34(6), 692- 705. https://doi.org/10.1080/08952841.2021.1919487

Komelski, M. F., Shankar, M., Allen, K. R., & Janac, B. R. (2022). Challenges, adaptation, and learning in an immersive mindfulness-based practices course: College students’ perceptions. Educational Research. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2022.2146056

Goldberg, A. E., Allen, K. R., & Smith, J. Z. (2021). Divorced and separated parents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Family Process, 60(3), 866-887. https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12693

Kaestle, C. E., Allen, K. R., Wesche, R., & Grafsky, E. L. (2021). Adolescent sexual development: A family perspective. The Journal of Sex Research, 58(7), 874-890. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2021.1924605

Selected Books

Goldberg, A. E., & Allen, K. R. (forthcoming, 2025). Inclusive human sexuality. Sage Publications.

Allen, K. R., & Henderson, A. C. (2023). Family theories today: A critical intersectional approach (2 nd ed.). Cognella Academic Publishers.

Goldberg, A. E., & Allen, K. R. (Eds.). (2020). LGBTQ-parent families: Innovations in research and implications for practice (2 nd ed.). Springer.

Lloyd, S. A., Few, A. L., & Allen, K. R. (Eds.). (2009). Handbook of feminist family studies. Sage Publications.

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