Dr. Kristina Lopez is an Associate Professor at the School of Social Work, Arizona State University. She was previously an Assistant Professor at California State University—Long Beach. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, and a Master of Arts in General Experimental Psychology at California State University—Northridge; and a Master of Social Work in Interpersonal Practice (Children and Youth in Families and Society), a Master of Science in Developmental Psychology, and a PhD in Social Work and Psychology at the University of Michigan—Ann Arbor. In her research, she explores disparities in early diagnosis and subsequent intervention services among underserved children and families, including low-income families, limited-education families, and racial/ethnic minorities, with a specialization in Latine children and youth with autism, as well as other complex health care needs. She focuses on the impact of developmental disabilities and complex healthcare needs among children on family systems across racial and ethnic groups and socioeconomic levels. Her research is grounded in a multidisciplinary framework in which she incorporates developmental psychology, social work and public health disciplines, disability critical race theory, and LatCrit. Dr. Lopez's research is deeply personal given her identity as a Latina and the epilepsy diagnosis she received as a young child.