Whitney N. McCoy 

Whitney N. McCoy is a Research Scientist at Duke University’s Center for Child and Family Policy (CCFP) within the Sanford School of Public Policy and co-director of the Duke L.I.F.T. Lab, a technology hub that champions diverse perspectives and values. Her research focuses on equity and inclusion, particularly examining the intersectional identity development of Black girls and how gendered racial identity influences psychological outcomes in educational settings. At the L.I.F.T. Lab, Dr. McCoy leads the InventHERs Institute, which provides mentorship and hands-on engineering experiences for girls from underserved communities. With extensive experience in designing and evaluating curriculum-based programs related to K-12 STEM and engineering education, she draws on her background as a former K-6 educator to inform her work. At CCFP, she promotes culturally responsive strategies in trauma-informed educational interventions, contributing to initiatives like Resilience and Learning (a K-12 educational model) and ITTI Care (a professional development framework for early childhood educators). As a dedicated researcher committed to advancing equity through critical research methods, Dr. McCoy has also consulted with CCFP staff on strategies to enhance racial equity within their research efforts. Before joining Duke, she served as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Virginia, where she managed a randomized control trial aimed at improving computer science knowledge among elementary teachers and students, and provided coaching on integrating engineering into classroom curricula. Dr. McCoy holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Winston-Salem State University, a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from North Carolina State University, where she received the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and was recognized with the Outstanding Dissertation of the Year award. Whitney McCoy - Duke Center for Child & Family Policy | Duke Center for Child & Family Policy