I was born and raised in Salt Lake City, UT, and attended the University of Utah to pursue a degree in Psychology. During my time there, I worked as a Research Assistant and eventual Lab Manager/Research Associate in the Risk to Resilience Research Lab, where I researched developmental pathways from early-life adversity and trauma to juvenile delinquency and further victimization. My advisor during this period was Dr. Patricia Kerig, and I conducted analyses using physiological data to explore the role of emotional reactivity in interpersonal trauma and psychophysiology. While in this role, I also received my first opportunity to be a co-author on peer-reviewed research.

Additionally, I served as a paraprofessional in the day treatment preschool program at The Children's Center in Salt Lake City, UT. My experience working with toddlers and preschoolers and my research interest in trauma and early-life adversity led me to pursue graduate work focused on child development and younger children.

In order to expand my knowledge about the effects of early life adversity on children's development and to gain experience in intervention science, I decided to pursue a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology in Education from Columbia University. During my time there, I had the opportunity to conduct research with two different labs at different universities in NYC- the INTERSECT lab focused on well-being and stress among under-resourced populations, and the Center for Attachment Research at the New School with Drs. Miriam and Howard Steele. Throughout these experiences, I improved my research writing skills and gained hands-on experience in direct intervention by working with vulnerable families with infants and toddlers in a group-attachment based intervention for vulnerable families with infants and toddlers. Additionally, I developed my skills in coding parent-child interactions which involved analyzing maternal sensitivity, toddler compliance, and emotion regulation in dyads.

I am currently a 6th-year doctoral trainee in Developmental Psychology at the University of Denver since September 2018 under the guidance of Dr. Sarah Watamura in the Child Health and Development Lab. During my time here, I have gained experience in large-scale data management, using data for my Master's Thesis, which focused on comparing methodologies for examining protective factors in three large representative samples. Additional analysis and peer-reviewed publications are forthcoming from this data.

I have experience in multiple projects within the CHaD lab, including currently serving as an interventionist, assessor, and core administration team member for a randomized control trial. The trial, a joint project with Dr. Amanda Tarullo and the BEE Lab at Boston University, evaluates the effectiveness of two interventions - a sleep health intervention program (Sleep Health in Preschoolers; SHIP) and a family-centered intervention program (Family Check-Up; FCU) - in helping families of children with comorbid sleep and behavior issues. Through this work, I gained valuable experience in project management and intervention evaluation.

I have additional experience as a data management consultant for the RULER project, a joint project between the University of Denver and Yale University, under the guidance of Dr. Craig Bailey, Dr. Rashida Banerjee, and Dr. Kelly Elliott.

One of my major research and career interests lies in applied and translational research; as such, I have pursued various policy and translational research opportunities to integrate my interest in intervention and prevention science into systems and policy-level work. For the academic year 2020-2021, I worked as the State Predoctoral Policy Fellow with the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) in the Office of Early Childhood (now Department of Early Childhood). Here, I was involved in systems-building work around maltreatment prevention and early childhood mental health, working under Kendra Dunn. In addition, I have worked as a policy consultant and research associate under the supervision of Dr. Meg Franko. I have worked across different settings, including the Butler Institute for Families, ECE Insights, LLC, and Early Milestones Colorado. These projects have given me valuable experience translating research to policy and lay audiences. I have worked on diverse projects ranging from service access and community supports to evaluation reports for Home Visiting programs, qualitative evaluation of statewide Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation supports, valuations for community-based initiatives in Colorado and other states, and more.

These experiences fueled my desire to conduct applied research to create lasting systems change; to that end, I applied for and received a grant as co-PI for a project called "Naturalistic Evaluation of Embedded Social-Emotional Supports in Early Childcare and Education Settings: Teacher and Child Outcomes," which is funded by the Community Innovation and Resilience for Care and Learning Equity (CIRCLE) Grant from CDHS – Department of Early Childhood & Early Milestones Colorado, amounting to $101,000. Born out of interest in prevention and intervention, this grant sought to examine and characterize the socioemotional supports teachers and ECE staff receive and their impacts on teacher mental health, teacher burnout and professional well-being, and child outcomes.

2024-2025 AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow/SRCD policy fellow, with a placement in the Administration of Children and Families (ACF) Office of Planning Research and Evaluation (OPRE)

Science and Technology Policy Fellow (STPF), September 2024 - present; American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)/Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD); Placement Agency: Office of Planning Research and Evaluation (OPRE), Administration of Chidlren and Families (ACF), Washington DC; Supervisor(s): Jennifer Brooks, Ph.D., Nina Phillipsen, Ph.D.

McGee, A.B. & Watamura, S.E. 2022-2023; Naturalistic Evaluation of Embedded Social-Emotional Supports in Early Childcare and Education Settings: Teacher and Child Outcomes; Community Innovation and Resilience for Care and Learning Equity (CIRCLE) Grant; CDHS – Office of Early Childhood & Early Milestones Colorado, $101,000

McGee, A.B., Outstanding Teaching Award 2023; University of Denver, Department of Psychology

McGee, A.B., Inclusive Excellence Fellowship 2023; University of Denver College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, $4,500

McGee, A.B., Alexander Foundation Jordan Conner Memorial scholarship 2023; Alexander Foundation, $3,000

McGee, A.B. 2022; International Society for Developmental Psychobiology (ISDP) student travel award, $325

McGee, A.B., SRCD State Predoctoral Policy Fellowship 2020-2021; Society for Research in Child Development, $30,000

McGee, A.B., Lawrence Miller Graduate Fellowship 2020; University of Denver, $300

McGee, A.B., Doctoral Fellowship 2018; University of Denver, $5,000

McGee, A.B., Undergraduate Research Scholar Designation (URSD) 2014; University of Utah

McGee, A.B., Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) assistantship 2013; University of Utah, $1,200

Drew is an avid reader, artist as a hobby (watercolor, paint, pen, pencil), and loves board games. To stay active, Drew loves hiking, yoga, running, and biking.

His favorite animal is an otter. His favorite color is the teal on this website.