Brian Allen, Psy.D., is a professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry & Behavioral Health at the Penn State College of Medicine. His research focuses on the developmental impact of childhood trauma and maltreatment, including the efficacy of mental health interventions in ameliorating that impact. More specifically, he investigates the role of attachment processes in post-maltreatment development and treatment outcome, the etiology and treatment of problematic sexual behavior in pre-teen children, and the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based treatments. He is responsible for directing the provision of clinical services at the Stine Foundation TLC Research and Treatment Center, an outpatient mental health program serving maltreated children and their families.
2004, M.S., Clinical Psychology, Eastern Michigan University
2008, Psy.D., Clinical Psychology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
2008, Internship, Clinical Psychology, CAARE Diagnostic and Treatment Center, UC Davis Children's Hospital
2009, Fellowship, National Center for Child Traumatic Stress, UCLA & Duke University
Expertise
child sexual abuse; child physical abuse; developmental sequelae of sexual and physical abuse; attachment theory; childhood problematic sexual behavior; trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy; parent-child interaction therapy
Research Interests
mediators and moderators of treatment outcome; the role of attachment processes in development and treatment; problematic sexual behavior of preteen children; application of evidence-based treatments to understudied populations; historical context of child abuse
The AAT+TF-CBT project (Shenk, Co-I) is an NIH-funded (Allen, PI: R21HD091887) randomized feasibility trial examining the tolerability and acceptability of delivering TF-CBT while a service dog is present throughout the active phase of treatment. TF-CBT is one of the few well-established interventions for children experiencing maltreatment and this clinical trial is examining whether introducing a service dog during standard administration of TF-CBT enhances treatment effects above and beyond TF-CBT alone. The laboratory’s contribution to this project is overseeing the collection, editing, and analysis of electrocardiogram data obtained at pre-treatment as well as at strategic sessions during the active treatment phase. Current work on this project involves generating estimates of the respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), an index of parasympathetic control of cardiac activity, in 30-second epochs and modeling within and between session change in RSA as a potential mechanism of action in TF-CBT when treating child maltreatment-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Potential opportunities for CMT32 Fellows include modeling RSA reactivity to the Trier Social Stress Test administered at pre-treatment to determine whether such reactivity is related to within-session changes in RSA and PTSD symptom severity at post-treatment.
This is a multi-faceted line of research that includes a number of distinct, albeit related, projects. The first is a multi-institutional collaboration to develop and psychometrically test a new measure of sexual behavior among children, including problematic sexual behavior (PSB). Second, data analysis is progressing on a number of data sets to examine etiological factors related to the development of PSB among children. Third, we have developed and pilot tested an intervention for children displaying PSB and grant-funding to conduct a randomized controlled trial of the intervention is currently under review. To date, these projects have been funded by the Children's Miracle Network and the Penn State Social Science Research Institute.
This longitudinal project aims to examine factors related to a maltreated child's adjustment and development following adoption. Specific factors assessed include the child's psychophysiological stress response, attachment representations, self-regulation, and temperament. In addition, various factors of the parent-child relationship and the home environment are being examined. The goal of this project is to identify those factors most predictive of adaptive development post-adoption to better inform treatment and services.
Selected Publications
Allen, B., Berliner, L., Shenk, C. E., Bendixsen, B., Zellhoefer, A., Dickmann, C. R., Arnold, B., & Chen, M. J. (in press). Development and pilot testing of a phase-based treatment for preteen children with problematic sexual behavior. Evidence-based Practice in Child and Adolescent Mental Health.
Allen, B., Timmer, S. G., & Urquiza, A. J. (2014). Parent-Child Interaction Therapy as an attachment-based intervention: Theoretical rationale and pilot data with adopted children. Children and Youth Services Review, 47, 334-341.
Allen, B., Timmer, S. G., & Urquiza, A. J. (2016). Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for sexual concerns of children with maltreatment histories: A preliminary investigation. Child Abuse & Neglect, 56, 80-88.
Allen, B., & Hoskowitz, N. A. (2017). Structured trauma-focused CBT and unstructured play/experiential techniques in the treatment of sexually abused children: A field study with practicing clinicians. Child Maltreatment, 22, 112-120.
Allen, B., Bendixsen, B., Babcock Fenerci, R., & Green, J. (2018). Assessing disorganized attachment representations: A systematic psychometric review and meta-analysis of the Manchester Child Attachment Story Task. Attachment & Human Development, 20, 553-577.
I am interested in the way that humans interact with their environment and more specifically with each other, the way those interactions change and are changed by our internal states, and how an understanding of those processes can help us nudge people towards thriving. The approaches, methods, and tools that we're developing will not only help us with the specific targets we've started with, but will help push the limits of what the behavioral and health sciences can do to model and intervene into individual behavior now and into the future.
data scientist with expertise in quantitative behavioral health research, I have a strong background in advanced novel statistical methods, program evaluation, and clinical trials
Dr. Burkhouse’s program of research broadly focuses on identifying behavioral-brain risk phenotypes and preventive interventions for youth depressive disorders. Much of this work focuses on utilizing multiple levels of analysis (i.e., behavioral, ecological momentary assessment, EEG, fMRI) to identify cognitive-affective and reward processing styles involved in the transmission of depression from parents to their offspring. A second focus of her research involves applying this mechanism-based work to prevention efforts for youth at high risk for internalizing disorders. The ultimate goal of this work is to improve the identification and prevention of internalizing disorders in children and adolescents.
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Psychiatry, Chicago, IL
PhD, Binghamton University (SUNY), Binghamton, NY
BS, Psychology, Neuroscience, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
Expertise
https://psych.la.psu.edu/people/katie-burkhouse/
Research Interests
behavioral-brain risk phenotypes and preventive interventions for youth depressive disorders | prevention efforts for youth at high risk for internalizing disorders
PhD, Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado at Boulder
MA, Psychology, University of Colorado at Boulder
BS, Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Expertise
The goal of Eric Claus' research is to utilize tools from cognitive neuroscience to better understand the neural circuits that contribute to all stages of substance use disorders, from the initial development to recovery. He has used numerous techniques in his research including functional MRI, MEG, EEG, and brain stimulation.
Jennifer Murray Connell is licensed clinical social worker and Penn State alumna (Political Science) and works as psychology clinic staff since July 2017. Jennifer has over 25 years of experience providing clinical and consultative services to children, youth, adults, and families.
Christian M. Connell, Ph.D., is The Ken Young Family Professor for Healthy Children of Human Development and Family Studies and the Director and a faculty member of the Child Maltreatment Solutions Network at Penn State University. Dr. Connell is also MPI of the Translational Center for Child Maltreatment Studies, an NICHD-funded Capstone Center for child maltreatment research. Dr. Connell received his Ph.D. in Clinical-Community Psychology from the University of South Carolina and completed pre- and postdoctoral training in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine. His research focuses on the experiences of youth who have been maltreated, as well as those who become involved in the child welfare system and other child-serving systems (e.g., mental health, juvenile justice). His research examines individual, family, and contextual risk and protective processes that impact child behavioral health and wellbeing following incidents of maltreatment or child welfare system contact, as well as community-based efforts to prevent or treat the negative effects of maltreatment and other traumatic experiences in children and adolescents. Dr. Connell’s research has been supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, Administration for Children and Families, the National Traumatic Stress Network, and state and local contracts.
2001 Postdoctoral Fellowship, Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine
2000 Predoctoral Fellowship, Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine
2000 Ph.D., Clinical-Community Psychology, University of South Carolina
1993 B.S., Psychology, Pennsylvania State University
Expertise
child welfare outcomes, administrative data systems, community-based research methods, program and service system evaluation
Research Interests
individual, family, and contextual risk and protective processes that impact child behavioral health and wellbeing following incidents of maltreatment, child welfare system contact, or other traumatic experiences; evaluation of community-level evidence-informed efforts to prevent or treat the negative effects of maltreatment and other traumatic experiences in children and adolescents; use of administrative data systems to inform child welfare system practice and policy initiatives
This study will examine the link between prescription opioid misuse on risks of maltreatment and foster placement through creation of a statewide birth cohort of mothers enrolled in Medicaid at the time of delivery. Study aims include creating a statewide birth cohort of mother-child pairs enrolled in Medicaid at the time of delivery, and integrating the cohort with child maltreatment and foster care record systems (PA Medicaid Birth Cohort, PMBC). This cohort will be used to document maternal prenatal and postnatal prescription opioid use and misuse rates, and examine the relation to a range of maternal and child risk characteristics to misuse, as well as the effect of prescription opioid and other substance misuse on risks of child maltreatment and foster care placement.
The primary aim of the study is to investigate the effects of involvement with the general protective services (GPS) system on subsequent contact with GPS or CPS and subsequent out-of-home placement; and to assess the effects of post-GPS services on child behavioral health and well-being outcomes. Pennsylvania’s GPS system represents an alternative or differential response to incidents of maltreatment that do not rise to the level of child abuse, as defined by State statute – primarily comprised of non-serious injury and neglect incidents. The study will leverage a range of existing data sources to examine outcomes within and across the child welfare system and other child-serving systems.
This project involves multiple statewide initiatives (Connecticut and Rhode Island) to improve the capacity of child welfare systems to provide trauma-informed care to children and families involved in services. Three separate demonstration grants (funded by ACF and the National Child Traumatic Stress Network) addressed specific populations using comparable methods. Key features of the initiatives included work force development efforts, development and deployment of trauma screening tools and procedures, and dissemination of evidence based treatments (including TF-CBT; Trauma Systems Therapy; and Attachment, Regulation, and Competency (ARC)). Project aims include examining the impact of these efforts at the child/family, workforce, and system levels through a mix of clinical outcome, survey, and administrative data.
This community-based intervention study examines the effects of wraparound and other community-based services for children and families who have recently been involved in a child protective services (CPS) investigation. Wraparound is a family-centered, team-based planning process to provide individualized community-based services and natural supports for children and families. The study investigates 6- and 12-month effects of the intervention on child, caregiver, and family well-being, as well as processes resulting in outcomes. A parallel study uses administrative data to investigate child safety outcomes in a multi-year statewide cohort. The research study was supported by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the Administration for Children and Families (ACF).
Selected Publications
Connell, C.M., Kim, H.W., Shipe, S.L., Pittenger, S.L., & Tebes, J.K. Effects of community-based wraparound services on child and caregiver outcomes following child protective service involvement. Child Maltreatment, in press.http://doi.org/10.1177/10775595221125454
Crowley, D.M., Connell, C.M., Noll, J.G., Green, L., Scott, T., Long, E., & Giray, C. Legislating to prevent adverse childhood experiences: Growth and opportunities for evidence-based policymaking and prevention. Prevention Science, 23, 181-191, 2022. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-021-01292-x
Connell, C.M. & Strambler, M.J. Experiences with COVID-19 stressors and parents’ use of neglectful, harsh, and positive parenting practices in the Northeastern United States. Child Maltreatment, 26, 255-266, 2021.
Lang, J.M., Connell, C.M., & Macary, S. Validating the Child Trauma Screen among a cross-sectional sample of youth and caregivers in pediatric primary care. Clinical Pediatrics, 60, 252-258, 2021.
Connell, C.M., Lang, J.M., Zorba, B., & Stevens, K. Enhancing capacity for trauma-informed care in child welfare: Impact of a statewide systems change initiative. American Journal of Community Psychology [special issue: Applied and Translational Research on Trauma-Responsive Programs and Policy],64, 467-480, 2019.
Connell, C.M., Bory, C.T., Huang, C.Y.*, Genovese, M., Caron, C., Tebes, J.K. Caseworker assessment of child risk and functioning and their relation to service use in the child welfare system. Children & Youth Services Review,99, 81-86, 2019.
Vidal, S. & Connell, C.M. Treatment effects of parent-child focused evidence-based programs on problem severity and functioning among children and adolescents with disruptive behavior (2019). Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 48:sup1, S326-S336, 2019.
Vidal, S., Connell, C.M., Prince, D.M., & Tebes, J.K. (2019). Multisystem-involved youth: A developmental framework and implications for research, policy, and practice. Adolescent Research Review. Adolescent Research Review, 4, 15-29, 2019.
Lang, J.M. & Connell, C.M. (2018). The Child Trauma Screen: A follow-up validation. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 31, 540-548.
Connell, C.M., Pittenger, S.L., & Lang, J.M. (2018) Patterns of trauma exposure in childhood and adolescence and their relation to behavioral well-being. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 31, 518-528.
Connell, C.M., Steeger, C.M., Schroeder, J.A., Franks, R.P., & Tebes, J.K. (2016). Child and case influences on recidivism in a statewide dissemination of multisystemic therapy for juvenile offenders. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 43, 1330-1346.
Manager of Special Projects, Office of Research, Evaluation, and Strategic Policy Development at the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD)
Member (staff), Children's Advocacy Center Advisory Committee (CACAC)
Postdoctoral Fellow, Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, State University of New York
PhD, Applied Developmental Psychology, University of Maryland
MS, Developmental Psychology Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
MA, Applied Psychology, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India
BA, Psychology, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India
Expertise
Following cohorts of children across multiple developmental stages to study prenatal and early childhood interventions for substance using parents, with the goal of promoting family health, including positive developmental cascades for children
Research Interests
Prenatal substance exposure | parenting | social development | self-regulation
Broadly, I am interested in how stress, age, gender, and hormones affect immunity, inflammation, and health; also, the feasibility of diverse biomarkers for predicting health outcomes. https://sites.psu.edu/stressandimmunity/
My research seeks to understand the individual, familial, community, and system factors that promote or inhibit immediate and later life success among youth who experience maltreatment or foster care placement. Within this agenda, I have focused on three issues: (1) determinants of wellbeing among Child Protective Services (CPS)-involved and foster care youth; (2) implications of measurement for understanding causes and consequences of maltreatment and child welfare events; (3) the role of social disadvantage in child maltreatment.
The Emerging Adulthood for Maltreated and Foster Youth project (1 R21 HD091459-01) uses a statewide, longitudinal, administrative dataset that includes the entire population of CPS-involved youth and youth whose families participated in social welfare benefit programs in Wisconsin to examine how a range of maltreatment and OHC experiences are associated with social, educational, and economic outcomes in emerging adulthood, including employment and earnings, benefit receipt, educational attainment, fertility timing, incarceration, paying close attention to the type(s) of maltreatment experienced as well as OHC placement characteristics (type, length, number of placements) and type of exit from OHC (aging out, reunification or adoption). This research extends prior work in this area by using multiple identification strategies and comparison (counterfactual) groups to reduce bias in estimated associations of both maltreatment and OHC with subsequent outcomes. It has implications for informing policy and practice to better prepare CPS-involved youth to successfully transition to adulthood and, thereby, for reducing subsequent public expenditures on this population. Dr. Font is a co-investigator on this project, which is led by Dr. Lawrence Berger at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The System and Social Determinants of the Health of Foster Children project (1 R01 HD095946-01) will investigate the impact of specific foster care experiences on a range of health outcomes over time. In doing so, this proposal will inform efforts to improve longstanding problems of poor health among of one of the country’s most vulnerable populations. We will provide sound empirical evidence on the importance of current state and federal foster care priorities for foster children’s health. The investigative team for this project is Drs. Font (primary investigator), Noll, and Crowley (co-investigators).
The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) project seeks to estimate the prevalence and typologies of CSEC in Pennsylvania. Funded by the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, the CSEC study involves reviewing and coding over 2,000 Pennsylvania's Children and Youth Services investigation records over a 2-year span. The goals of this study are to estimate the incidence of CSEC in the participating counties, to assess rural and urban differences in the incidence and typologies of CSEC, and to identify risk and protective factors for CSEC. This research aims to inform current statewide efforts to develop and implement screening tools to detect children vulnerable to or affected by CSEC. Drs. Miyamoto, Pinto, and Font lead this project, and are assisted by undergraduate research assistants involved with the Child Maltreatment and Advocacy Studies (CMAS) minor at Penn State.
Selected Publications
Font, S. A., & Cage, J. (2018). Dimensions of physical punishment and their associations with children’s cognitive performance and school adjustment. Child Abuse & Neglect, 75, 29–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.06.008
Font, S. A., Sattler, K. M. P., & Gershoff, E. T. (2018). Measurement and correlates of foster care placement moves. Children and Youth Services Review, 91, 248–258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.06.019
Font, S. A., Sattler, K., & Gershoff, E. T. (2018). When Home is Still Unsafe: From Family Reunification to Foster Care Reentry. Journal of Marriage and Family, 80(5), 1333–1343. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12499
Font, S. A., Berger, L. M., Cancian, M., & Noyes, J. L. (2018). Permanency and the educational and economic attainment of former foster children in early adulthood. American Sociological Review, 83(4), 716–743. https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122418781791
Font, S. A., Cancian, M., & Berger, L. M. (in press). Prevalence and risk factors for early motherhood among low-income, maltreated, and foster youth. Demography.
Professor of Human Development and Family Studies; 2018 - present Graduate Program Director, Human Development and Family Studies; 2016 - present Associate Editor, Psychophysiology; 2013 - present
Ezra is an Assistant Research Professor with the Social Science Research Institute and Evidence-to-Impact Collaborative at Penn State. He is a microeconomist working on topics related to public and labor economics and child welfare policy. His current research focuses on how family structure impacts children's long-run outcomes and on critical issues in child welfare systems.
PhD, Texas State University, Geographic Informational Science
MSc, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Cartography and Geographic Information Science
BEng, Wuhan University, Spatial Informatics and Digitalized Technology
Expertise
Dr. Gong is a researcher specializing in Geospatial Data Science—an emerging interdisciplinary field encompassing GIScience, computational sciences, and mathematical-statistical sciences. My research aims to utilize the synergy between geospatial principles and the increasing volume of big data/spatial-temporal data to drive discoveries and innovations.
Research Interests
Geospatial Data Science, Environmental Health Sciences, and Spatially Integrated Social Science
BS, 1988 University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
Expertise
The goal of Thomas Gould's research is to use genetic, pharmacological, behavioral, and molecular biological techniques to study the neurobiology of learning and memory and the effects of addiction on it.
Research Interests
♦ Pharmacological & Neural Basis of Attention, Learning, and Memory Processes ♦ Age-Related Changes in Learning & Memory and Underlying Neural Changes ♦ Genetic Models of Learning Impairments and Psychiatric Disorders ♦ Neural & Behavioral Plasticity in Nicotine & Alcohol Abuse; Nicotine-Alcohol Interactions
PhD, Social and Health Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
BA, Psychology and English, Cornell University; College of Arts and Sciences; Ithaca, NY
Research Interests
Jennifer Graham-Engeland’s research program is aimed at better understanding the associations between psychological stress and stress responses with physical health and well-being. She examines a wide variety of potential mechanisms related to stress (e.g., psychological, behavioral, physiological) on different health-related outcomes).
Kate Guastaferro, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences Associate Director of the Center for the Advancement and Dissemination of Intervention Optimization at NYU School of Global Public Health. Dr. Guastaferro completed a T32 postdoctoral fellowship in the Prevention and Methodology Training program at Penn State with advanced training centered substantively upon the prevention of child sexual abuse and methodologically on innovative methods for the optimization, evaluation, and dissemination of interventions (e.g., the multiphase optimization strategy [MOST]) with high public health impact.
Parents have a responsibility to create a happy, healthy, and safe environments for their children. Many parent-education programs exist giving parents the skills to do this, but no parent-education program exists for the prevention of CSA specifically. Capitalizing on skills taught in existing parent-education programs, we seek to efficiently and economically help parents prevent their child from experiencing sexual victimization by teaching them about children’s healthy sexual development, facilitating parent-child communication regarding sex and sexual abuse, and enacting measures to ensure their children’s safety (i.e., monitoring and vetting of babysitters). SPSHK was designed as a single additional session added toward the end of an evidence-based parent education program. SPSHK aims to improve parents’ knowledge about sexual development (i.e., demonstration of age-appropriate and inappropriate behaviors), facilitate parent-child communication about sex and CSA, and empower parents to take charge of their children’s safety (i.e., vetting potential babysitters, monitoring exposure to media).
The Safe and Healthy Communities Initiative (SHCI) is a cooperative project between the CMSN and the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) with the goal of developing, implementing, and evaluating a comprehensive child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention strategy. SHCI consists of three evidence-based components: a community-based intervention, a school-based intervention, and a parent-focused intervention (see above). The components were rolled out in five counties over three years using a staggered implementation approach. We hypothesize that by targeting different segments of the population (i.e., adults in the community, children, and at-risk parents), the prevention of CSA is attainable. Impact of this approach is measured by administrative data (e.g., reports and substantiations of CSA), measurement of knowledge and skills learned among those who participate in the three interventions, and community level awareness via a statewide web panel survey.
I am interested in and committed to using innovative methods to support the development, optimization, and evaluation of multicomponent behavioral interventions. Working closely with Dr. Linda Collins, I use the multiphase optimization strategy (MOST), an engineering inspired framework, to build behavioral and biobehavioral interventions that are effective, efficient, economical, and immediately scalable across a number of public health priorities including STI prevention, palliative care, and child mental health.
Selected Publications
Guastaferro, K., Font, S.A., Miyamoto, S., Zadzora, K.M., Walters, K., O’Hara, K., Kemner, A., & Noll, J.G. (In Press) Provider attitudes and self-efficacy when delivering a child sexual abuse prevention module: An exploratory study. Health Education & Behavior
Guastaferro, K., Felt, J.M., Font, S.A., Connell, C.M., Miyamoto, S., Zadzora, K.M., & Noll, J.G. (2020). Parent-focused sexual abuse prevention: Results from a cluster randomized controlled trial. Child Maltreatment, 1-12. DOI: 10.1177/1077559520963870
Guastaferro, K., Zadzora, K.M., Reader, J.M., Shanley, J., & Noll, J.G. (2019). A parent-focused child sexual abuse prevention program: Development, acceptability, and feasibility. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 28(7), 1682-1877. DOI: 10.1007/s10826-019-01410-y
Guastaferro, K. & Collins, L.M. (2019). Achieving the goals of translational science in public health intervention research: The multiphase optimization strategy (MOST). American Journal of Public Health, 109(S2), S128 – S129. DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2018.304874 PMID: 30785800
Christine Heim, Ph.D., is Professor and Director of the Institute of Medical Psychology at Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin. Dr. Heim is also a Member of the Cluster of Excellence “Neurocure” at Charité in Berlin as well as Professor of Biobehavioral Health and an affiliated member of the Child Maltreatment Solutions Network at Penn State University. Dr. Heim’s research is focused on the neurobiological consequences of early-life trauma and their relationship to the development of depression, anxiety, and functional somatic disorders. The impact of her work is acknowledged in more than 14000 citations. She is the recipient of several honors and awards, including the 2015 Patricia Barchas Award in Sociophysiology of the American Psychosomatic Society. She is an elected member of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. She is the recipient of multiple federal grants and foundation grants, and she serves on numerous national and international scientific review committees regarding research on the consequences of childhood trauma.
multi-level, longitudinal approaches to integrating developmental and clinical data with functional and structural neuroimaging, endocrine and immune measures, and molecular genetics to elucidate the role of child maltreatment in the development of complex psychiatric and medical disorders
This grant (R01HL158577; PI: Schreier) takes advantage of a large, well-characterized, prospective cohort of youth who were recently investigated for child maltreatment and comparison youth without a maltreatment history to better understand the physiological mechanisms between early adversity and cardiovascular diseases risk. By taking advantage of detailed assessments of immune function coupled with administrative health care records and thorough behavioral and psychosocial assessments, we will prospectively examine links between child maltreatment and cardiovascular disease risk, with the hopes of informing future prevention and intervention efforts.
Integrated Ph.D. Developmental Psychology, Department of Psychology, Hacettepe University, Turkey
BS. Department of Psychology, Mersin University, Turkey
Expertise
Postdoctoral Researcher With Dr. Rina D. Eiden Development, Risk, and Resilience Lab, The Pennsylvania State University | Postdoctoral Researcher With Dr. Miriam Steele Center for Attachment Research, The New School for Social Research, NYC
Research Interests
Attachment Transmission | Children’s Executive Functioning and Emotional Processing | Childhood Adversity and Psychopathology
Yo Jackson is a Professor in the Clinical Child Psychology Program in the Psychology department at Penn State University and the Associate Director of the Child Maltreatment Solutions Network. Her research focuses on the mechanisms of resilience for youthexposed to trauma and developing models of the process from exposure to outcome for youth and families. She also studies intergenerational transmission of trauma and methods and measurement in child maltreatment research. She is a reviewer for numerous journals and serves as an Associate Editor for Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology and Professional Psychology: Research and Practice.
Ph.D., Clinical Child Psychology, University of Alabama
Expertise
trauma assessment, nature and mechanisms of trauma impact on youth development, child maltreatment, foster care systems and foster care youth, evidence-based interventions, influence of cultural on mental health, program evaluation, competency development in clinical child psychology
Research Interests
mechanisms of resilience for youth exposed to trauma, intergenerational transmission of trauma, foster care youth and families, assessment of trauma and child maltreatment
The SPARK project is a longitudinal study of the mechanisms of resilience for youth in foster care and the nature of child maltreatment and trauma exposure on healthy development. Data was collected on over 400 youth over four years on the individual and social potential protective factors and modeled to determine the nature and pattern of adjustment over time.
The PAIR project is a longitudinal study of the impact of trauma on the emotional and cognitive functioning of preschool-age youth and their families. The prospective design of the project includes ongoing assessment of trauma exposure in both youth and the parents as well as assessment of developmental health over time.
Selected Publications
Gusler, S., & Jackson, Y. (2017). The role of poly-victimization in predicting differences in foster youths’ appraisals. Child Abuse & Neglect, 69, 223-231.
Jackson, Y., Huffhines, L., Stone, K. J., Fleming, K., & Gabrielli, J. (2017). Coping styles in youth exposed to maltreatment: Longitudinal patterns reported by youth in foster care. Child Abuse & Neglect, 70, 65-74.
Jackson, Y., & Huffhines, L. (2018). Physical health and foster youth. In E. Trejos & N. Trevino (Eds.), Handbook of Foster Youth (pp. 117-132). New York: Taylor & Francis
Jackson, Y., Gabrielli, J., Fleming, K., Tunno, A., & Makanui, P. K. (2014). Untangling the relative contribution of maltreatment severity and frequency to type of behavioral outcome in foster youth. Child Abuse and Neglect, 38(7), 1147-1159.
Jackson, Y., Cushing, C. C., Gabrielli, J., Fleming, K., O'Connor, B. M., & Huffhines, L. (2016). Child maltreatment, trauma, and physical health outcomes: The role of abuse type and placement moves on health conditions and service use for youth in foster care. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 41(1), 28-36
Prevention research in the behavioral sciences, Economic evaluation of evidence-based programs, Statistical analysis/evaluation methods, Health services research, Social-emotional development in children, Research-to-policy initiatives
Dr. Lee has a Ph.D. in Early Education from Oxford University and has completed her CMT32 postdoctoral fellowship with Yo Jackson (Child Clinical Psychology) and Erika Lunkenheimer (Developmental Psychology) in 2024. Jane is now an associate research fellow at the Korea Institute of Child Care & Education (KICCE), a national research center funded by the Korean government, dedicated to developing evidence-based policies for early childhood education and care in South Korea.
examining different methods utilized to operationalize childhood maltreatment | examining victimization in relation to a child's cultural identity (e.g., child emotional abuse associated with LGBT+ status) | understanding mechanisms of action in implementing culturally adapted evidence-based practices for youth and their families following exposure to maltreatment.
Dr. Lunkenheimer is a Professor of Developmental Psychology and an Associate Director of the Child Maltreatment Solutions Network. Her research program revolves around risk and protective processes in the parent-child relationship, with the dual goals of (1) understanding how mother-child and father-child interactions and regulatory processes contribute to developmental psychopathology and (2) uncovering malleable relationship processes that aid in the tailoring and improvement of preventive intervention programs for families at risk, particularly risk for child maltreatment. This work is grounded in dynamic systems theory and dyadic and time series analytic methods, and has provided an understanding of parent-child biobehavioral coregulation in early childhood and its association with family risk.
The Parenting Young Children Project is an NICHD-funded K01 award of 150 families designed to understand how parents and preschoolers regulate their behaviors, emotions, and physiology with one another while tackling challenges, like solving a difficult problem or puzzle together. We examine how moment-to-moment patterns and coregulation of heart rate, expression of positive and negative emotions, and behaviors such as discipline and compliance act as risk and protective factors for child maltreatment and associated problems. This research is designed to identify malleable relationship targets for prevention and intervention for families at risk for child maltreatment.
PRISM is a pilot project involves studying how parents control their emotions, behaviors, and heart rate when disciplining their preschoolers. This project is designed to test methods for the capture of biological data using wearable technology in the home and using a phone app to collect information on discipline and stress. Our interest is in understanding how parents regulate themselves while disciplining their children so that we may learn how to better intervene with parents to reduce stress and prevent harsh discipline and physical abuse of children.
Selected Publications
Lunkenheimer, E., Busuito, A., Brown, K. M., & Skowron, E. A. (2018). Mother-child coregulation of parasympathetic processes differs by child maltreatment severity and subtype. Child Maltreatment, 23(3), 211-220. doi: 10.1177/1077559517751672
Lunkenheimer, E., Tiberio, S. S., Buss, K. A., Lucas-Thompson, R. G., Boker, S. M., & Timpe, Z. C. (2015). Coregulation of respiratory sinus arrhythmia between parents and preschoolers: Differences by children’s externalizing problems. Developmental Psychobiology, 57(8), 994-1003.doi: 10.1002/dev.21323
Lunkenheimer, E., Lichtwarck-Aschoff, A., Hollenstein, T., Kemp, C. J., & Granic, I. (2016). Breaking down the coercive cycle: How parent and child risk factors influence real-time variability in parental responses to child misbehavior. Parenting: Science and Practice, 16(4), 237-256. doi: 10.1080/15295192.2016.1184925
Lunkenheimer, E., Kemp, C. J., Lucas-Thompson, R. G., Cole, P. M., & Albrecht, E. C. (2017). Assessing biobehavioural self-regulation and coregulation in early childhood: The Parent-Child Challenge Task. Infant and Child Development, 26(1). doi: 10.1002/icd.1965
Lunkenheimer, E., Ram, N., Skowron, E., & Yin, P. (2017). Harsh parenting, child behavior problems, and the dynamic coupling of parents’ and children’s positive behaviors. Journal of Family Psychology, 31(6),689-698. doi: 10.1037/fam0000310
Sheridan Miyamoto is an Associate Professor in the College of Nursing and faculty in the Child Maltreatment Solutions Network at Penn State. She is founder and director of the Sexual Assault Forensic Examination Telehealth (SAFE-T) System, a nurse-led telehealth program designed to enhance access to quality forensic sexual assault care in rural and underserved communities. The SAFE-T System program and evaluation has been funded by the Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime, Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, HRSA, the Hillman Foundation and NICHD. · · A pioneer of telehealth models of care for sexual assault, Miyamoto's work as a clinician, educator, and researcher enhances access to quality nurse-led specialty sexual assault care by providing expert, live, interactive mentoring, quality assurance, and evidence-based training to less experienced nurses via telehealth technology. Her clinical work as a Nurse Practitioner at UC Davis generated the foundational research to demonstrate the efficacy and effectiveness of telehealth sexual assault programs. Miyamoto's research focuses on producing sustainable, scalable improvements in access and quality care for vulnerable populations, including rural communities, and children at risk for sexual exploitation and trafficking. Miyamoto is a fellow with the Betty Irene Moore Fellowship Program for Nurse Leaders and Innovators and is a former Jonas Scholar and Doris Duke Fellow.
The SAFE-T Center was created in 2016, with support from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime. The mission of the Center is to partner with underserved communities in Pennsylvania to enhance compassionate, high-quality care for sexual assault victims. The Center provides access to expert mentoring, quality assurance, education and live examination consultation for victims of sexual assault in underserved and rural areas. The goals of the project are to enhance access to high-quality care for victims of assault and to demonstrate the effectiveness of a statewide model to support forensic nurses to deliver care in underserved communities.
The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) project seeks to estimate the prevalence and typologies of CSEC in Pennsylvania. Funded by the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, the CSEC study involves reviewing and coding over 2,000 Pennsylvania's Children and Youth Services investigation records over a 2-year span. The goals of this study are to estimate the incidence of CSEC in the participating counties, to assess rural and urban differences in the incidence and typologies of CSEC, and to identify risk and protective factors for CSEC. This research aims to inform current statewide efforts to develop and implement screening tools to detect children vulnerable to or affected by CSEC. Drs. Miyamoto, Pinto, and Font lead this project, and are assisted by undergraduate research assistants involved with the Child Maltreatment and Advocacy Studies (CMAS) minor at Penn State.
Selected Publications
Panlilio, C., Miyamoto, S., Font, S., & Schreier, H.M.C. (2019). Assessing risk of commercial sexual exploitation among children involved in the child welfare system. Child Abuse & Neglect.
McCann, J., Miyamoto, S., Boyle, C., & Rogers, K. (2007). Healing of hymenal injuries in prepubertal and adolescent girls: A descriptive study. Pediatrics, 119(5):e1094-1106
Miyamoto, S., Dharmar, M., Boyle, C., Yang, N. H., MacLeod, K., Rogers, K., Nesbitt, T., & Marcin, J. P. (2014). Impact of telemedicine on the quality of forensic sexual abuse examinations in rural communities. Child abuse & neglect, 38(9), 1533-1539. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2014.04.015
Miyamoto, S., Romano, P.S, Putnam-Hornstein, E., Thurston, H., Dharmar, M., & Joseph, J.G. (2017). Risk factors for fatal and non-fatal child maltreatment in families previously investigated by CPS: A case-control study. Child Abuse Neglect. 63, 222-232. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2016.11.003
Miyamoto, S., Dharmar, M., Fazio, S., Tang-Feldman, Y., & Young, H. M. (2018). mHealth technology and nurse health coaching to improve health in diabetes: Protocol for a randomized controlled trial. JMIR Research Protocols, 7(2), e45. http://doi.org/10.2196/resprot.9168
Ph.D., Educational Psychology, Penn State University
M.S., Educational Psychology, Penn State University
B.S, Psychology, University of Florida
Expertise
community-based participatory research | community partner and early learning program meetings | neighborhood, program, and longitudinal child-level data
Anneke is a 6th year doctoral student in Human Development and Family Studies at Penn State with plans to defend her doctoral dissertation in June of 2024. While on the T32, Anneke’s mentors were Drs. Chad Shenk (Prevention and Treatment), Sy-Miin Chow (Policy and Administrative Data Systems), and Erika Lunkenheimer (Developmental Processes).
Since completion of her Fellowship in 2022, Anneke has been an author on 4 published manuscripts (1 first author) titled “Child maltreatment, parent-child relationship quality, and parental monitoring in relation to adolescent behavior problems: Disaggregating between and within person effects,” “The Association of Epigenetic Age Acceleration and Depressive and Anxiety Symptom Severity among Children recently exposed to Substantiated Maltreatment,” “Contamination in observational research on child maltreatment: A conceptual and empirical review with implications for future research,” Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia Change during Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy: Results from a Randomized Controlled Feasibility Trial,” as well as a co-author on 1 book chapter titled, “Addressing Contamination Bias in Child Maltreatment Research: Innovative Methods for Enhancing Causal Estimates.” She is currently author on 4 manuscripts under review (3 first author). Finally, since completion of her fellowship she has been an author on 11 conference presentations (6 first author) titled “ “Externalizing Behaviors in Relation to Child Maltreatment: A Growth Mixture Modeling Approach,” “Mother-Child and Father-Child Affective, Behavioral, and Coregulation as Developmental Mechanisms Across Early Childhood,” “Epigenetic Age Acceleration and Risk for Depression and Anxiety following Exposure to Substantiated Child Maltreatment,” “Caregiver Child Communication Following Child Maltreatment: A Dynamic Systems Approach,” “Addressing Contamination Bias in Causal Estimates of the Effect of Child Maltreatment on Adolescent Behavior Problems,” “Associations between Child Maltreatment and Externalizing Behaviors across Childhood and Adolescence: A Cross-Lagged Panel Model,” “Validation as a Viable Intervention Target for Promoting Recovery from Early Life Adversity and Managing Chronic Pain,” “Contamination and Its Impact on Causal Estimates in Observational Research with Psychological Outcomes,” “Caregiver Validation and Invalidation in a Child Maltreatment Sample: An Observational Study, ” Propensity Score Methods to Estimate Causal Effects of Child Maltreatment after Controlling Contamination,” and “Cross-Lagged Associations between Maltreatment Exposure and Behavior Problems throughout Childhood and Adolescence.”
In August 2022, she was awarded a NRSA Individual Predoctoral Fellowship titled, “Caregiver-Child Communication Following Child Maltreatment: A Dynamic Systems Approach” through the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD; F31HD110086). In February 2023, was awarded funds from both the Douglas Research Endowment and Joachim Wohlwill Endowment through the Health and Human Development Department. In February 2024, she was awarded funds from the Douglas Research Endowment.
Carlomagno C. Panlilio, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology, Counseling, and Special Education and a faculty member with the Child Maltreatment Solutions Network at the Pennsylvania State University. The overarching goal of Dr. Panlilio’s program of research is to understand the dynamic interplay between maltreatment, context, and development, and how these processes influence individual differences in learning. His research is guided by an interdisciplinary approach that draws from Developmental Science, Educational Psychology, Statistics, and Social Welfare to examine the multisystemic influences on early adversity and children’s development and learning over time. More specifically, he is interested in further explicating self-regulation and self-regulated learning as key developmental and learning processes that explain variability in the academic outcomes of children with a history of maltreatment.
2000, B.A., Psychology, California State University Long Beach
2005, M.S., Family Studies, University of Maryland College Park
2015, Ph.D., Human Development, University of Maryland College Park
Expertise
child abuse and neglect, self-regulation, maltreatment and learning processes, academic competence, trauma-informed classrooms, dynamic and person-centered methodologies
Research Interests
practice and policy implications of child maltreatment, self-regulation, school readiness & academic achievement, parenting and family processes in at-risk environments, student-teacher relationship, maltreatment and learning processes
A major goal of this project is the development of a testable trauma-sensitive curriculum that can serve as an important classroom-level intervention by providing educators with the necessary knowledge and skills to address the learning needs of young children who have experienced trauma.
The online learning program, iLookOut for Child Abuse (iLookOut) was designed to increase knowledge and improve attitudes about mandated reporting of child abuse for Early Childhood Caregivers and Educators. A perennial challenge for educational interventions is how to help learners retain and apply what they have learned. The goal of this project is to examine the effectiveness of digital scaffolding procedures to increase learner engagement and motivation.
Selected Publications
Panlilio, C., Miyamoto, S., Font, S., & Schreier, H.M.C. (2019). Assessing risk of commercial sexual exploitation among children involved in the child welfare system. Child Abuse & Neglect.
Jones Harden, B., Duncan, A. D., Morrison, C. I., Panlilio, C., & Clyman, R. B. (2015). Compliance and internalization in preschool foster children. Children and Youth Services Review, 55, 103 – 110.
Jones Harden, B., Panlilio, C., Monahan, C., Duncan, A. D., Duchene, M., & Clyman, R. B. (2016). Emotion regulation of preschool children in foster care: The influence of maternal depression and parenting. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 1 – 11. doi:10.1007/s10826-016-0636-x.
Panlilio, C., Jones Harden, B., & Harring (2017). School readiness of maltreated preschoolers and later school achievement: The role of emotion regulation, language, and context. Child Abuse & Neglect, 75, 82 - 91. Available online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.06.004.
Panlilio, C., Hlavek, E., & Ferrara, A. (2018). Neurobiological impact of trauma. In A. D. Hunter (Ed.). Art for children experiencing psychological trauma: A guide for educators and school-based professionals. New York, NY: Routledge.
Nursing Professor | Nursing Instructor | Registered Nurse
Research Interests
I have worked with the maternal/child health population for the entirety of my nursing career. I have a strong passion for studying and would like to engage with research to finding solutions to Child Maltreatment.
Dr. Schreier received training in health psychology and is currently an Associate Professor of Biobehavioral Health at Penn State. Broadly speaking, she is interested in how experiences during childhood and adolescence shape long-term chronic disease risk. Her research focuses primarily on the impact of growing up in low socioeconomic environments, of different family-level influences, and of exposure to child maltreatment and how these influence metabolic and inflammatory markers of chronic disease risk in youth. She is also interested in exploring the potential role that social interventions may be able to play in actively improving physiological outcomes among at-risk youth.
2008, M.A., Health Psychology, The University of British Columbia
2012, Ph.D., Health Psychology, The University of British Columbia
Expertise
health disparities, child and adolescent health, immune, endocrine, and metabolic functioning
Research Interests
adolescent health and well-being, cardiovascular disease risk, inflammation, immune functioning, socioeconomic health disparities, social interventions, family functioning
This grant (R01HL158577; PI: Schreier) takes advantage of a large, well-characterized, prospective cohort of youth who were recently investigated for child maltreatment and comparison youth without a maltreatment history to better understand the physiological mechanisms between early adversity and cardiovascular diseases risk. By taking advantage of detailed assessments of immune function coupled with administrative health care records and thorough behavioral and psychosocial assessments, we will prospectively examine links between child maltreatment and cardiovascular disease risk, with the hopes of informing future prevention and intervention efforts.
This project focuses on the assessment of cardiovascular disease risk among 7-8 year old children and their parents part of an ongoing intervention trial evaluating the impact of a perinatal coparenting intervention (Family Foundations; PI: Mark Feinberg). We are following up with the original sample of 399 first-time parents and their children who were recruited across several states. This will allow us to investigate psychosocial pathways within the family that influence cardiovascular disease risk as well as potential intervention effects of Family Foundations on parent and child cardiovascular disease risk.
Selected Publications
Schreier, H. M. C., Heim, C. M., Rose, E.J., Shalev, I., Shenk, C. E., & Noll, J. G. (2021). Assembling a cohort for in-depth, longitudinal assessments of the biological embedding of child maltreatment: Methods, complexities, and lessons learned. Development & Psychopathology, 33(2), 394-408.
Huffhines, L., Jackson, Y., McGuire, A.B. & Schreier, H. M. C. (2021). The intergenerational interplay of adversity on salivary inflammation in young children and caregivers. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 128, 105222.
Panlilio, C., Miyamoto, S., Font, S., & Schreier, H.M.C. (2019). Assessing risk of commercial sexual exploitation among children involved in the child welfare system. Child Abuse & Neglect.
Schreier, H. M. C., Chen, E. & Miller, G. E. (2016). Child maltreatment and pediatric asthma: a review of the literature. Asthma Research and Practice, 2(7).
Schreier, H. M. C., Roy, L. B., Frimer, L., & Chen, E. (2014). Family chaos and adolescent inflammatory profiles: the moderating role of socioeconomic status. Psychosomatic Medicine, 76(6), 460-467.
Schreier, H. M. C., Schonert-Reichl, K. A., & Chen, E. (2013). Effect of volunteering on cardiovascular risk in adolescents. JAMA - Pediatrics, 167(4), 327-332.
Schreier, H. M. C. & Chen, E. (2013). Socioeconomic status and the health of youth: A multi-level, multi-domain approach to conceptualizing pathways. Psychological Bulletin, 139(3), 606-654.
PhD, Community Psychology, Health Psychology, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina
MA, Psychology, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina
Nonprofit Management Certificate, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina
BA, Experimental Psychology, minor in Business Administration, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina
Expertise
Bridging research and policy | Scholarly translation | Facilitating relationship for researchers and policymakers | Connecting researchers and legislative offices
Research Interests
public policy |science communication | civic science |community-based participatory research
Idan Shalev, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biobehavioral Health at The Pennsylvania State University and the past Mark T. Greenberg Early Career Professor for the Study of Children's Health and Development. His research is focused on understanding how biopsychosocial processes across the lifespan, and at multiple time scales, influence variability in systemic dysfunction, aging and disease decades later, through changes in biological aging. Shalev’s research combines the disciplines of molecular genetics, endocrinology, neurobiology and psychology. The goal of this research is to pinpoint behavioral and molecular targets for public health observation and clinical treatments applications. Shalev is a member of the Telomere Research Network (TRN) Steering Committee funded by the NIEHS and NIA. The goal of the TRN is to fill critical gaps in the field by testing salient methodological aspects, clarify technical laboratory procedures, enable comparison between measurement methods, and advance a set of guidelines for measuring telomere length as part of the TRN consortium.
A project funded by the Sara van Dam Foundation (Roseriet Beijers, Radboud University, Netherlands PI, Shalev Co-I). Its aim is to test early-life factors associated with children’s socio-emotional development, cognition, and pubertal development. This includes biological-embedding mechanisms underlying this link. These research questions are being investigated in the Dutch BIBO-study (Basal Influences on the Baby Development): a prospective study in which 193 mothers and their children are followed from pregnancy until the last assessment at age 10. My lab is conducting all telomere length testing in children at both age 6 and 10.
The aim of this project is to comprehensively characterize cardio-metabolic, cognitive, genomic, and epigenetic effects of sleep insufficiency in a controlled laboratory setting. My lab assist with the collection and sorting of blood samples for DNA methylation and whole-genome expression analysis. For this study, we are further investigating specific type of cells including monocytes and lymphocytes.
The overarching goal is to test the hypothesis of intergenerational transmission of trauma by measuring cellular aging in both mothers and children, members of the Female Growth and Development Study. Specifically, we are testing telomere length in mothers exposed to sexual abuse, control mothers, and their children.
The goal of this project is to identify genomic mechanisms involved in young adults’ response to stress, as moderated by early adversity. Specifically, we are testing whether individuals exposed to early-life adversity show dysregulated changes in gene expression in response to a well-established laboratory stressor, compared with a no-stress condition, and compared with individuals without exposure to early adversity.
This grant (R01HL158577; PI: Schreier) takes advantage of a large, well-characterized, prospective cohort of youth who were recently investigated for child maltreatment and comparison youth without a maltreatment history to better understand the physiological mechanisms between early adversity and cardiovascular diseases risk. By taking advantage of detailed assessments of immune function coupled with administrative health care records and thorough behavioral and psychosocial assessments, we will prospectively examine links between child maltreatment and cardiovascular disease risk, with the hopes of informing future prevention and intervention efforts.
Selected Publications
Shalev, I. (2012). Early life stress and telomere length: investigating the connection and possible mechanisms: a critical survey of the evidence base, research methodology and basic biology. Bioessays, 34(11), 943-952.
Shalev, I., Moffitt, T. E., Sugden, K., Williams, B., Houts, R. M., Danese, A., ... & Caspi, A. (2013). Exposure to violence during childhood is associated with telomere erosion from 5 to 10 years of age: a longitudinal study. Molecular Psychiatry, 18(5), 576.
Shalev, I., Moffitt, T. E., Braithwaite, A. W., Danese, A., Fleming, N. I., Goldman-Mellor, S., ... & Robertson, S. P. (2014). Internalizing disorders and leukocyte telomere erosion: a prospective study of depression, generalized anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Molecular Psychiatry, 19(11), 1163.
Shalev, I., & Belsky, J. (2016). Early-life stress and reproductive cost: a two-hit developmental model of accelerated aging? Medical Hypotheses, 90, 41-47.
Shalev, I., Heim, C. M., & Noll, J. G. (2016). Child maltreatment as a root cause of mortality disparities: a call for rigorous science to mobilize public investment in prevention and treatment. JAMA Psychiatry, 73(9), 897-898.
PhD 2017 University of Maryland, Baltimore; Social Work
MSc 2004 University of Oxford; Evidence Based Social Work
MSW 2003 New York University; Social Work
BA 1998 University of Washington; Psychology
Expertise
As an administrator in an urban child welfare system, Shipe’s research focuses primarily on organizational culture and its influence on the decision making of front line caseworkers and how these decisions ultimately impact family outcomes.
Research Interests
Public and private child welfare, administrative data, service utilization, caseworker decision making, policy making and interpretation among front line child welfare workers, systemic/institutional racism in child serving systems, custodial/single fathers and welfare systems, and cost analyses of social interventions
B.A in Criminology and in Spanish, University of Florida
M.S. In Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University
Research Interests
The intersections of child maltreatment, substance use, and intergenerational trauma among historically marginalized populations, with particular attention to how early adversity shapes substance use trajectories and mental health outcomes across the life course | Trauma-informed substance use interventions and strategies that foster resilience and flourishing among individuals from underserved communities impacted by child maltreatment, systemic inequities, and intergenerational trauma
Jianging received her bachelor's degree in psychology from Central China Normal University, China in 2019, and her master’s degree in psychology from Beijing Normal University, China in 2022. Her research broad interests are the impact of family risks (e.g., child maltreatment) on child outcomes, physiological pathways between childhood adversity and health, and individual differences in above associations. Through the T32, she hopes to investigate the biological embedding of child maltreatment in relation to developmental psychopathology, with focuses on parent-child dynamics and multiple physiological systems.
physiological pathways between childhood adversity and health outcomes | parent-child dynamics | child maltreatment and stress | psychoneuroendocrinology | families and parenting | resilience in children
Kristina is CMAS Advisor and Assistant Teaching Professor for CMAS 258, 465 and 466, developing courses and working collaboratively with Network leadership.
Therapist self-care | The therapy relationship between client and therapist (in particular the working alliance) | Career development using personality variables as predictors | Gender and Race Cancer Prevention
Zhenyu (Zach) Zhang, M.S., M.A., is a fourth-year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology program at Penn State. Zach’s research interests include : 1) examining multidimensionality of child maltreatment, including developmental timing, type, duration and severity, and their unique effects on adverse outcomes, including psychopathology, risky behaviors, and health outcomes; 2) elucidating biological mechanisms (e.g., neuroendocrine markers and biological aging) linking child maltreatment and adverse outcomes; 3) examining potential sex differences in the biological processes following child maltreatment; and 4) translating findings we learn from basic research to inform, develop, and evaluate timely, accessible and cost-effective prevention and treatment programs for maltreatment populations.
Zach is on the Prevention and Treatment and Developmental Processes training tracks. His primary mentor is Dr. Chad Shenk, and his secondary and tertiary mentors are Drs. Lorah Dorn, and Chris Engeland respectively. Under the mentorship of Dr. Shenk, Zach is working on the Child Health Study to identify the potential differential impact of those dimensions on later health outcomes. He is also working on Dr. Shenk’s, Life Events and Reactions Study (LEARS), and, Epigenetic and Cognitive Aging Project (eCAP), to examine genetic and epigenetic markers linking child maltreatment and later adverse health. Zach is working with Dr. Dorn to study how puberty as a sensitive period can shape developmental trajectories of children exposed to maltreatment. Additionally, Zach is working with Dr. Engeland to observe the assaying of various sex and stress-related hormones, participate in the handling of specimens, and study the links between various biomarkers.
PhD, Purdue University, Department of Industrial Engineering, West Lafayette, Indiana Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering
MS, in Industrial Engineering, Purdue University, Krannert Graduate School of Management, West Lafayette, Indiana
Certificate in Applied Management Principles (Mini-MBA), Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
MS, in Mechanical Manufacturing Engineering
BS, in Industrial Economics and Systems Engineering, School of Management
BS, in Mechanical Manufacturing Engineering
Expertise
Research on Using Telehealth to Help Sexual Assault Victims - Due to the research on tele-health systems, invited to participate, as a co-investigator (Evaluation and Research) for the Penn State Sexual Assault Forensic Examination Telehealth Center (SAFE-T Center), in the SAFE-T center State Advisory Meeting for a discussion with Pennsylvania senator Vogel and his team on potential legislation to enhance quality care for sexual assault victims, including rural areas. May 2021.
Research Interests
Pharmaceutical/Healthcare Supply Chains | Health Public Policy | Innovations and Technology in Healthcare Systems (Telehealth, Online platforms…) | Collaboration and Information Sharing in Supply Chains
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