March 2017 Newsletter

Mid-Year Meeting at Rutgers University a Success!

The Rutgers University School of Social Work partnered with the Doris Duke Fellowships staff to plan and host the 2017 Doris Duke Fellowships Mid-Year Meeting from March 22-24. All 30 current fellows were in attendance, in addition to 24 graduated fellows. Fellows had the chance to learn during presentations, panels, and workshops; network with leaders in the field of child maltreatment prevention; and collaborate and build partnerships within and across cohorts.

Speakers during the Mid-Year Meeting included Larry Palinkas, Professor of Social Policy and Health at the University of Southern California Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work and a Cohort Two Academic Mentor; Allison Blake, Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Children and Families and a Cohort One Policy Mentor; Debra Lancaster, Chief Program Officer at the New Jersey Department of Children and Families; Erik Nicklas, Vice President of Quality Assurance, Performance and Compliance at The New York Foundling; Ramesh Raghavan, Professor and Associate Dean for Research at Rutgers University School of Social Work; Craig Schwalbe, Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Columbia University School of Social Work; Thomas Mackie, Assistant Professor at Rutgers University School of Public Health; and Lucy Berliner, Clinical Associate Professor and Director, University of Washington School of Social Work and Harborview Center for Sexual Assault & Traumatic Stress and a Cohort Five Policy Mentor. Workshops for fellows were led by Leslie Kantor, Vice President of Education at Planned Parenthood Federation of America and a Cohort Five Policy Mentor; Michael Lewis, Professor at the Institute for the Study of Child Development at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School; and Erika Lunkenheimer, Associate Professor at Pennsylvania State University.

The Doris Duke Fellowships team at Chapin Hall is extremely appreciative of the leadership efforts of Emily Bosk, a Cohort Two fellow and Assistant Professor at Rutgers University School of Social Work, and Michael MacKenzie, a Cohort Five Academic Mentor and Associate Professor of Social Work and Pediatrics and the Chancellor’s Scholar for Child Wellbeing at Rutgers University School of Social Work for guiding the meeting planning efforts at Rutgers. Additional thanks go to the fellows at Rutgers University School of Social Work whose efforts were instrumental to the successful execution of the meeting: Emily Bosk (Cohort Two), Jackie Duron (Cohort Two), Kerrie Ocasio (Cohort One), and Kate Stepleton (Cohort Six). Fellows and staff alike left feeling inspired and energized to continue the important work of promoting the health and well-being of children across disciplines.

Doris Duke Fellows Sign Declaration Opposing Proposed Policy on Separating Children from their Families at the U.S./Mexico Border

Doris Duke Fellows, along with a number of professionals in the field of child maltreatment prevention, signed a declaration opposing the proposed policy that would separate undocumented women and children who have illegally crossed the U.S. border, including those seeking asylum. Produced as a united group of researchers and practitioners called the Child Advisory Network on the Well-Being of Children Served by Homeland Security, the declaration was sent to Homeland Security Secretary Kelly. The Declaration can be accessed here.

Doris Duke Fellows Updates

Doris Duke fellows have been busy in the new year! Check out their updates about jobs, awards, publications, and more!

Alayna Schreier, a Cohort Four fellow, Recently accepted a two-year NIDA T-32 postdoctoral fellowship in the Division of Prevention and Community Research at Yale School of Medicine. Additionally, Alayna has a publication in press for Aggression and Violent Behavior titled, "Impact of child sexual abuse on non-abused siblings: A review with implications for research and practice."

Megan Madison, a Cohort Four fellow, has been elected the first Student Representative on the Governing Board of the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Clinton Boyd, Jr., a Cohort Six fellow, facilitated a discussion at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on February 15, 2017 about mass incarceration in conjunction with a screening of the new documentary, 13th, which explores the history of race in the United States criminal justice system.

Ericka M. Lewis, a Cohort Five fellow, has accepted a tenure-track faculty position at the University of Maryland School of Social Work.

Jennifer Daer Shields, a Cohort Six fellow, recently worked with the National Children’s Alliance to develop a series of fact sheets about problematic sexual behavior in children: one as overview, one for caregivers, and one for child advocacy centers. The fact sheets were distributed to Child Advocacy Centers throughout the country.

Elizabeth Miller, a Cohort Five fellow, will complete her clinical internship in clinical psychology at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.

Lindsey Bullinger, a Cohort Six fellow, recently published two articles. The first article, in the American Journal of Public Health, is titled, “The Effect of Minimum Wages on Adolescent Fertility: A Nationwide Analysis.” The second article, published in Children and Youth Services Review with Kerri Raissian, a Cohort One fellow, is titled, “Money Matters: Does Increasing the Minimum Wage Reduce Child Maltreatment?”

Kelly Jedd McKenzie, a Cohort Five fellow, published an article in the University-Based Child and Family Policy Consortium Newsletter. Kelly interviewed Phil Fisher, Director of the University of Oregon’s Center for Translational Neuroscience, Director of the Translational Science Initiative at Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child, and an Academic Mentor for two Doris Duke fellows.

Daniel Busso, a Cohort Four fellow, recently published an article with his fellowship Academic Mentor, Katie McLaughlin, in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry titled “Child Abuse, Neural Structure, and Adolescent Psychopathology: A Longitudinal Study.”

Judith C. Scott, a Cohort Five fellow, has accepted a position as Assistant Professor at Boston University School of Social Work. Additionally, Judith will be receiving the 2017 Eliot-Pearson Doctoral Research Practice Integration Award from the Department of Child Study and Human Development at Tufts University in April 2017.

Leah Gjertson, a Cohort Four fellow, recently published an article in the Journal of Consumer Affairs titled, “Incentives for Loan Repayments: Evidence from a Randomized Field Study.”

Karmel Choi, a Cohort Five fellow, recently publisheda paper from her dissertation in the Journal of Affective Disorders titled, “Maternal childhood trauma, postpartum depression, and infant outcomes: Avoidant affective processing as a potential mechanism.”

Nate Okpych, a Cohort Five fellow, has accepted a tenure-track faculty position at the University of Connecticut School of Social Work.

Rachel Katz, a Cohort Six fellow, was recently elected to serve on the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) Student and Early Career Council (SECC). She was also elected as the SECC Representative to the SRCD Committee on Policy and Communications.

Byron Powell, a Cohort Two fellow, recently taught a short course on implementation science at the 38th Annual Meeting of the Society for Medical Decision Making for researchers, clinicians, educators, managers, and policy makers in the medical field and sector.

Noteworthy Resources: Policy-Relevant Email Updates from Non-Profit Research Organizations

Though accessing the news has never been easier, it can be difficult to navigate the abundance of news sources in order to stay current on the legislative and political landscape and its effects on children and families. At the Mid-Year Meeting, fellows and speakers discussed the importance of researchers staying up-to-date on federal policy and political trends, as it directly impacts the health and well-being of children and families. How can researchers with desires to shape policy and practice that prevents child maltreatment stay current? The following is a list of organizations that offer email newsletters that provide information on current political happenings and their impact on children and families.

Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP): CSSP promotes public policies that strengthen families and protect children. CSSP works in partnership with public agencies at all levels of government, and also engages the community in their work. CSSP sends email updates on their policy briefs to subscribers; subscribe for free on the homepage.

Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD): SRCD is a professional society for psychologists who are specifically interested in child development. SRCD offers free policy updates via email; more information can be found here.

RAND: RAND is a public policy research organization that focuses on developing solutions to challenges in a number of different areas, including children and families, education and the arts, energy and climate, and international affairs. Subscribers who create an account can choose which areas of research they receive updates on from RAND. Register here.

Urban Institute: The Urban Institute engages in social and economic policy research, including in the areas of children, adolescents, gender and sexuality, health and health policy, housing, immigration, neighborhoods, and race and ethnicity. Email subscribers stay up-to-date on the publications and events produced by this organization. Subscribe for free on the homepage.

Policy Update: Republican Repeal and Replace Legislation of ACA in Flux

On March 24, House Republicans removed from consideration The American Health Care Act bill, legislation aimed at repealing the Affordable Care and Patient Protection Act (ACA). As such, all aspects of the ACA remain active, including the individual mandate, and federal funds continue to support Planned Parenthood Federation of America. This bill’s defeat may signal the start of a collaboration between Democrats and Republicans to improve aspects of the ACA that are in need of repair. However, on March 28, House Republicans, led by Speaker Paul Ryan, have re-started negotiations on the repeal legislation. More information may be found here and here.