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 VCU Department of Psychology

Research projects

• Causes and Consequences of Adolescents’ Exposure to Community Violence
• Risk and Protective Factors for Aggression During Adolescence

About

I am currently Professor Emeritus in the Psychology Department at VCU. I received a B.S. degree in psychology from Michigan State University and an M.S. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Purdue University, with a minor in quantitative methods. I completed my predoctoral clinical internship at Brown University Medical School. I joined the faculty in the Psychology Department at VCU in 1980. I served as the Director of the Clark-Hill Institute from its inception in 2005 until my retirement in 2023.

My research has focused on identifying risk and protective factors related to youth violence and the evaluation of youth violence prevention programs. I have strong interests in research methodology, particularly as it applies to longitudinal research and prevention science. Since 1992, I have been involved in collaborative efforts with community agencies to develop effective evidence-based violence prevention programs for early adolescents. These interests have led to a series of qualitative and quantitative studies designed to identify factors that promote urban adolescents’ use of effective nonviolent responses to problem situations. My research has been interdisciplinary and has been funded by grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Education, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and National Institute of Justice. Since my retirement I have remained professionally engaged in the Clark-Hill Institute’s mentoring program and CDC Center grant. I also continue to collaborate with former students and other colleagues. For example, I serve as a co-investigator on projects directed by Dr. Krista Mehari at Vanderbilt University and Phillip Smith at the University of South Alabama that focus on firearms-related injury prevention and community-based youth violence and suicide prevention.  

Additional details about my background and activities can be found on the VCU Psychology Department website.