Faculty & Staff Highlights
Beckman & Gadea – Transforming Justice Response for Youth
Kara Beckman, MA, Senior Evaluator and Abi Gadea, MSW, PRC Deputy Director, along with faculty member Rebecca Shlafer, PhD, and Sarah Davis, Esq, from the Legal Rights Center, have recently been named as the Research Partner for a Ramsey County effort to transform its responses to youth referred to the justice system so they are more restorative, effective and developmentally appropriate. The HYD-PRC team will provide technical assistance on research and best practices; produce a report analyzing current juvenile justice system responses and outcomes for youth; advise on creating differentiated responses to delinquent behavior in alignment with brain science and youth development; and design and implement evaluation of alternative justice system responses and outcomes for youth.
Martin and McMorris Discuss Sexual Exploitation of Minnesota Teens
Featured on MPR News and published in Minneapolis Star Tribune, KSTP KARE, KIMT, and Austin Daily Herald, School of Nursing associate professor Lauren Martin, PhD, teamed up with PRC faculty member and School of Nursing associate professor, Barb McMorris, PhD, to discuss new research findings from the Minnesota Student Survey. These findings reveal that at least 5,000 Minnesota teens (both girls and boys) have traded sex or sexual favors for something of value.
McMorris and IRT-CAPC Fellow Querna Receive CSTI CEARCH Grant
Katie Querna, PhD, MSSW, RYT, Interdisciplinary Research Training in Child and Adolescent Primary Care postdoctoral fellow and faculty member Barb McMorris, PhD, along with their community partner Seward Longfellow Restorative Justice received a $5000 grant from the U of MN’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute’s Community Engagement to Advance Research and Community Health (CEARCH). Their project, Restorative Justice Approaches to Reduce Violence and Promote Gender Equity, aims to determine the feasibility of using restorative approaches to respond to gender-based violence in the Twin Cities.
Shlafer appointed to Governor’s Children’s Cabinet Advisory Council
Rebecca Shlafer, PhD, MPH, assistant professor and PRC faculty member, was appointed by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, to serve on the Minnesota Children’s Cabinet Advisory Council. On this council, Shlafer hopes to promote evidence-based policymaking related to child health and family well-being, with an intentional focus on how the Cabinet, and the Legislature as a whole, can utilize the University’s expertise.
Sieving elected to SAHM Board of Directors
PRC Director, Renee Sieving, PhD, RN, FAAN, FSAHM, was elected to the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine’s (SAHM) Board of Directors as a member-at large for 2020-2023. SAHM’s Board of Directors sets organizational policy and establishes formal positions on adolescent health issues that reflect the organization’s mission and core values. A member of SAHM since 1991, Sieving has served the organization in various capacities, most recently as Chair of the Scientific Abstract Review Committee.