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Background

I am a Professor of Psychiatry, Psychology, Pediatrics, and Clinical and Translational Science at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. I am also Director of the Special Services Unit at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital, a program devoted to the development and dissemination and implementation of evidence-based practices for children or adolescents served in diverse community settings or systems including juvenile justice, child welfare, pediatric primary care, and mental health. Additionally, I serve as Adjunct Staff in the Section of Behavioral Health at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Finally, I am the co-developer of Alternatives for Families: A Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (AF-CBT), an intervention for family conflict and coercion (anger, aggression, and physical abuse). In that role, I am involved in the dissemination, evaluation, and refinement of AF-CBT across the U.S., and internationally.

Clinical Research Interests

My treatment research interests include the study and treatment of child abuse/family conflict, child behavior disorders, firesetting, and adolescent sexual offending, and the integration of behavioral health services, including collaborative care models, in pediatric primary care and family health centers. Several clinical trials have evaluated interventions developed for these problems with support from the National Institute of Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and National Center of Child Abuse & Neglect.

Much of our current treatment research work is devoted to dissemination and implementation efforts designed to adapt and then transport effective interventions for these clinical problems to various community settings or systems serving children, youth, and families, including pediatric primary care, juvenile justice, child welfare, public health/safety, and mental health.

I routinely conduct professional seminars and trainings on a national and international basis to teach evidence-based treatments to practitioners working with the above-mentioned populations. This training includes workshops on Alternatives for Families: A Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (AF-CBT), a treatment approach that we have developed for families involved in conflict, coercion, the use of physical discipline, and child physical abuse. AF-CBT has been adapted for use and evaluated with early-onset disruptive behavior disorders.

Selected Accomplishments

Professional Status, Honors, and Awards

Professional/Academic Activities