Diana Fishbein, Ph.D.

Dr. Fishbein is Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies and the Director of the Program of Translational Research on Adversity and Neurodevelopment.  Dr. Fishbein’s studies use methods from a variety of disciplines in largely economically disadvantaged communities to understand ways in which the social environment impacts childhood and adolescent development, health and well-being, for better or for worse. Her research supports the premise that—for the worse—adverse psychosocial experiences (e.g., poverty, maltreatment, parental addiction, witnessing violence) impede brain development to direct pathways towards behavioral and mental health problems.  For the better, her work suggests that compensatory mechanisms can be strengthened to avoid negative trajectories when targeted and appropriate interventions are provided. Given the inherent translational nature of this research, she founded and directs the National Prevention Science Coalition for Improving Lives (NPSC), a national organization dedicated to the transfer of knowledge from the basic to the applied sciences, as well as practical settings and public health policies.