On September 11-12, the Forum convened the current cohort of William T. Grant Distinguished Fellows to share experiences and reflections on their work across research, policy and practice. The goal of the Distinguished Fellows Program is to increase the supply of, demand for and use of high-quality research in the service of improved youth outcomes and well-being. To accomplish this goal, the program gives researchers the opportunity to immerse themselves in practice or policy settings and conversely gives influential mid-career practitioners and policymakers the opportunity to work in research settings. The current group of Fellows includes Tamera Coyne-Beasley, David Dubois and Abram Rosenblatt. Learn more about their host organizations and projects below:

• Tamera Coyne-Beasley, M.D., M.P.H., Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Internal Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  Host Organizations: National Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE) and Center for the Prevention of School Violence (CPSV), part of the North Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Dr. Coyne-Beasley, a former recipient of the William T. Grant Scholars Award, is working with SAVE as an adult co-advisor for a SAVE chapter in a public school as it develops and implements violence and firearm injury prevention activities, among other projects. Her work at CPSV, a state agency in North Carolina, is giving her hands-on experience in policymaking as she works closely with the agency’s director.

• David DuBois, Ph.D., Professor, Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago
  Host Organizations: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago (BBBSMC) and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA)

Dr. DuBois is working in each of the major operational divisions at BBBSMC. He is shadowing staff and participating in activities that will help him better understand the work of front-line staff and how the organization is run. While at BBBSA Dr. DuBois is serving as a key member of a task force working on organization improvements to promote evidence-based decision-making. He is also visiting other BBBSA site agencies.

• Abram Rosenblatt, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco
  Host Organizations: Santa Cruz County’s Probation and Substance Abuse Departments and California Forward

Dr. Rosenblatt is working as a program manager at the Santa Cruz County’s Probation and Substance Abuse Departments to give him a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by line staff. At California Forward, a new state advocacy organization, he is collaborating with staff on information and research strategies that will help policymakers better understand how policy affects youth.

Learn more about the William T. Grant Distinguished Fellows Program.