New! march 2026
|
As an experienced public affairs consultant, I help organizations build programming and practices - built on science - that improve child health and family well-being. With more than 25 years of experience across public health, child and adolescent mental health, agricultural, and veterinary social work sectors, I have translated research findings into programs, policies, and communications products for parents, providers and policymakers. I have supported $35+ million in NIH and foundation-funded initiatives while serving in communications leadership roles for National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)-funded research centers at Columbia University (1999-2012) and New York University (2012-2021).
I specialize in funding strategy, grant development, program design and implementation, and evidence-to-practice translation, particularly for school-based mental health and animal-assisted programs involving youth, and recently co-authored Therapy Dogs in Schools: An Evidence-Based Protocol (Purdue University Press, 2026), a field-defining guide focused on safe, ethical, and effective implementation of therapy dog programs in K-12 schools (Foreward by Dr. Aubrey Fine). My early career training as a Presidential Management Fellow at the National Institutes of Health, the nation's largest federal biomedical research enterprise, ignited a passion for working collaboratively with research scientists to translate and disseminate research findings for parents, providers, policymakers and the general public. |
NEW! Supporting Children and FAMILIES through Pet Loss and GRIEF
Click here to read more about an intervention developed to help youth and families with pet loss as part of my coursework and capstone for my Veterinary Social Work (VSW) certifcate, presented at the International Association of Social Work Groups (IASWG) Annual Conference (June 2025).