Our Leadership

CSCH facilitates opportunities for interested researchers to collaborate on projects of common interest as related to school and child health topics. As such, CCSH provides a valuable role in recognizing existing work conducted across and within other groups, organizations, and agencies, and connecting partnerships that can enhance individual efforts.

Primary coordination of CSCH occurs through the Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy (InCHIP) and the Neag School of Education in collaboration with other University of Connecticut schools and departments.

CSCH leadership includes two co-directors and a steering committee comprised of university researchers and community stakeholders engaged in school and child health efforts with focus on research partnerships. The steering committee is comprised of no more than 12 university-based members and no more than 3 community-based members. Each steering committee member agrees to serve a two-year term, which may be renewable. CSCH affiliates are invited to apply to become steering committee members. New steering committee members are selected by current members based on review of the overall composition of the committee to ensure adequate balance across WSCC domains.

SANDRA M. CHAFOULEAS

CSCH Co-Director

Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor and Neag Endowed Professor of Educational Psychology in the Neag School of Education

Expertise: behavior assessment, school mental health, coordinated school health

Beth Russell

BETH RUSSELL

CSCH Co-Director

Associate Professor in HDFS
Director, Center for Applied Research in Human Development

Expertise: community partnerships, program evaluation, parent-child relationships, development of emotion regulation

STEERING COMMITTEE 2023-24

Jeana Bracey

JEANA BRACEY

Associate Vice President of School and Community Initiatives, CHDI, Inc.

Expertise: school-based mental and behavioral health, school-family-community partnerships, juvenile justice diversion

Jean Coffey

JEAN COFFEY

Clinical Professor in Nursing

Expertise: child health, primary care, children in nature, nursing education

Lindsay DiStefano

LINDSAY DISTEFANO

Professor in Kinesiology

Expertise: physical health,
injury prevention in children

aliceforrester

ALICE FORRESTER

CEO, Clifford Beers Community Health Partners
Director, New Haven Trauma Coalition
Member, Sandy Hook Commission

Expertise: mental health in children, families, and communities in Connecticut

Damion Grasso

DAMION GRASSO

Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics

Expertise: childhood adversity and trauma, posttraumatic stress, evidence-based assessment and psychotherapy

kahryn libal

KATHRYN LIBAL

Associate Professor in Social Work
Director, Human Rights Institute

Expertise: social welfare, children’s rights movements, human rights, social work

lisa sanetti

LISA H. SANETTI

Professor in
Educational Psychology

Expertise: educators’ wellness, implementation of effective practices, educator-student relationships

marlene schwartz

MARLENE SCHWARTZ

Professor in HDFS
Director, Rudd Center

Expertise: food policy, obesity prevention

Ravit Stein

RAVIT STEIN

Director of Psychological & Behavioral Consultation, EASTCONN RESC

Expertise: applied behavior analysis, implementation, MTSS, organizational biopsy, sustainability

Jaci VanHeest

JACI VANHEEST

Associate Professor in Educational Psychology and Kinesiology
Director, Public Health Learning Community

Expertise: impact of play on bioenergetic, fitness and academic parameters in children and adults

STAFF

Emily Iovino

EMILY IOVINO

Assistant Research Professor
Department of Educational Psychology

Expertise: caregiver health and well-being, school-based social, emotional, and behavioral supports

jessica koslouski

JESSICA KOSLOUSKI

Assistant Research Professor
Department of Educational Psychology

Expertise: trauma-informed schools implementation, child and adolescent mental health, design-based research, data visualization

helene marcy

HELENE MARCY

CSCH Director of Programs & Communications

Expertise: poverty-related issues and policies, community partnerships, survey research

Kathleen Williamson

KATHLEEN WILLIAMSON

CSCH Postdoctoral Scholar

Expertise: school-based social-emotional/behavioral supports, implementation fidelity, psychoeducational assessment and intervention