One of Chapin Hall’s guiding principles is that sound policy is based on continuous knowledge building. This principle not only guides our multidisciplinary research, but also our efforts to assure the continued development of a committed, talented, and well-prepared workforce in the child and family policy field.

With this vision in mind, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and Chapin Hall have launched the Doris Duke Fellowships for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect for doctoral students. This new program aims to identify and nurture promising leaders and innovative approaches to child abuse prevention.

Chapin Hall has a rich history in the area of child abuse prevention. Several senior staff have developed and evaluated a diverse set of programs aimed at reducing risks for maltreatment and strengthening parental capacity by targeting individuals as well as communities. One such example is Chapin Hall’s evaluation of the Community Partnerships for Protecting Children initiative as implemented in four urban communities. You can find this and more research—including a systems approach, an epidemiological perspective, and perspectives on early childhood home visitation—in the Home Visitation and Maltreatment Prevention tab.

The fellowships program is multidisciplinary in scope and approach as well. The program’s range of academic disciplines includes but is not limited to social work, public health, medicine, public policy, education, and economics.

“Through these fellowships, we will be creating new knowledge on the dynamics of abuse and neglect and effective strategies for the prevention of child maltreatment,” said Chapin Hall research fellow Deborah Daro, a nationally recognized child abuse prevention expert who will lead the fellowships program.

Fellows can be based at any academic institution in the U.S. and will be selected through an open national competition. Chapin Hall is seeking individuals with the skills, passion, and institutional support necessary for sustaining long-term professional involvement in child abuse prevention.

“We’re looking for applicants who demonstrate initiative to look over the fence and learn what is new in other domains,” said Daro. “We’re looking for those who actively engage in disseminating their findings and work to increase visibility of child abuse and neglect prevention within broader professional associations, and those who understand that research initiatives need to be developed with an eye toward influencing how program managers and policy makers do their work.”

“We hope that with its national reach and multidisciplinary approach, the Doris Duke Fellowships program will foster unique contributions that address the many opportunities and needs in child abuse prevention, a field that is gaining momentum across the country,” said Francie Zimmerman, program officer for the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation’s Child Abuse Prevention Program. “Fellows will benefit from Chapin Hall’s expertise as they participate in this robust learning experience.”

The fellowships program will consist of two cohorts of 15 fellows with 2-year terms; the first starting in the Fall 2011, the second starting in the Fall 2012. Each fellow receives an annual stipend of $25,000 for the duration of the term. The application period for the first cohort will open in August, 2010 and applications will be due in December, 2010.

For more information on the Doris Duke Fellowships for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect and its application procedure, and to sign up to receive more updates, please visit http://www.chapinhall.org/fellowships/doris-duke-fellowships.