Chapin Hall

Dr. Amanda Griffin is a Researcher at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, where she develops and evaluates resources and programs designed to address social disparities and inequities facing youth and families experiencing homelessness. She uses quantitative and qualitative methods to provide stakeholders with actionable information to improve access to care and long-term housing and education outcomes. Her work promotes the use of evidence-based programs in settings that provide services to youth and families experiencing homelessness. Griffin is currently working to identifying and addressing the barriers homeless families experience when enrolling and participating in home visiting programs. In addition, her work supports the sexual and reproductive health of youth involved with the justice system, youth involved with the child welfare system, and youth experiencing homelessness, by increasing service providers’ access to evidence-based resources and recommending evidence-based programs and practices. She is also supporting stakeholders in piloting and evaluating a program focused on youth experiencing homeless to improve housing stability, food security, empowerment, and well-being through a community partnership.

Prior to joining Chapin Hall, Griffin worked at the University of Oregon Prevention Science Institute as a Postdoctoral Fellow through a National Research Service Award (NSRA) grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). She focused on translating basic research from parent-child adoption design and a siblings-reared-apart design to evaluate the effectiveness of a randomized control trial targeting school readiness. The goal was to identify mechanisms of change that influence parent-child interactions, peer relationships, and school readiness. In addition, she spent time working to address inequities faced by “underserved” populations, such as children who have been maltreated, children who have experienced homelessness, children who have dual child welfare and juvenile justice involvement, and families experiencing opioid use. Through this work, she collaborated with community stakeholders to launch a daily diary study that captured daily variation in schoolmate and teacher interactions that affect the daily adjustment of doubled-up homeless students.

Griffin has expertise in survey design, quantitative methodology, prevention science, and developmental psychology. She received her Doctor of Philosophy degree and Master of Science degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Pennsylvania State University. Griffin obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.