Christian Connell was named the new director of Penn State’s Child Maltreatment Solutions Network last week, according to a Penn State press release.
Connell is an associate professor of human development and family studies and previously served as associate director of the Child Maltreatment Solutions Network. His appointment comes after nearly a decade of leadership under Jennie Noll, professor of human development and family studies.
“I think this transition will provide an excellent opportunity to focus on the strengths of our interdisciplinary expertise and collaborative spirit, as well as our commitment to the CMSN’s mission of cutting-edge research, community engagement, education, and translation in the service of preventing, detecting, and treating child abuse and neglect,” Connell said.
The Child Maltreatment Solutions Network is a part of the Social Science Research Institute at Penn State. Established in 2012, the network is a national resource working to solve the problem of child abuse and neglect. Connell has been at Penn State since 2017, when he was hired with a group of faculty focused on child maltreatment research. He earned his doctorate in clinical-community psychology from University of South Carolina and trained in the psychiatry department at Yale School of Medicine, where he was also an associate professor.
“We are excited to see the next phase of activity for the Child Maltreatment Solutions Network,” said Deborah Ehrenthal, Social Science Research Institute director and professor of biobehavioral health. “Dr. Connell brings highly relevant research expertise in community-engaged research within child protection and child welfare systems, as well as a strong scholarly track record.”
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