Emilie Phillips Smith, Ph.D.

Professor of Human Development and Family Studies

Director, Center for Human Development and Family Research in Diverse Contexts

106 Henderson Building
(814) 863-7108
(814) 863-7109 (fax)
emilieps@psu.edu

Research

Dr. Smith's work is in the area of preventing youth violence and aggression and promoting positive child and family development. She is particularly interested in approaches that develop partnerships across the home, school, and community contexts. Dr. Smith has been involved in a number of local and national initiatives across multiple sites to reduce violence and aggression using universal school-based and targeted family intervention. Dr. Smith has experience in developing and testing community-based approaches involving students in service-learning opportunities. Dr. Smith is currently studying the role of community-based afterschool settings in fostering positive youth development and collective efficacy via supportive relationships with staff and positive peer interactions. She is attuned to issues of culture, ethnicity, and context is several aspects of her work, in parenting and family processes and in youth development. She has authored numerous papers on youth and family development and the role of racial identity, culture, and ethnicity. Dr. Smith is very interested in models of broader implementation and sustainability in health and mental health promotion efforts, particularly among youth and families of color.

Education

Ph.D., Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
Ecological/Community Psychology, August 1990
M.A., Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
Ecological/Community Psychology, October 1986
B.A., with High Honors, Smith College, Northampton, MA
Psychology and Afro-American Studies, May 1982

Professional Experience

2008-Present: Professor, Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University; and Director, Center for Human Development and Family Research in Diverse Contexts
2005-2008: Interim Director,Center for Human Development and Family Research in Diverse Contexts
2003-2008: Associate Professor, Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University
1999 - 2003: Senior Service Fellow, CDC/Division of Violence Prevention/Prevention Development and Evaluation Branch,
2000 - 2001: Acting Branch Chief, Prevention Development and Evaluation Branch, Division of Violence Prevention, CDC.
1998- 2001: Associate Professor with tenure, Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC.
1992 - 1998 Assistant Professor, tenure-track, Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina , Columbia, SC.
1991 - 1992 Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology,
University of Michigan-Flint, Flint Michigan.

Honors and Achievements

Editorial Board, Journal of Research on Adolescence
Chair, Cultural and Racial Affairs, Society for Community Research and Action, (Division 27, APA).
Reviewer, American Journal of Community Psychology, Child Development, Journal of Adolescence, Journal of Black Psychology, Personal Relationships, Prevention Science Review
College of Health and Human Development, Diversity Award, 2007
Executive Session on Deviant Peer Contagion, Duke University Center for Child and Family Policy
Biennial Conference Planning Committee, Society for Community Research and Action, (Division 27, APA)

Guest on “What Matters” hosted by Dr. Barbara Farmer of WPSU, show on “Colorism”
Society for Community Research and Action’s "Women Trail-Blazers” Award (2003)
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (2002) – Group Operational Research Award for developing and articulating Injury Center Research Agenda
National Education Association Satellite Broadcast, Secretary of Education, Dick Riley (December 1999). Expert Panelist, recognized for work with family-school programs, satellite featured video of EARLY ALLIANCE prevention program.
Research Fellow, Center for Policy Research in Education - A consortium between Rutgers University, Stanford University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Michigan State University
Pre-doctoral Research Fellowship, Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ

Publications

Smith, E. P. (in press, 2007). The Role of Afterschool Settings in Positive Youth Development. Journal of Adolescent Health.
Hughes, D., Rodriguez, J., Smith, E. P., Johnson, D. J., Stevenson, H., Spicer, P. (2006). Parents’ ethnic/racial socialization practices: A review of research and directions for future study. Developmental Psychology, 42(5), 747-770.
Guerra, Nancy and Smith, Emilie Phillips (2006). Preventing Youth Violence in a Multicultural Society. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.
Smith, E. P. and Guerra, Nancy G. (2006). Introduction. Preventing Youth Violence in a Multicultural Society. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association, pp 1-13.
Smith, E. P. and Hasbrouck, L. (2006). The Socio-cultural context of risk and protective factors in youth violence prevention among African-American youth. In N. Guerra and E. P. Smith (Eds). Preventing Youth Violence in a Multicultural Society. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association, pp. 169-197.
Guerra, Nancy G. and Smith Emile Phillips (2006). Preventing Youth Violence in a Multicultural Society: Future Directions. Preventing Youth Violence in a Multicultural Society. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association, pp. 271-281.
Smith, E. P., Dumas, J. E., Prinz, R. J. (2006). Prevention Approaches to Improve Child and Adolescent Behavior and Reduce Deviant Peer Influence. In K. Dodge, T. Dishion, and Jennfier Lansford (Eds), Deviant Peer Influences in Programs for Youth: Problems and Solutions. New York: Guilldford Press, pp. 296-311.
Dumas, J. E., Nissley, J., Nordstrom, A., Smith, E. P., Prinz, R. J., and Levine, D. W. (2005). Home Chaos: Sociodemographic, parenting, interactional and child correlates. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 34(1), 93-104.
Smith, E. P., Wolf, A. M., Cantillon, D. M., Thomas, O., and Davidson, W. S. (2004). The Adolescent Diversion Project: 25 years of research on an ecological model of intervention. Journal of Prevention and Intervention in the Community, 27(2), 29-47.
Smith, E. P., Boutte, G. S., Zigler, E., and Finn-Stevenson, Matia. (2004). Opportunities for Schools to Promote Resilience in Children and Youth. In K. I. Maton, C. J. Schellenbach, B. J. Leadbetter and A. L. Solarz (Eds.) Investing in children, youth, families, and communities: Strengths-based research and policy. Washington, D. C.: American Psychological Association.
Smith, E. P., Gorman-Smith, D. Quinn, W., Rabiner, D., Winn, D., and the Multi-site Violence Prevention Project. (2004). Community-based multiple family groups to prevent and reduce violent and aggressive behavior: The G.R.E.A.T. Families Program. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 26(1S), 39-47.
Multisite Violence Prevention Project (2004). Multisite Violence Prevention Project: Background and Overview. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 26(1S), 3-11.
Henry, D. B., Farrell, A. D. and the Multisite Violence Prevention Project (2004). The Study Designed by a Committee: Design of the Multisite Violence Prevention Project. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 26(1S), 12-19.
Meyer, A. L., Allison, K. W., Reese, L. E., Gay, F. N. and the Multisite Violence Prevention Project (2004). Choosing to be violence-free in middle school: The student component of the GREAT Schools and Families Universal program. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 26(1S), 20-28.
Orpinas, P., Horne, A. M. and the Multisite Violence Prevention Project. (2004). A Teacher focused approach to prevent and reduce students’ aggressive behavior: The GREAT Teacher Program. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 26(1S), 29-38.
Miller-Johnson, S., Sullivan, T. N., Simon, T. R., and the Multisite Violence Prevention Project. (2004). Evaluating the impact of the interventions in the Multisite Violence Prevention Study: Samples, Procedures, and Measures. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 26(1S), 48-61.
Multisite Violence Prevention Project (2004). Lessons learned in the Multisite Violence Prevention Project Collaboration: Big questions require large efforts. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 26(1S), 62-71.
Smith, E. P. , Atkins, J., Connell, C. (2003). Family, school, and community influences upon ethnic attitudes and relationships to academic outcomes. American Journal of Community Psychology, 32(1,2) 159-173.
Dumas, J. E., Lynch, A. M., Laughlin, J. E., Smith, E. P., & Prinz, R. J. (2001). Promoting intervention fidelity: Conceptual issues, methods, and preliminary results from the EARLY ALLIANCE Prevention Trial. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 20, 38-47.
Murry, V. M., Smith, E. P., Hill, N. E. (Special Section Editors, 2001). Race, ethnicity, and culture in studies of families in context. Journal of Marriage and Family 63, 911-914.
Prinz, R. J., Smith, E. P., Dumas, J. E., Laughlin, J. E., White, D. W., & Barrón, R. (2001). Recruitment and retention of participants in prevention trials involving family-based interventions. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 20, 31-37.
Smith, E. P., Prinz, R. J., Dumas, J. E., Laughlin, J. (2001). Latent models of family processes in African American Families: Relationships to Child Competence, achievement, problem behavior. Journal of Marriage and Family 63, 967-980.
Prinz, R. J., Dumas, J. E., Smith, E. P., Laughlin, J. E. (2000). EARLY ALLIANCE Prevention Trial: A dual design to test reduction of risk for conduct problems, substance abuse, and school failure in childhood. Controlled Clinical Trials 21, 286-302.
Dumas, J. E., Prinz, R. J., Smith, E. P. & Laughlin, J. (1999). The EARLY ALLIANCE prevention trial: An integrated set of interventions to promote competence and reduce risk for conduct disorder, substance abuse, and school failure. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 2, 37-53.
Smith, E. P., Walker, K., Fields, L., Brookins, C. C., and Seay, R. C. (1999). The Salience of ethnic identity and its relationship to self-esteem, perceived efficacy, and prosocial attitudes. Journal of Adolescence, 22, 867-880.
Wright G., and Smith, E. P. (1998). Home, School, and Community Partnerships: Integrating Issues of Race, Culture, and Class. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 1(3), 145-162.
Smith, E. P., Connell, C., Wright, G., Sizer, M., Norman, J. M., Hurley, A., and Walker, S. N. (1997). An ecological model for understanding home, school, and community partnerships. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 8(4), 339-360.
Smith, E. P., and Brookins, C. C. (1997). Towards the development of an ethnic identity measure for African American youth. Journal of Black Psychology, 23(4), 358-377.
Norman, J. M. and Smith, E. P. (1997). Families and Schools, islands unto themselves: Opportunities to construct bridges. Family Futures, 1(1), 5-7.
Smith, E. P. and Davidson, W. S. (1992). Mentoring and the development of African American graduate and professional students. Journal of College Student Development, 33(6), 531-539.
Paulson, S. F., Davidson, W. S., and Smith, E. P. (1988) Rethinking case management with the elderly. The Community Psychologist, 21, (3).
Greenfield, A., Mowbray, C., Freddolino, P. and Smith, E. P. (1987). An empirically derived typology of mentally ill group home residents. Evaluation and Program Planning, 10, 273-279.