William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families

Role(s)	• Conduct research to understand and support healthy development across the lifespan along the themes of: helping families thrive through adversity; developing and testing interventions by translating science to practice; supporting healthy relationships through meaningful interactions; and promoting healthy development and well-being. • Provide clinical services through the Child and Family Therapy clinic https://psychology.nd.edu/about/psychological-services-center/ • Located in the community, with approximately 10,000 square feet of human subjects laboratory and office space • Provide faculty and students space and equipment to conduct research, grant-writing support, methodological consultation, expertise in conducting ethical research with vulnerable populations, and recruitment support. • Undergraduate summer research internship program
Mission	• An integrated research and clinical services center dedicated to the advancement and wellbeing of children and families in both our local community and around the world. • Translate science into practice by providing and evaluating evidence-based prevention, intervention, and clinical services.
History	2001 – began as a community-based center for research with initial support from the Institute for Educational Initiatives 2008 – endowed by William J. Shaw to support multiple faculty lines and research infrastructure
Org	Faculty director and 2.5 FTE staff (managing director, center coordinator, and community liaison and recruitment coordinator) Four faculty chairs whose research aligns with the Shaw Center themes Approximately 20 grant-funded staff conducting human subjects research 35 Faculty Affiliates across colleges at the University of Notre Dame Leadership: • Kristin Valentino: Director and Collegiate Chair, Professor of Psychology (kvalent1@nd.edu) • Jen Burke Lefever: Managing Director (jburke2@nd.edu)
Finance	• Endowment from William J. Shaw to support faculty chairs and center infrastructure • Staff and facility support from the College of Arts & Letters and Notre Dame Research • Funding of ~$3M annually from NIH and foundations
Resources	• Ten shared lab spaces, eight equipped with integrated audio and camera equipment manipulated in two control rooms • Satellite facility in Fort Wayne, IN • Biological sample lab for collection, processing, and storage (biohazard II level certified for saliva and blood) • Fourteen offices and six cubicles for grant-supported faculty, students, and staff • Psychological measurement and clinical assessment library • Access to multiple archived longitudinal data sets with samples at-risk for child maltreatment (see the following sites for more information or contact Jen Burke Lefever; jburke2@nd.edu) https://shaw.nd.edu/research/adolescent-parenting-project/ https://shaw.nd.edu/research/parenting-for-the-first-time/ https://shaw.nd.edu/research/promoting-positive-parenting/
Current Projects	Child maltreatment: Exploring the emotional and physiological impacts of a brief dyadic information designed to ameliorate the effect of child maltreatment (PI: Kristin Valentino) • Currently collecting survey data, coded behavioral interactions, clinical and developmental assessments, and physiological measurements (e.g., salivary cortisol, cytokines, height, weight, blood pressure) Intimate Partner Violence: Supporting and empowering pregnant women who have experienced intimate partner violence in the US, Mexico, and Peru (PI: Laura Miller Graff) • Currently collecting survey data, coded behavioral interactions, and clinical and developmental assessments Couples communication: Assessing the efficacy of a communication intervention on families with a child with an Intellectual and Developmental Disability and its effectiveness in three communities in Indiana (PI: Mark Cummings & Joshua John Diehl) • Currently collecting survey data, coded behavioral interactions, and clinical and developmental assessments Sensitive parenting: Evaluating the impact of a parenting sensitivity intervention on mothers and fathers of young infants (PI: Julie Braungart-Rieker & Mark Cummings) • Currently collecting survey data, coded behavioral interactions, and clinical and developmental assessments Minority youth mental health: Identifying risk and protective factors for the mental health of Mexican-origin youth (PIs: Margarita Alegria, Kristin Valentino, & Lijuan Wang) • Currently collecting survey data and coded behavioral interactions Food insecurity: Evaluating the impact of providing meals to children in poverty with rescued food (PIs: Jen Burke Lefever & Marian Botchway) • Currently collecting survey data
Future Focus	Developing partnerships to support effectiveness trials of promising interventions Increased focus on eliminating physical and mental health disparities
Talent Development	Assists in the training of future researchers by supporting graduate students in collaborative and independent work and offering undergraduate research assistants engaging experiences in research with families. Provide new faculty with the supports needed to develop a successful line of funded research