Sarah Chilenski

Sarah Chilenski is a Research Professor in the College of Health and Human Development at Pennsylvania State University, affiliated with the Prevention Research Center (PRC). With over 25 years of experience in prevention research and evaluation, she focuses on community roles in youth development and how community programs support at-risk populations through collaborative frameworks involving communities, schools, and universities.

Her research centers on community coalition models, technical assistance systems for evidence-based program dissemination, sustainability strategies, and community context effects on youth outcomes. She is particularly passionate about data-informed, relationship-based approaches to empower communities in prevention efforts, with specialization in substance misuse prevention, mental health promotion, and public health infrastructure development.

Dr. Chilenski leads the process evaluation for the Evidence2Success® framework and the recently NIH-funded $2.5 million Coalition Check-Up project, which tests proactive technical assistance systems for community coalitions. She has contributed significantly to national initiatives including PROSPER and Communities That Care, and actively trains next-generation prevention scientists through PRC's educational programs.