Briana Nelson Goff

Briana Nelson Goff is a Professor in the Department of Applied Human Sciences at Kansas State University (KSU), part of the College of Health and Human Sciences. Her work focuses on trauma's impact on couples and families, particularly within military and disaster-affected populations. She leads the Trauma Research, Education and Consultation at K-State (TRECK) Team, involving over 150 students since 1998. Her research spans military family resilience, parenting children with Down syndrome, and international trauma recovery (e.g., in Bosnia-Herzegovina post-war).

Dr. Goff holds a Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Texas Tech University (1998) and earlier degrees from KSU. She has directed the Institute for the Health and Security of Military Families (2004–2017) and co-authored the book *Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: A Roadmap for Families and Professionals* (2018). Her accolades include the U.S. Army’s Outstanding Civilian Service Award (2014), Fort Riley’s Distinguished Trooper Award (2015), and KSU’s Distinguished Faculty Award for Mentoring (2019).

Her teaching includes courses on trauma, crisis intervention, and violence prevention. She has pioneered trauma-informed pedagogy and collaborates nationally on parenting research. Her recent work emphasizes veteran spouse reintegration and positive aspects of Down syndrome parenting.