Christian Connell

Christian Connell is the Ken Young Family Professor for Healthy Children in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Pennsylvania State University. He also serves as Director of the Child Maltreatment Solutions Network and Co-Director of the NICHD-funded Translational Center for Child Maltreatment Studies. His work bridges clinical-community psychology with system-level research in child welfare, juvenile justice, and mental health. Connell holds an adjunct associate professorship in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine.

• Education:
  • 1993, B.S. (Honors) in Psychology, Pennsylvania State University
  • 2000, Ph.D. in Clinical-Community Psychology, University of South Carolina
  • 2000-2001, Psychology Fellowships at Yale
• Research:
  • Focused on trauma, maltreatment, and adverse experiences in children and adolescents
  • System-level evaluation of child welfare, juvenile justice, and foster care
  • Development of trauma screening tools and community-based interventions
• Grants and Research:
  • Director of Penn State’s Child Maltreatment Solutions Network
  • Co-Director of NICHD Translational Center for Child Maltreatment Studies
• Scientific Awards:
  • Ken Young Family Professor for Healthy Children (2024)