Jochebed Gayles

Jochebed Gayles is an Assistant Research Professor of Health and Human Development at The Pennsylvania State University. She serves as Director of the Lab for Equitable Prevention & Implementation in Diverse Contexts, focusing on adolescent health and wellness through interdisciplinary research approaches. Her work bridges developmental, ecological, and translational perspectives.

• Contact: 320E Biobehavioral Health Building, University Park, PA 16802
• Email: jgg137@psu.edu
• Pronouns: she/they

Research Interests: Dr. Gayles explores adolescent health through three lenses: (1) Substantive - identifying correlates of youth functioning, examining cultural/family/neighborhood influences on risk behaviors, and analyzing physiological/behavioral/psychological markers of well-being; (2) Methodological - advanced modeling of complex developmental processes; (3) Practical - implementation of family-youth prevention programs and policy-practice integration.

Projects include the Coalition Check-Up system, opioid misuse prevention initiatives, statewide interagency prevention planning, and testing the Evidence2Success™ framework for community coalition effectiveness.