Research and Community Programs

Faculty academic interests include prevention of adolescent relationship abuse and sexual violence; prevention of pregnancy, HIV, and sexually transmitted infections; mental health disparities among sexual minorities; innovative health services delivery for marginalized youth; transition to adult care for youth with complex medical conditions; adolescent contraceptive and sexual decision making; and medical and interdisciplinary educational scholarship.

Faculty research is funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institute of Justice, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health, and Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, as well as numerous local and national foundations.

The division’s faculty and staff have also participated in industry-sponsored research related to contraception and adolescent health. Other research collaborations exist with a variety of divisions within the Department of Pediatrics, including Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Pediatric Pulmonary, Pediatric Endocrinology, and Pediatric Infectious Diseases. Robust research, educational, and practice collaborations also exist with faculty in the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Psychiatry, Pharmacy, and Sports Medicine, as well as the School of Nursing, School of Social Work, Graduate School of Public Health, and School of Dental Medicine.

The division also proudly supports a Youth Research Advisory Board, a group of young people ages 14–26 who provide input into adolescent and young adult research being conducted at the University of Pittsburgh. The youth provide consultation to researchers on study focus and design, recruitment, consent processes, study flow, as well as interpretation of results and research dissemination.