Chair to address youth violence
Richard Overgaard (SFU-FASS, to reach McMahon), 778.836.9910 (cell); richard_overgaard@sfu.ca
Robert McMahon, 778.782.9031; rjmcmaho@sfu.ca
Carol Thorbes, PAMR, 778.782.3035; cthorbes@sfu.ca
A new $4.5-million B.C. Leadership Chair at Simon Fraser University will develop leading edge strategies to reduce and prevent violent and aggressive behaviour in children and youth. B.C’s Children and Family Development Minister Mary Polak made the announcement today at SFU’s Harbour Centre campus in Vancouver.
Robert McMahon, an internationally renowned clinical child psychologist, has been appointed as the B.C. Leadership Chair in Proactive Approaches to Reducing Risk for Violence Among Children and Youth, the first chair of its kind in the province.
The goal of the chair is to establish B.C. as a leader in the development of effective intervention strategies to reduce and prevent violent and aggressive behaviour in children and youth.
“We know that vulnerable children and youth need access to a continuum of integrated services, encouraging healthy growth, functioning and pro-social development,” says Polak.
“This chair will develop positive solutions for children and youth who struggle with violent and aggressive behaviour issues. The chair’s work will be incredibly beneficial not only to children, youth and their families, but ultimately to our province as a whole.”
The chair will develop preventative and treatment interventions for children and youth with conduct problems, built on evidence-based good practices. Conduct problems include significant levels of disruptive, aggressive, or violent behaviour.
“There is a pressing need for more research and preventative programs in these areas,” says Ida Chong, Minister of Science and Universities. “The work of Dr. McMahon and his colleagues will help B.C. play a leading role in developing early intervention programs that address violent and aggressive behaviour among young people.”
“As a member of the Vancouver Police Department, I have witnessed first-hand the impact of youth violence and youth crime on society,” says Inspector John de Haas, Vancouver Police Department.
“Early intervention is key – the sooner you identify and address the factors of youth violence and aggression the better. We believe this chair will help develop effective strategies and programs to better address youth violence and aggression, which in turn will help troubled youth avoid a life of crime and violence, and make our communities safer.”
The total chair endowment is $4.5 million, with $2.25 million provided by the provincial government through its $56.25-million Leading Edge Endowment Fund (LEEF), and matching funds provided by SFU. The matching funds include a leadership gift from Len and Judy Libin whose son, Joel, was a victim of youth violence.
“I am very grateful to SFU and the government of British Columbia for this opportunity,” says McMahon. “The Leadership Chair will allow me to launch a program of interdisciplinary research to better understand the causes and development of violence and other serious conduct problems in children and adolescents, and, most critically, to develop more effective prevention and treatment strategies.”
“Dr. McMahon’s expertise will serve as a seed to crystallize SFU’s strength in clinical psychology, neurosciences, criminology and health sciences,” says SFU Vice-President, Research, Mario Pinto. “He will play a leadership role in critical research that informs intervention strategies in the problem of youth violence.”
The chair will also establish the Reduction of Youth Violence Institute at both SFU and the Child and Family Research Institute (CFRI). The CFD ministry is supporting the new institute with a $500,000 grant. It will conduct research on risk and protective factors and developmental pathways of youth violence and other conduct problems, as well as evidence-based preventive and treatment interventions.
The institute will also bring together SFU researchers in psychology, criminology and health sciences, researchers in the developmental neurosciences and child health research group at the CFRI and researchers at other B.C. universities.
The B.C. government created LEEF in 2002 to encourage social and economic development and invested a total of $56.25 million to create 29 permanently endowed chairs. McMahon is the 22nd LEEF chair to be appointed to date.
Through LEEF, 20 leadership research chairs are being established at B.C.’s four research-intensive universities to further medical, social, environmental and technological research. The fund is also establishing nine regional innovation chairs to create opportunities in communities through B.C.'s colleges, institutes and teaching-focused universities.
Backgrounder:
Chair to reduce violent behaviour in youth
Chair’s focus
The chair will focus on five main areas of activity:
- Building capacity – research on developing and promoting evidence-based prevention and treatment programs.
- Risk assessment and management – research to test the validity of various risk assessment tools appropriate for use in B.C.
- Prevention and early intervention – evaluation of the effectiveness of various universal and targeted intervention programs.
- Treatment and support – development and evaluation of improved treatment for violent young offenders, in collaboration with youth psychiatrists and clinical psychologists.
- Information and training – regular international conferences will be organized at SFU, bringing leading international researchers and practitioners to B.C.
Conduct Disorder
Approximately 40,000 children in B.C. are affected with conduct disorder, which is the child psychiatric condition that applies to those children and youth with the most frequent and severe levels of conduct problems.
About 50 per cent maintain a pattern of antisocial behaviour and other mental health challenges into adulthood. As a result, the social and economic costs associated with conduct disorder are extremely high.
Robert McMahon
Robert McMahon is a clinical child psychologist who has served as both a professor (1987-2010) and the director of the Child Clinical Psychology program (1991-1999 and 2003-2010) at the University of Washington in Seattle. McMahon has also served as an associate professor in psychology at the University of B.C. and at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
McMahon has a diverse background in developmental psychopathology, behavioural family intervention, and evidence-based assessment and intervention. He is an influential world leader who has delivered some 275 keynote addresses, conference presentations, and workshops in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Australia.
McMahon is the editor-in-chief of the research journal Prevention Science, and has published 12 books in addition to some 175 book chapters and journal articles. McMahon has received more than $18 million in research grants throughout his career.
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