Christian Connell has been appointed director of the Child Maltreatment Solutions Network (CMSN), part of the Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) at Penn State.
Connell, who is also an associate professor of human development and family studies and SSRI cofunded faculty member, previously served as associate director of the CMSN.
“We are excited to see the next phase of activity for the Child Maltreatment Solutions Network,” said Dr. Deborah Ehrenthal, SSRI director and professor of biobehavioral health. “Dr. Connell brings highly relevant research expertise in community-engaged research within child protection and child welfare systems, as well as a strong scholarly track record.”
Connell takes over as director after nearly a decade of leadership under Jennie Noll, professor of human development and family studies and SSRI cofund. Under Noll’s leadership, the CMSN saw the formation of the nation’s first NIH P50 Center for Healthy Children and was awarded a T32 training grant to train the next generation of scholars in child maltreatment
“I am very excited to take on this new role within the CMSN and look forward to continuing to build on the strong, collaborative foundation that was set by Dr. Noll and others in our group over the last 10 years,” said Connell. “I think this transition will provide an excellent opportunity to focus on the strengths of our interdisciplinary expertise and collaborative spirit, as well as our commitment to the CMSN’s mission of cutting-edge research, community engagement, education, and translation in the service of preventing, detecting, and treating child abuse and neglect.”
Connell arrived at Penn State in 2017 as part of a cluster hire of SSRI cofunded faculty focusing on child maltreatment research. He received his Ph.D. in clinical-community psychology from the University of South Carolina and completed pre- and postdoctoral training in the department of psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine, where he also held a faculty post as associate professor.
“We look forward to supporting Dr. Connell’s efforts, along with other researchers in the CMSN, to expand the scope of research beyond its current portfolio, seek out new opportunities for external funding and expanded community engagement, as well as continuing to support the translational and educational missions,” said Ehrenthal.
The CMSN was established by Penn State in 2012 to serve as a national resource dedicated to solving the complex problem of child abuse and neglect and to advance Penn State’s academic mission of teaching, research, and engagement in the area of child maltreatment.