Catherine P. Bradshaw

Professor; Senior Associate Dean for Research & Faculty Development

  • Ph.D., Cornell University, 2004
  • M.Ed., University of Georgia, 1999
  • B.A. University of Richmond, 1997

Catherine P. Bradshaw, Ph.D., M.Ed. is a University Professor and the Senior Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development at the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Virginia. She is also a faculty fellow with the UVA Vice President of Research’s Office. Prior to her current appointment at U.Va., she was an Associate Professor and the Associate Chair of the Department of Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she maintains an adjunct faculty position. She holds a doctorate in developmental psychology from Cornell University and a master's of education in counseling and guidance from the University of Georgia.

Her primary research interests focus on the development of aggressive behavior and school-based prevention. She collaborates on research projects examining bullying and school climate; the development of aggressive and problem behaviors; effects of exposure to violence, peer victimization, and environmental stress on children; children with emotional and behavioral disorders and autism; and the design, evaluation, and implementation of evidence-based prevention programs in schools. She has led a number of federally funded randomized trials of school-based prevention programs, including Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and social-emotional learning curricula. She also has expertise in implementation science and coaching models. She has served on several advisory boards for state, federal agencies, and non-government organizations (e.g., IOM/NAS, United Nations, World Bank) on issues related to bullying, program implementation, prevention programs, and child development. She served on the White House panel on bullying prevention and co-organized and participated in consensus studies for the IOM/National Academy of Sciences. She is chairing a What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) practice guide on positive behavior support and is involved in other WWC reviews of classroom management and SEL programs.

Dr. Bradshaw works with the Maryland State Department of Education and several other states and school districts to support the development and implementation of programs and policies to prevent bullying and school violence, and to foster safe and supportive learning environments. She collaborates on federally-funded research grants supported by the NIMH, NIDA, CDC, NIJ, U.S. Department of Education, and the Institute of Education Sciences, with awards totaling over 50M. She is the Co-Director of the IES-funded National Center for Rural School Mental Health. She has published over 300 peer-reviewed articles and chapters in edited volumes. She was previously the Associate Editor for the Journal of Research on Adolescence and is currently the editor of Prevention Science. She is the editor/coeditor/co-author of 7 books, including the Handbook of School Mental Health (2014, forthcoming), Handbook on Bullying: A Life Course Perspective (2017), and Preventing Bullying in Schools: A Social and Emotional Learning Approach to Prevention and Early Intervention (2020).

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