Name: Jennifer L. Bellamy

Current Position: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Washington University George Warren Brown School of Social Work, St. Louis, MO

CUSSW degree and specialization: Ph.D., Social Work. Concentration in Advanced Practice, October 2006.

Dissertation title: Mental health need, service use, and outcomes among children in long term foster care. Sponsor: Edward Mullen

Experience in the doctoral program:  "When I think about my doctoral studies, certain elements stand out as having been most influential on my current work and my development towards becoming an independent researcher. My research practicum using data from the Fragile Families study and the methodological coursework I took in the schools of Public Health and International & Public Affairs prepared me extraordinarily well for my dissertation using data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being (NSCAW). I also think about key faculty members who supported and critiqued my work, linked me into a network of scholars, and provided insight and guidance at crucial decision making points in the program. In my experience developing a relationship with a good mentor makes all the difference in navigating from coursework to dissertation. My current position at The George Warren Brown School of Social Work, as well as the research in which I am currently engaged, flowed directly from my work as a doctoral student under Edward Mullen. I continue to work with him and other colleagues from CUSSW through collaboration on research efforts and publications that has continued beyond graduation. Finally, working closely with other members of my cohort through the rigors of graduate school stands out when I reflect back on my time at Columbia. Entering the academic world is a unique and often challenging experience, so it was critically important for me to build supportive relationships with people who lived the experience right along with me."

Description of current research:  "I am currently a Post-Doctoral Research Scholar at the Center for Mental Health Services Research (MHSR) at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work. The MHSR is the first National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Advanced Center for Interventions and Services Research (ACISR) (P30 MH068579) in social work; my position is supported by a National Research Services Award training grant from the NIMH (#05 T32 MH 019960-12). My current research includes two principle areas of interest: the relationship between parenting and children's behavioral health as well as the implementation of evidence-based practice in the context of child welfare. I have continued to work with data from the first national study of child welfare, the NSCAW, which produced the data for my dissertation research. I am now beginning to focus more specifically on fathering and parenting males in child welfare-involved families. This area of research is a long-standing interest of mine, which grew out of my social work practice experience with young unmarried fathers and their families. My research on evidence-based practice here at the Brown School has included work on studies of the implementation of decision making technology in child welfare and the use of evidence-supported parenting interventions in social service agencies. I have a particular interest in studying bridges between research and practice and am working towards identifying and studying models of university partnerships with social service agencies."