Joie D. Acosta

Contact Information

Senior Behavioral/Social Scientist; Affiliated Faculty, Pardee RAND Graduate School

Washington Office

Education

Ph.D. in community and cultural psychology, University of Hawai'i; M.A. in psychology, University of Hawai'i; B.A. in psychology, University of Richmond

Media Resources

This researcher is available for interviews.

To arrange an interview, contact the RAND Office of Media Relations at (310) 451-6913, or email media@rand.org.

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Overview

Joie Acosta is a senior behavioral/social scientist at the RAND Corporation and a professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. She provides managerial, research, evaluation, and technical expertise on projects related to implementation science; positive youth development; community resilience to disasters; and mental health. Her recent RAND publications include Mental Health Stigma in the Military (Acosta et al., 2014), Partnerships for Recovery Across the Sectors Toolkit (Acosta et al., 2015), and Youth Resilience Corps: An Innovative Model to Engage Youth in Building Disaster Resilience (Acosta et al., 2015). Acosta received her Ph.D. in community and cultural psychology at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa.

Research Focus

Recent Projects

Building community resilience to disasters
Reducing mental health stigma in the military
Evaluating a positive youth development approach to improving school climate
The role of community and faith-based organizations in improving community well-being

Recent Media Appearances

Commentary: Education Week; Montgomery Advertiser; Orange County Register

Commentary

Rethinking Student Discipline and Zero Tolerance
Restorative practices are an alternative to zero-tolerance school discipline policies. Rather than mandating prescribed punishments for specific misbehaviors, this more tailored approach aims to empower students.
Oct 14, 2015 Education Week
U.S. Needs to Improve Community-Based Drug, Alcohol Prevention
As familiar as Americans are with the problems of youth drug and alcohol abuse, we are not identifying all the potential solutions. While observers criticize overemphasis in U.S. policy on enforcement and scant resources devoted to treatment, the focus on these approaches often ignores a key piece of the puzzle: prevention.
Jan 31, 2014 The Orange County Register
Translating Policy Into Action to Build Community Resilience
The philosophy and motivation surrounding community resilience has strongly resonated with community leaders but there remains a divide between how experts articulate resilience policy and how that policy translates to on-the-ground implementation. Building Community Resilience: An Online Training addresses that tension.
Sep 4, 2013 The RAND Blog
Getting To Outcomes: Improvement of Prevention Capacity Unveiled at a Summit of Maine Officials and Stakeholders
Community-based practitioners can improve their programs using Getting To Outcomes®, a toolkit, training, and onsite-support package which enhances their ability to prevent drug and alcohol use among youth.
Apr 29, 2013
'Implementation Science' May Help Providers Adopt New Treatments Despite Real-World Constraints
A new field called implementation science addresses the issue of how to best support providers to take up new, research-proven treatments and implement them well. A RAND study will test how well Boys & Girls Clubs carry out a program proven to prevent teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, with and without an intervention called Getting To Outcomes.
Feb 18, 2013
'New Normal' Requires New Ways to Support Social and 'Human' Recovery
Recent global disasters vividly illustrate that recovery entails more than simply restoring physical infrastructure such as roads and buildings; it is also a long process of restoring the social infrastructure—the daily routines and networks that support the physical and mental health and well-being of the population, write Anita Chandra and Joie Acosta.
Nov 26, 2012 The RAND Blog
Why Aren't Americans Listening to Disaster Preparedness Messages?
Given the recent spate of highly publicized disasters, why don't more Americans pay attention to the advice of public health officials? The messages they are getting are largely based on unverified assumptions, not hard evidence. Equally concerning, these assumptions may inadvertently hinder preparedness.
Jun 29, 2012 The RAND Blog

Publications

Tool
Tool
Getting To Outcomes® Guide for Community Emergency Preparedness
This Getting To Outcomes guide will help with the planning, implementation, evaluation, continuous quality improvement, and sustainability of community emergency preparedness programs. It includes instructions, completed examples, and blank tools.
Aug 21, 2017
Report
How Cultural Alignment and the Use of Incentives Can Promote a Culture of Health: Stakeholder Perspectives
This report draws on interviews with Culture of Health stakeholders whose work focused on culture, incentives, or both to learn how organizations are addressing and leveraging culture and incentives to promote health and well-being.
Apr 14, 2017
Journal Article
Journal Article
Best Practices for Suicide Prevention Messaging and Evaluating California's "Know the Signs" Media Campaign
California's "Know the Signs" media campaign for suicide prevention is consistent with what is known about best practices, though evidence in this field is still nascent.
Apr 7, 2017
Tool
Tool
RAND Program Evaluation Toolkit for Countering Violent Extremism
The RAND Program Evaluation Toolkit for Countering Violent Extremism uses checklists, worksheets, and templates to help programs assess whether their activities have met their goals and identify needed improvements.
Mar 13, 2017
Report
An Agenda to Advance Integrative Resilience Research and Practice: Key Themes From a Resilience Roundtable
Presents recommendations for an integrated agenda to promote transdisciplinary resilience research and practice, drawing on proceedings from a 2016 Resilience Roundtable and a supplementary literature review.
Feb 6, 2017
Journal Article
Journal Article
Drivers of Health as a Shared Value: Mindset, Expectations, Sense of Community and Civic Engagement
A shared understanding of health as a cultural value is key to achieving an equitable health system and a culture of health.
Nov 28, 2016
Journal Article
Journal Article
A Cluster-Randomized Trial of Restorative Practices: An Illustration to Spur High-Quality Research and Evaluation
A Maine-based trial of a Restorative Practices Intervention will assess whether a positive youth development program improves developmental outcomes and stems problem behaviors in middle schoolers, and whether the effects persist in high school.
Sep 15, 2016
Tool
Getting to Outcomes Guide for Teen Pregnancy Prevention
This Getting To Outcomes (GTO) guide is designed to help community organizations plan, evaluate, and improve the quality of their teen pregnancy prevention (TPP) programs.
Jul 21, 2016
Journal Article
Journal Article
Can Implementation Support Help Community-Based Settings Better Deliver Evidence-Based Sexual Health Promotion Programs? A Randomized Trial of Getting To Outcomes®
In typical community-based settings, manuals and training common to structured evidence-based practices may be sufficient to yield low levels of performance and moderate levels of fidelity, but systematic implementation support is needed to achieve high levels of performance and fidelity.
Jul 5, 2016
Tool
ENGAGED Toolkit: Improving the Role of Nongovernmental Organizations in Disaster Response and Recovery
The toolkit assists public health and emergency planners and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) stakeholders in determining the capacity and capability of particular NGOs for disaster response and recovery.
Apr 18, 2016
Report
Building a National Culture of Health: Background, Action Framework, Measures, and Next Steps
In 2013, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) began its Culture of Health initiative. To implement the primary Culture of Health outcome of improved population health, well-being, and equity, RWJF worked with RAND to develop an action framework.
Mar 11, 2016
Report
Development of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation National Survey of Health Attitudes: Description and Top-Line Summary Data
This report describes the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's National Survey of Health Attitudes, part of the foundation's Culture of Health strategy. It describes the survey development and provides the survey text and summary statistics of the data.
Jan 21, 2016
Research Brief
Research Brief
Assessing the Department of Defense's Approach to Reducing Mental Health Stigma
This brief assesses the military's approach to reducing stigma for mental health disorders.
Jan 18, 2016
Report
Stakeholder Perspectives on a Culture of Health: Key Findings
RAND engaged stakeholders to support development of an action framework and measurement strategy for Robert Wood Johnson's Culture of Health vision, in which "everyone in our diverse society leads healthier lives now and for generations to come."
Jan 14, 2016
Journal Article
Journal Article
Youth Resilience Corps: An Innovative Model to Engage Youth in Building Disaster Resilience
This study describes the development of a Youth Resilience Corps, or YRC (i.e., a set of tools to engage young people in youth-led community resilience activities) and the findings from a small-scale pilot test.
Nov 11, 2015
Research Brief
California's Statewide Mental Health Prevention and Early Intervention Initiatives Show Promising Early Results, But Sustained Investment Is Needed
Summarizes findings from an evaluation of a set of California initiatives to help reduce mental health stigma and discrimination, prevent suicide, and improve student mental health.
Sep 16, 2015
Tool
Partnerships for Recovery Across The Sectors (PRACTIS) Toolkit
The Partnerships for Recovery Across The Sectors (PRACTIS) toolkit employs a survey, a quality improvement guide, and a recovery exercise to strengthen disaster recovery partnerships between local health departments and community-based organizations.
Sep 15, 2015
Report
Adults Newly Exposed to "Know the Signs" Campaign Report Greater Gains in Confidence to Intervene with Those Who Might Be at Risk for Suicide Than Those Unexposed to the Campaign
Presents results of a one-year follow-up to a survey on Know the Signs, a California mass media suicide prevention campaign, and examines the effect of campaign exposure on respondents' confidence to intervene with someone at risk for suicide.
May 18, 2015
Tool
Community Resilience: Learn and Tell Toolkit
This toolkit is intended to teach people about community resilience so that they can then teach others. It has information and exercises, which individuals and organizations can use to communicate with their staff and service populations.
Apr 22, 2015
Tool
The Hungrier Games: Disaster Resilience Skills for Youth
This guide contains an introduction to the key principles of community resilience. It is intended for high school youth (ages 14--18). The introduction is presented through youth-friendly talking points and the use of a scavenger hunt game.
Apr 22, 2015
Journal Article
Journal Article
Getting to Outcomes®: Evidence of Empowerment Evaluation and Evaluation Capacity Building at Work
This book chapter describes Getting to Outcomes (GTO), an approach to capacity-building that supports empowerment evaluation, and discusses GTO's relationship to empowerment evaluation and evaluation capacity building.
Jan 19, 2015
Journal Article
Journal Article
A Novel Test of the GTO Implementation Support Intervention in Low Resource Settings: Year 1 Findings and Challenges
Boys & Girls Club sites that used the Getting to Outcomes implementation support tool had greater capacity to run the Making Proud Choices program, but youth sexual health outcomes were no better at sites that used the tool versus those that did not.
2015
Report
"Know the Signs" Suicide Prevention Media Campaign Is Aligned with Best Practices and Highly Regarded by Experts
Reports the findings of an evaluation by a panel of experts on the extent to which a suicide prevention media campaign in California is aligned with best practices in the field.
Dec 10, 2014
Report
Mental Health Stigma in the Military
This report assesses the U.S. military's approach to reducing stigma for mental health disorders and their treatment, how well it is working, and how it might be improved. It presents priorities for getting service members the treatment they need.
Sep 30, 2014
Infographic
Infographic
Building Blocks for a Resilient City
This infographic illustrates how communities can withstand and recover from disasters by building resiliency.
Aug 18, 2014
Report
Adults Exposed to "Know the Signs" Are More Confident Intervening with Those At Risk for Suicide
Report evaluates the effects of a California mass media program that aims to prepare more Californians to prevent suicide by encouraging them to know the warning signs, offer support to persons at risk, and reach out to local resources.
May 27, 2014
Infographic
Road to Resilience: Building Stronger, More Sustainable Communities
This infographic illustrates how communities can become more resilient as they plan ahead for potential disasters.
May 23, 2014
Research Brief
What Has the Suicide Prevention Initiative Done So Far? Year 1 Findings
This fact sheet summarizes the first-year evaluation of California's Suicide Prevention Initiative.
Mar 5, 2014
Report
Evaluating the California Mental Health Services Authority's Suicide Prevention Initiative: Year 1 Findings
Summarizes first-year findings of an ongoing evaluation of a California program aimed at developing statewide capacities and implementing interventions to prevent suicide.
Feb 11, 2014
Report
Development and Pilot Test of the RAND Suicide Prevention Program Evaluation Toolkit
The RAND Suicide Prevention Program Evaluation Toolkit draws from the scientific literature to guide evaluations of suicide prevention programs. This report is a companion to the toolkit and provides background on its development and testing.
Feb 7, 2014
Tool
RAND Suicide Prevention Program Evaluation Toolkit
The RAND Suicide Prevention Program Evaluation Toolkit translates scientific research on suicide prevention to help program staff assess whether their programs produce beneficial effects and identify needed improvements.
Feb 7, 2014
Research Brief
Improving Programs that Address Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury: The RAND Toolkit
RAND developed a set of four tools to assist with understanding, evaluating, and improving performance of programs that address psychological health and traumatic brain injuries among service members.
Jan 8, 2014
Report
The Development and Application of the RAND Program Classification Tool: The RAND Toolkit, Volume 1
The RAND Program Classification Tool is an instrument containing questions and response options across eight core domains that allows managers of a portfolio of programs to quickly, easily, and consistently describe and compare their programs.
Jan 8, 2014
Report
The RAND Online Measure Repository for Evaluating Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury Programs: The RAND Toolkit, Volume 2
The RAND Online Measure Repository is an online searchable database of 171 measures of psychological health and traumatic brain injury, including measure domains, uses, psychometrics, and costs, that can be used to support program evaluation.
Jan 8, 2014
Report
Getting To Outcomes with Developmental Assets (AGTO): An E-Learning Module
A multimedia presentation that provides information on how to strengthen planning, implementation, and evaluation efforts, whether for a youth-serving program or a community-based coalition or initiative.
Jan 2, 2014
Journal Article
Household Preparedness Is Not Enough: The Challenges and Opportunities in Assessing Community Readiness for Disasters
This study aimed to identify existing measures of partnership, self-sufficiency, and social connectedness, as well as gaps and opportunities in the measurement of community preparedness and resilience.
Sep 1, 2013
Journal Article
Enhancing Quality Interventions Promoting Healthy Sexuality (EQUIPS): A Novel Application of Translational Research Methods
Overviews the study Enhancing Quality Interventions Promoting Healthy Sexuality (EQUIPS), which tests how well a community-based setting conducts an EBP, Making Proud Choices, that aims to prevent teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.
2013
Journal Article
Harnessing a Community for Sustainable Disaster Response and Recovery: An Operational Model for Integrating Nongovernmental Organizations
Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are important to a community during times of disaster and routine operations. However, their effectiveness is reduced without an operational framework that integrates response and recovery efforts.
2013
Journal Article
Journal Article
Intervening with Practitioners to Improve the Quality of Prevention: One-Year Findings from a Randomized Trial of Assets-Getting to Outcomes
This article reports interim findings from a randomized controlled trial evaluating Assets-Getting To Outcomes (AGTO)
2013
Journal Article
Journal Article
An Intervention to Improve Program Implementation: Findings from a Two -Year Cluster Randomized Trial of Assets-Getting to Outcomes
Studies have shown that communities have not always been able to implement evidence-based prevention programs with quality and achieve outcomes demonstrated by prevention science.
2013
Journal Article
Nongovernmental Resources to Support Disaster Preparedness, Response, and Recovery
Although recent emergencies or disasters have underscored the vital role of nongovernmental (NGO) resources, they remain not well understood or leveraged.
2013
Journal Article
Journal Article
The Promise and Pitfalls of Community Resilience
This commentary describes the potential promise and pitfalls of the concept of community resilience and recommends strategies to overcome its limitations.
2013
Report
Interventions to Prevent Suicide: A Literature Review to Guide Evaluation of California's Mental Health Prevention and Early Intervention Initiative
Prevention and early intervention initiatives aim to reduce the incidence of suicide and other mental health problems, and the authors evaluate these initiatives by reviewing suicide prevention (SP) literature to learn about SP program effectiveness and methodologies.
Dec 27, 2012
Journal Article
Journal Article
Citizen Preparedness for Disasters: Are Current Assumptions Valid?
Despite extensive messaging about the importance of citizen preparedness and countless household surveys purporting to track the preparedness activities of individuals and households, the role individual Americans are being asked to play is largely based on conventional wisdom.
Jun 1, 2012
Report
Assessment of the Content, Design, and Dissemination of the Real Warriors Campaign
Presents the results of an assessment of the Real Warriors Campaign, a multimedia program designed to promote resilience, facilitate recovery, and support the reintegration of returning servicemembers, veterans, and their families.
Apr 16, 2012
Report
Report
National Evaluation of Safe Start Promising Approaches: Assessing Program Outcomes
Shares the results of Safe Start Promising Approaches, a community-based initiative that implemented and evaluated promising and evidence-based programs to prevent and reduce the impact of children's exposure to violence in 15 U.S. program sites.
Jan 4, 2012
Journal Article
Journal Article
Establishing and Evaluating the Key Functions of an Interactive Systems Framework Using an Assets-Getting to Outcomes Intervention
Community practitioners can face difficulty in achieving outcomes demonstrated by prevention science.
2012
Journal Article
Journal Article
An Examination of Measures Related to Children's Exposure to Violence for Use by Both Practitioners and Researchers
This review of measures to screen, assess, and track outcomes for exposure to violence among children identifies gaps in available measures and recommends establishing a centralized item bank accessible to researchers and practitioners.
2012
Journal Article
Journal Article
Building Capacity for Outcomes Measurement in Human Service Organizations: The Getting to Outcomes Method
Published in: Outcomes Measurement in the Human Services, 2nd Edition: Cross-Cutting Issues and Methods in the Era of Health Reform / Magnabosco, Jennifer L. and Manderscheid, Ronald W., Eds. (Washington, DC : NASW Press, Dec. 2011), Chapter 6, p. 73-88
Dec 1, 2011
Report
Report
Patient Incentives to Motivate Doctor Visits and Reduce Hypertension Disparities
Examines whether small financial incentives for patients can motivate physician visits and reduce racial/ethnic disparities in hypertension.
Nov 30, 2011
Research Brief
Research Brief
Addressing Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury Among Servicemembers and Their Families: Existing Department of Defense Programs and Options for Improvement
Provides overviews and detailed descriptions of 211 programs currently sponsored or funded by the Department of Defense to address psychological health and traumatic brain injury, along with recommendations to maximize program effectiveness.
Nov 9, 2011
Report
Report
Programs Addressing Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury Among U.S. Military Servicemembers and Their Families
Provides overviews and detailed descriptions of 211 programs currently sponsored or funded by the Department of Defense to address psychological health and traumatic brain injury, along with recommendations to maximize program effectiveness.
Nov 9, 2011
Research Brief
Research Brief
Reducing the Impact of Children's Exposure to Violence: Results of the National Evaluation of Safe Start Promising Approaches
RAND's evaluation of Safe Start Promising Approaches identified program successes and challenges in implementing programs for children exposed to violence. The evaluation results, though largely inconclusive, can inform similar efforts going forward.
Sep 13, 2011
Report
Source Materials for the Healthy Communities Toolkit: A Resource Guide for Community and Faith-Based Organizations
Provides content for a toolkit that will prepare community and faith-based organizations to take advantage of opportunities presented in the Affordable Care Act and engage faith and community leaders in promoting health in their communities.
May 6, 2011
Report
The Nongovernmental Sector in Disaster Resilience: Conference Recommendations for a Policy Agenda
This report summarizes findings from a conference intended to generate a national policy agenda for better engaging nongovernmental organizations in disaster response and recovery.
Mar 14, 2011
Research Brief
Research Brief
Building Community Resilience to Disasters: A Roadmap to Guide Local Planning
Examines ways in which communities can improve their ability to withstand and recover from adversity.
Feb 22, 2011
Report
Building Community Resilience to Disasters: A Way Forward to Enhance National Health Security
Provides a roadmap for federal, state, and local leaders who are developing plans to enhance community resilience for health security threats and describes options for building community resilience in key areas.
Feb 22, 2011
Research Brief
Research Brief
The War Within: Suicide Prevention in the U.S. Military
The increasing number of suicides is causing concern in the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). Suicide-prevention programs in DoD and across the services have some (but not all) of the characteristics of comprehensive programs.
Feb 17, 2011
Report
The War Within: Preventing Suicide in the U.S. Military
The increase in suicides among military personnel has raised concern. This book reviews suicide epidemiology in the military, catalogs military suicide-prevention activities, and recommends relevant best practices.
Feb 17, 2011
Draft
Draft
Guide to the Behavioral Health Care System in the District of Columbia
Offers a detailed description of the public behavioral health care system in the District of Columbia.
Oct 29, 2010
Research Brief
Research Brief
Lessons Learned from Disaster Case Management in Louisiana
Louisiana implemented a disaster case management pilot program five years after the 2005 hurricanes. Challenges in client identification, interagency communication, and invoice approval led to delays; half the expected number of cases were opened.
Jul 20, 2010
Report
National Evaluation of Safe Start Promising Approaches: Assessing Program Implementation
Documents the implementation of 15 programs across the country that provide interventions for families in which children have been exposed to violence, with the goal of building knowledge about the effectiveness of specific intervention strategies.
Jun 28, 2010
Report
Report
Navigating the Road to Recovery: Assessment of the Coordination, Communication, and Financing of the Disaster Case Management Pilot in Louisiana
Researchers assessing a disaster case management pilot recommend that future efforts establish better ways to find affected residents, consider needs/vulnerabilities in planning, and ensure continuity of services before, during, and after disaster.
Jun 11, 2010
Draft
Draft
Understanding Community Resilience in the Context of National Health Security: A Literature Review
This review lays a foundation for upcoming analyses that will provide a working definition of community resilience, identify activities for building resilience, and offer associated metrics.
Jan 11, 2010
Journal Article
Journal Article
Disaster Recovery Also Involves Human Recovery
This commentary argues that unless the U.S. examines and plans for the psychological consequences of disasters such as Katrina and the recent oil spill, communities will be struggling to address acute and chronic health issues while trying to rebuild.
2010
Report
Report
Behavioral Health in the District of Columbia: Assessing Need and Evaluating the Public System of Care
Dec 31, 2009
Report
Report
The Role of Nongovernmental Organizations in Long-Term Human Recovery After Disaster: Reflections From Louisiana Four Years After Hurricane Katrina
Lessons learned and challenges faced by Louisiana NGOs in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina serve to inform potential policy changes and future research directions to improve long-term human recovery efforts following future disasters.
Sep 18, 2009
Report
Report
A National Agenda for Public Health Systems Research on Emergency Preparedness
The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response asked RAND to facilitate the development of a public health systems research agenda for emergency preparedness with a focus on both short- and long-term priorities.
Aug 11, 2009
Report
Report
Assessing Health and Health Care in Prince George's County
Assesses the health care needs of the residents of Prince George's County, Maryland, and the capacity of the county's health care system to meet those needs.
Feb 6, 2009