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Dana Schultz

dana schultz, s0607
Senior Policy Researcher
Pittsburgh Office

Education

M.P.P. in public policy, Harvard University

Media Resources

This researcher is available for interviews.

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Overview

Dana Schultz is a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. She has experience in research design, program and outcomes evaluations, quantitative and qualitative data collection, and collaborative research relationships with agencies and organizations in different health care sectors. Schultz has led or co-led several evaluation studies using mixed methods to document implementation and assess effectiveness of programs designed to improve health, mental health, and other outcomes for parents, children, and families. Her recent research has included a multi-site study examining the effectiveness of programs designed to improve outcomes for children exposed to violence and an evaluation of community and school-based programs designed to improve outcomes for African American boys and young men. Her work has also included efforts to improve child-serving systems, including a recent project that developed a simulation of the child welfare system to examine the costs and benefits of different poiicy options. Schultz also conducted an evaluation of a cross-system quality improvement effort to improve system capacity and care for families facing the dual challenges of parental depression and early childhood developmental delays. She has worked on projects related to bridging the physical health and behavioral health systems to increase identification, referrals, and access to behavioral health treatment for women at high risk for maternal depression, evaluating community-based programs on smoking and other health-related outcomes, and studying the relationship between protective factors and outcomes for children with adverse experiences. Schultz received her M.P.P. from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Research Focus

Recent Projects

  • National Evaluation of Safe Start Promising Approaches to examine the effectiveness of programs for reducing the effects of children's violence exposure
  • Evaluation of the Helping Families Raise Healthy Children initiative to improve systems of care for families with both parental depression and child developmental delays
  • Evaluation of The Heinz Endowment's African American Men and Boys Task Force Initiative
  • Development of a toolkit for implementing and adapting an evidence-based school intervention for trauma for youth in foster care

Selected Publications

Schultz, D., Sontag-Padilla, L., Building Better Boyhood Programs, RAND (RR-1150), 2015

Schultz, D., Jaycox, L., Hickman, L.J., Setodji, C., Kofner, A., Harris, R., Barnes-Proby, D., "The relationship between protective factors and outcomes for children exposed to violence," Violence and Victims, 28(4), 2013

Schultz D, Reynolds K, Sontag-Padilla L, Lovejoy S, Firth R, and Pincus HA, Transforming Systems for Parental Depression and Early Childhood Developmental Delays: Findings and Lessons Learned from the Helping Families Raise Healthy Children Initiative, RAND (RR-122), 2013

Schultz, D., Reynolds, K., Sontag-Padilla, L. Lovejoy, S.L., Firth, R., Schake, P., Hawk, J., Killmeyer, S., Troup, E., Myers-Cepicka, M., Perich, M., A Toolkit for Implementing Parental Depression Screening, Referral and Treatment across Systems, RAND (TL-102), 2012

Schultz, D., Jaycox, L., Hickman, L.J., Chandra, A., Barnes-Proby, D., Acosta, J., Beckman, A., Francois, T., Honess-Morreale, L., National Evaluation of Safe Start Promising Approaches: Assessing Program Implementation, RAND (TR-750), 2010

Schultz, D., Seid, M., Stoto, M., McClure Burstain, J., "The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Children's Health Research Portfolio," Maternal and Child Health Journal, 2010

Schultz, D., Tharp-Taylor, S., Haviland, A., and Jaycox, L., "The Relationship between Hypothesized Protective Factors and Outcomes for Children Investigated for Maltreatment," Child Abuse and Neglect, 2009

Commentary

  • A mother holding a baby in a rocking chair while looking out a window

    New Depression-Screening Guidelines Could Help Both Mother and Child

    Behavioral health professionals and community agencies often do not consider the impact of parental depression on young children or focus on the adult's role as a parent. New guidelines recommending depression screening during primary care visits for pregnant women and new mothers are a critical first step.

    Mar 18, 2016 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

  • U.S. President Barack Obama is introduced to speak by Christian Champagne from Chicago at the unveiling of Obama's "My Brother's Keeper" initiative

    Realizing the Potential of 'My Brother's Keeper'

    The White House has mobilized an impressive coalition to address a critical national challenge, and used the power of research evidence to begin to structure the initiative. By drawing more lessons from research, the initiative can further bolster its chance to build strong and lasting ladders of opportunity and success for boys and young men of color.

    Mar 16, 2014 The Hill

  • Blog

    Preschool Pays Off

    Published commentary by RAND staff: Preschool Pays Off, in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

    Sep 20, 2006 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Publications