Who we are
The Chicago Center for Youth Violence Prevention includes students, researchers and practitioners with diverse backgrounds in social work, public health, education, psychology and sociology.
Deborah Gorman-Smith, PHD
Principal Investigator & Director
Dr. Deborah Gorman-Smith is Dean and Emily Klein Gidwitz Professor at The University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. She is also the Principal Investigator and Director of the Chicago Center for Youth Violence Prevention, one of 5 National Centers of Excellence in Youth Violence Prevention funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Center, based at the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, is devoted to studying and stemming the underlying causes of youth violence through evidence-based, collaborative interventions that focus on families and communities, linking them with schools, the justice system, social service agencies and policy makers. Gorman–Smith is currently or has been Principal or co–Principal investigator on several longitudinal risk and prevention studies funded by NICHD, NIMH, NIDA, SAMHSA and the William T. Grant Foundation. She is a member of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, a current Fellow and the past President for the Society for Prevention Research and has served on the Board of Scientific Counselors of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control, among other national and state committees. Dean Gorman–Smith has published extensively in areas related to youth violence, including the developmental impact of exposure to violence, the relationship between neighborhood characteristics, family functioning and aggression and violence and the effects of family–focused, school-based and community–level preventive interventions. Learn more about Deborah Gorman-Smith.
Franklin Cosey-Gay, PhD, MPH
Executive Director
Franklin is the Executive Director for the CCYVP. His work has primarily examined prevention efforts through a social ecological model, which seeks to identify risk and protective factors at the individual, relational, community and societal levels. Contact Franklin.
Myles Francis
Project Director
Myles is a south-side resident working to address youth violence & promote trauma-informed care in Chicago’s high-burden neighborhoods. Contact Myles.
Sireen Irsheid, MSW, LCSW
Doctoral Student
Sireen is a third year doctoral student at the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. Sireen’s research interests include the examination of contextual factors including exposure to community violence and neurobiology that define unique trajectories of trauma symptoms.
Marion Malcome, MSW, LCSW
Doctoral Candidate
Marion is a doctoral candidate at the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. Marion’s research focuses on the intersection of neighborhoods, race and mental health.
Rachel C. Garthe, PhD
Research Scientist
Rachel is a Research Scientist at the CCYVP. Her research focuses on the individual, relational and contextual factors associated with youth violence and adolescent dating violence, using advanced statistical methodologies. Contact Rachel.
Ané M. Maríñez-Lora, PhD
Research Assistant Professor
Ané M. Maríñez-Lora is a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. Her clinical and research interests focus on the cultural adaptation of evidence-based interventions and practices, caregiver strain, clinicians’ use of evidence-based practices, and behavioral parent training with ethnic-racial minorities. Contact Dr. Maríñez-Lora.
Michael Schoeny, PhD
Senior Research Associate
Mike is an expert in clinical research methodology and statistical analysis. At the Center, Mike’s research focuses on interventions designed to reduce aggression and prevent violence.