At the DART Lab, we pursue research with the power to change the landscape of developmental adversity-informed action, so that future generations experience far less developmental adversity (DA) than past generations, and as a result, enjoy better health, stronger social connections, and greater capacity to shape the world in positive, productive ways.

Understanding why developmental adversity occurs, how it impacts physical, mental, behavioral and relational health, and its effects on public health, as well as complex social and human service systems cuts across many disciplines related to research, policy, and practice. Therefore, at the DART Lab, we take inter/transdisciplinary approach with strong community and practitioner engagement.

We are currently pursuing these broad questions:

• How does the progression of adversity unfold across the lifespan and between generations? Our diverse researchers’ interest include: the significance of attachment and belonging to outcomes, supporting parents to optimize healthy development, and over-time pathways related to academic struggles, becoming unhoused, and incarceration.
• How does developmental adversity education support personal, professional and systems transformations? The particular interests of team members include: the relationships among professional development, DA, leadership and change efforts, the role of community learning and capacity building in ecological change for children and families, and healing school initiatives that generate sustainable change.
• How is community capacity building related to changes in population rates of developmental adversities and their sequelae? The team is particularly interested in cases—successful and not—that center the self-healing communities model as a starting point.