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Kenneth A. Dodge

William McDougall Distinguished Professor of Public Policy Studies
Sanford School of Public Policy
Box 90245, Durham, NC 27708-0545
214A Sanford Building, Box 90245, Durham, NC 27708

Overview


Kenneth A. Dodge is the William McDougall Distinguished Professor of Public Policy and Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University. He is also the founding and past director of the Center for Child and Family Policy, as well as the founder of Family Connects International

Dodge is a leading scholar in the development and prevention of aggressive and violent behaviors. His work provides a model for understanding how some young children grow up to engage in aggression and violence and provides a framework for intervening early to prevent the costly consequences of violence for children and their communities.

Dodge joined the faculty of the Sanford School of Public Policy in September 1998. He is trained as a clinical and developmental psychologist, having earned his B.A. in psychology at Northwestern University in 1975 and his Ph.D. in psychology at Duke University in 1978. Prior to joining Duke, Dodge served on the faculty at Indiana University, the University of Colorado, and Vanderbilt University.

Dodge's research has resulted in the Family Connects Program, an evidence-based, population health approach to supporting families of newborn infants. Piloted in Durham, NC, and formerly known as Durham Connects, the program attempts to reach all families giving birth in a community to assess family needs, intervene where needed, and connect families to tailored community resources. Randomized trials indicate the program's success in improving family connections to the community, reducing maternal depression and anxiety, and preventing child abuse. The model is currently expanding to many communities across the U.S.

Dodge has published more than 500 scientific articles which have been cited more than 120,000 times.

Elected into the National Academy of Medicine in 2015, Dodge has received many honors and awards, including the following:

  • President (Elected), Society for Research in Child Development
  • Fellow, Society for Prevention Research
  • Distinguished Scientist, Child Mind Institute
  • Research Scientist Award from the National Institutes of Health
  • Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contribution from the American Psychological Association
  • J.P. Scott Award for Lifetime Contribution to Aggression Research from the International Society for Research on Aggression
  • Science to Practice Award from the Society for Prevention Research
  • Inaugural recipient of the “Public Service Matters” Award from the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration
  • Inaugural recipient of the Presidential Citation Award for Excellence in Research from the Society for Research on Adolescence

Current Appointments & Affiliations


William McDougall Distinguished Professor of Public Policy Studies · 2020 - Present Sanford School of Public Policy
Professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy · 1998 - Present Sanford School of Public Policy
Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience · 2011 - Present Psychology & Neuroscience, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Faculty Network Member of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences · 2008 - Present Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, University Institutes and Centers
Faculty Research Scholar of DuPRI's Population Research Center · 2010 - Present Duke Population Research Center, Duke Population Research Institute
Affiliate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society · 2014 - Present Duke Science & Society, University Initiatives & Academic Support Units

In the News


Published April 19, 2023
Four Duke Faculty To Join American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Published November 2, 2022
Duke Study: What All Families Need to Give Their Children the Early Learning Advantage
Published July 7, 2021
Home Visiting Program Linked to Less Child Abuse

View All News

Recent Publications


A Longitudinal Study of Adolescent-to-Young Adult Executive Function Development in Seven Countries.

Journal Article Developmental science · July 2025 Executive functioning (EF) is an important developing self-regulatory process that has implications for academic, social, and emotional outcomes. Most work in EF has focused on childhood, and less has examined the development of EF throughout adolescence a ... Full text Cite

Unique Profiles of Postpartum Family Needs and Evidence of Racial and Ethnic Disparities: Insights from Community Implementation of Family Connects.

Journal Article Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · June 2025 ObjectivesTo delineate specific family needs during the postpartum period using data from Family Connects (FC), a universal home-visiting initiative, and to scrutinize potential racial and ethnic disparities in these needs.MethodFC implem ... Full text Open Access Cite

Rumination Mediates the Relation of Hostile Attribution to Psychological Maladjustment Among Adolescents from Three Countries.

Journal Article Research on child and adolescent psychopathology · June 2025 Addressing global concerns about youth mental health requires understanding longitudinal pathways to psychological maladjustment among diverse youth. Hostile attribution bias (HAB) and hostile rumination (HR) are cognitive vulnerabilities associated with m ... Full text Cite
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Recent Grants


Intergenerational Persistence of Treatment Effects in Human Capital Interventions

ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2017 - 2029

Factors in Persistence Versus Fadeout of Early Childhood Intervention Impacts

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by University of California - Irvine · 2024 - 2029

Duke University Psychiatry Physician-Scientist Residency Training Program

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institute of Mental Health · 2024 - 2029

View All Grants

Education, Training & Certifications


Duke University · 1978 Ph.D.
Northwestern University · 1975 B.A.

External Links


CV Feb 2022