Overview
Dr. Puffer is a global mental health researcher and a licensed clinical psychologist. Her research focuses on developing and evaluating integrated community-based interventions to promote child mental health, improve family functioning, and prevent HIV risk behavior. Her work includes studies with families with young children through those with adolescents, as well as with couples. She has conducted much of this work in rural Kenya and is an investigator on multiple studies of child mental health, family well-being, and parenting interventions in Thailand, Ethiopia, Liberia, South Sudan, and Iraq.
Among Dr. Puffer's primary collaborators are the International Rescue Committee, a humanitarian organization, the Women's Institute for Secondary Education and Research in Kenya, and AMPATH, a consortium between North American medical schools and Moi University in Kenya.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Pamela and Jack Egan Associate Professor
·
2023 - Present
Psychology & Neuroscience,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience
·
2023 - Present
Psychology & Neuroscience,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Associate Research Professor of Global Health
·
2023 - Present
Duke Global Health Institute,
University Institutes and Centers
Affiliate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society
·
2014 - Present
Duke Science & Society,
University Initiatives & Academic Support Units
Recent Publications
Parenting on the border: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial of a trauma-informed, edutainment-enhanced intervention to improve parenting and mental health among migrant and displaced caregivers in Thailand
Journal Article Ssm Mental Health · December 1, 2025 There is currently a lack of evidence-based interventions with a dual focus on improving parenting and caregiver mental health in conflict and humanitarian settings. To address this gap, we co-designed a trauma-informed, edutainment-enhanced intervention t ... Full text CiteThe Intersection of Mental Health and Intimate Partner Violence Among Adolescents in Kenya: A Qualitative Study.
Journal Article Violence against women · June 2025 This study examines intersections between adolescent mental health and intimate partner violence (IPV) in rural southwestern Kenya through focus groups with adolescents (9-17) and caregivers of adolescents. Blended community participatory and thematic anal ... Full text CiteEffectiveness of a universal film intervention in reducing violence against children and increasing positive parenting among migrant and displaced caregivers from Myanmar: a community-based cluster randomised trial.
Journal Article The Lancet regional health. Southeast Asia · February 2025 BackgroundParenting interventions have been shown to reduce violence against children and promote positive parenting, but evidence on interventions to achieve population-level reach and impact is limited in low-resource settings. We assessed the i ... Full text CiteRecent Grants
Global Parenting Initiative
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Oxford University Clinical Research Unit · 2023 - 2025Adapting the ESTEEM intervention to improve mental health and PrEP engagement among gay and bisexual men in Guatemala
ResearchCo-Mentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2024Parents Make The Difference
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by International Rescue Committee · 2014 - 2018View All Grants
Education, Training & Certifications
University of South Carolina, Columbia ·
2008
Ph.D.
University of South Carolina, Columbia ·
2005
M.A.
Furman University ·
2002
B.S.