The Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center (PRC) is pleased to announce that Damon Jones has been promoted to Research Professor of Health and Human Development effective July 1, 2024.

Jones has spent the past 15 years as a methodologist and program evaluator for the PRC, collaborating on work that aims to inform policy in the social and behavioral sciences. He is also an expert in economic evaluation of youth prevention programs, serving as the director of the Social Investment Optimizer within the Evidence-to Impact Collaborative (EIC). He also serves on the leadership team for Penn State’s Prevention and Methodology Training program, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Through his work, he is committed to improving the human condition by supporting and increasing the use of evidence-based programs and practices.

Dr. Jones is a spectacular researcher making sustained impact on the field of prevention science, particularly in the development and application of methods for economic evaluation.

PRC Director Max Crowley

Jones’ research has been published in roughly 80 peer-reviewed journals and chapters on topics including economic evaluation and prevention, health services research, the benefits of social and emotional learning (SEL), and more. He has co-authored two book chapters on the economic case for SEL, two reports on cost-benefit analyses of prevention in Pennsylvania, and an issue brief on the economic outcomes of SEL. He has also given more than 40 research presentations at professional meetings. Further, he has been interviewed by several national media outlets, including CNN, NPR, FOX, Forbes, and USA Today.

“Dr. Jones is a spectacular researcher making sustained impact on the field of prevention science, particularly in the development and application of methods for economic evaluation,” said Max Crowley, director of the PRC and EIC. “As director of the Social Investment Optimizer, he has pushed the envelope on methods for understanding how to optimize prevention and translate that work to a policy audience.”

In addition to working with PAMT Fellows to develop their research careers, Jones has taught graduate courses in statistics for multiple departments at Penn State over the past 20 years, helping to train the next generation of social policy and prevention scientists.