- Director, PRC Program for Translational Research on Adversity and Neurodevelopment (P-TRAN)
- President, National Prevention Science Coalition to Improve Lives
Diana H. Fishbein is passionate about the potential for evidence-based practices and policies to improve neurodevelopment and, in turn, overall outcomes for children and youth who are impoverished and/or have experienced adversity and trauma.
Diana’s studies utilize transdisciplinary methods and a developmental approach to understand interactions between neurobiological processes and environmental factors. The ultimate goal is to translate scientific findings to practice and policies designed to prevent mental health, emotional and behavioral problems. Her research supports the premise that underlying neurobiological mechanisms interact with the quality of our psychosocial experiences and environmental contexts to alter trajectories either toward or away from risk behaviors.
Given the inherent translational nature of this research, she co-founded the National Prevention Science Coalition to Improve Lives, a national organization dedicated to the transfer of knowledge from the basic to the applied sciences as well as practical settings and public health policies. She has received three awards from the Society of Prevention Research (SPR), the Presidential Award, as well as one for Public Service and one for Translational Prevention Science. Diana has published about 100 papers and several books.
Diana also directs the Center’s Program for Translational Research on Adversity and Neurodevelopment (P-TRAN). Her adjunct professor positions include at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and she is a faculty subcontractor at Georgetown University, and a guest researcher at the National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program.
In the future, she plans to work on solutions to economic and social inequalities, as well as to continue to establish mechanisms of behavioral change in response to intervention, two fields that are currently underdeveloped. Her utmost goal is to bring life to prevention science and make a greater impact on individuals, families and communities that will ultimately improve lives.
Diana says the best thing about working at the Center is the supportive and nurturing environment that scaffolds it and the truly caring and passionate individuals that collaborate to help others less fortunate.
A huge baseball and football fan, Diana loves being outdoors enjoying nature’s beauty. When she eventually retires, she wants to devote her time to rescuing mistreated animals and finding them loving, caring homes.
Contact Information
218 HHD Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-865-7377
dvf5211@psu.edu
- Director, PRC Program for Translational Research on Adversity and Neurodevelopment (P-TRAN)
- President, National Prevention Science Coalition to Improve Lives
Diana H. Fishbein is passionate about the potential for evidence-based practices and policies to improve neurodevelopment and, in turn, overall outcomes for children and youth who are impoverished and/or have experienced adversity and trauma.
Diana’s studies utilize transdisciplinary methods and a developmental approach to understand interactions between neurobiological processes and environmental factors. The ultimate goal is to translate scientific findings to practice and policies designed to prevent mental health, emotional and behavioral problems. Her research supports the premise that underlying neurobiological mechanisms interact with the quality of our psychosocial experiences and environmental contexts to alter trajectories either toward or away from risk behaviors.
Given the inherent translational nature of this research, she co-founded the National Prevention Science Coalition to Improve Lives, a national organization dedicated to the transfer of knowledge from the basic to the applied sciences as well as practical settings and public health policies. She has received three awards from the Society of Prevention Research (SPR), the Presidential Award, as well as one for Public Service and one for Translational Prevention Science. Diana has published about 100 papers and several books.
Diana also directs the Center’s Program for Translational Research on Adversity and Neurodevelopment (P-TRAN). Her adjunct professor positions include at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and she is a faculty subcontractor at Georgetown University, and a guest researcher at the National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program.
In the future, she plans to work on solutions to economic and social inequalities, as well as to continue to establish mechanisms of behavioral change in response to intervention, two fields that are currently underdeveloped. Her utmost goal is to bring life to prevention science and make a greater impact on individuals, families and communities that will ultimately improve lives.
Diana says the best thing about working at the Center is the supportive and nurturing environment that scaffolds it and the truly caring and passionate individuals that collaborate to help others less fortunate.
A huge baseball and football fan, Diana loves being outdoors enjoying nature’s beauty. When she eventually retires, she wants to devote her time to rescuing mistreated animals and finding them loving, caring homes.
Contact Information
218 HHD Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-865-7377
dvf5211@psu.edu
PRC to have strong presence at SPR Annual Meeting, May 30-June 2 
The media and the myth of the unharmed child 
Prevention is our best - and most underrated - weapon against opioids 
New study: Can mindful yoga reduce opioid dependence? 
The real dangers of equating opioid dependence with addiction 
Penn State-led national coalition bringing prevention science to life
- The mediating role of self-regulation on the link between child maltreatment and later substance use among Latinx youth
Cooper, D. K., Felt, J. M., Riobueno-Naylor, A., Lai, B. S., Bámaca, M. Y., Fishbein, D. (2023). Child Abuse & Neglect, 140.
- Science for policy to protect children in cyberspace
Gilad, M., Fishbein. D. H., Nave, G., & Packin, N. G. (2023). Science, 379(6639).
- Commentary: Improving the effectiveness and utility of the Helping to End Addiction Long‑Term (HEAL) prevention cooperative: A full translational framework
Andersen, S. L., & Fishbein, D. H. (2022). Prevention Science. Advance online publication.
- A national strategy for preventing substance and opioid use disorders through evidence‑based prevention programming that fosters healthy outcomes in our youth
Fishbein, D. H., & Sloboda, Z. (2022). Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review. Advance online publication.
- Differences in late adolescent psychopathology among youth with histories of co-occurring abuse and neglect experiences
Villodas, M.T., Morelli, N.M., Hong, K., Duong, J., Evans, M.C., Elson, D., Rose, E., Picci, G., & Fishbein. D. (2021). Child Abuse & Neglect, 120.
- Capitalizing on neuroplasticity across development to redirect pathways from juvenile justice involvement
Chaplo, S., Fishbein, D. (2021). Capitalizing on neuroplasticity across development to redirect pathways from juvenile justice involvement. In S. L. Andersen (Ed.). Sensitive periods of brain development and preventive interventions (pp. 235-254). Springer.
- Latent class analysis of individual‑level characteristics predictive of intervention outcomes in urban male adolescents
Fishbein, D.H. and Williams, J. (2021). Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology 49, 1139-1149.
- The pivotal role of prevention science in this syndemic
Fishbein, D. (2020). Prevention Science. Advance online publication.
- The moderating role of socioeconomic status on level of responsibility, executive functioning, and cortical thinning during adolescence
Picci, G., Rose, E.J., VanMeter, J., & Fishbein, D.H. (2021). Developmental Psychobiology, 63(2), 291-304.
- Associations between child maltreatment, harsh parenting, and sleep with adolescent mental health
Calhoun, B. H., Ridenour, T. A., & Fishbein, D. H. (2019). Journal of Child and Family Studies, 28, 116-130.
- The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's opportunity to pursue a new strategy for behavioral health
Counts, N. Z., Hawkins, J. D., & Fishbein, D. H. (2019). American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 56(2), 315-317.
- Dietary long-chain omega-3 fatty acids are related to impulse control and anterior cingulate function in adolescents
Darcey, V. L., McQuaid, G. A., Fishbein, D. H., & Van Meter, J. W. (2019). Frontiers in Neuroscience, 12, 1-11.
- Translating prevention research for evidence-based policymaking: Results from the Research-to-Policy Collaboration pilot
Crowley, D. M., Scott, T., & Fishbein, D. (2017). Prevention Science, 19(2), 260-270. PMCID: PMC5803346
- Special issue of Translational Behavioral Medicine
Fishbein, D. (Ed.) (2016). 6(1).
- Short-term intervention effects of the PATHS curriculum in young low-income children: Capitalizing on plasticity
Fishbein, D., Domitrovich, C. E., Williams, J., Gitukui, S., Guthrie, C., Shapiro, D., & Greenberg, M. T. (2016). The Journal of Primary Prevention, 37(6), 493-511. doi: 0278095X
- Neurodevelopmental precursors and consequences of substance use during adolescence: Promises and pitfalls of longitudinal neuroimaging strategies
Fishbein, D., Rose, E., Darcey, V. L., Belcher, A. M., & VanMeter, J. W. (2016). Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 10, 116.
- Neurocognitive characteristics of early marijuana use initiation in adolescents: A signature mapping analysis
Fishbein, D., Novak, S. P., Ridenour, T. A., Thornburg, V., Hammond, J. C., & Brown, J. (2016). Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 77(3), 431-440. doi: 19371888
- The full translational spectrum of prevention science
Fishbein, D. (2016). The full translational spectrum of prevention science. Translational Behavioral Medicine, 6(1), 14. doi: 18696716
- The full translational spectrum of prevention science: Facilitating the transfer of knowledge to practices and policies that prevent behavioral health problems
Fishbein, D., Ridenour, T. A., Stahl, M., & Sussman, S. (2016). Translational Behavioral Medicine, 6(1), 516. doi 18696716
- Improvements in well-being and vagal tone following a yogic breathing-based life skills workshop in young adults: Two open-trial pilot studies
Goldstein, M. R., Lewis, G. F., Newman, R., Brown, J., Bobashev, G., Kilpatrick, L., Sepp E. M., Fishbein, D., & Meleth, S. (2016). International Journal of Yoga, 9(1), 20-26.
- Translating research into prevention of high-risk behaviors in the presence of complex systems: Definitions and systems frameworks
Hassmiller Lich, K., Frerichs, L., Fishbein, D., Bobashev, G., & Pentz, M. (2016). Translational Behavioral Medicine, 6(1), 17-31.
- Parameters of preventing substance misuse in adolescence
Sussman, S., Liao, Y., Tsai, J., & Fishbein, D. (2016). In M. R. Korin (Ed.), Health promotion for children and adolescents. New York, NY: Springer.
