How Research Supports Young People

Named in honor of research scientist Douglas B. Kirby, PhD, whose work made substantial contributions to adolescent sexual health, Healthy Teen Network presents the Douglas B. Kirby Researcher of the Year Award to a researcher who uses their studies to advance adolescent sexual and reproductive health, continuing to add to our ever-growing body of evidence and what we know works.

Earlier this month, at the Healthy Teen Network annual conference in San Diego, we presented the Douglas B. Kirby Researcher of the Year Award to Jennifer Manlove, PhD, Senior Research Scholar at Child Trends. In her remarks, Jen shared more about the inspiring work she has been part of:

Thanks so much! It’s lovely to receive this award from Healthy Teen Network, and at a favorite conference. I’m happy to think my work builds on the foundation that Doug Kirby created with his focus on improving adolescent sexual and reproductive health.

My work has been supported by so many researchers across my years working at Child Trends, and I want to thank our team and partners for being so supportive.

My work has been supported by so many researchers across my years working at Child Trends, and I want to thank our team and partners for being so supportive. I’m going to talk through a few slides describing our work in the Sexual and Reproductive Health program area at Child Trends.

Sexual and Reproductive Health Research

We incorporate multiple types of data collection and analysis to better understand teen and young adult outcomes. Our research supports access to evidence-based sex education and person-centered, inclusive care for adolescents and young adults. Our mixed-methods research includes conducting focus groups, interviews, and surveys with teens, young adults, providers, parents, and caring adults. We also conduct evaluations and syntheses of research.

Program Development & Innovation

We develop and test culturally responsive, youth-centered programs and resources. For example:

• Our Breakthrough Accelerator Innovation Hub helps teams test, refine, and scale up promising approaches to help young people.
• Also, Child Trends’ El Camino sex ed program was recently designated as evidence-based, which we’re excited about. This program was developed with and for Latino young people and focuses on goal setting, sexual and reproductive health, and healthy relationships. You can access the El Camino curriculum and training on Healthy Teen Network’s website.

Program Evaluation

We conduct rigorous evaluations, working with some amazing partners to test innovative programs. This includes working with program developers, implementers, facilitators, and young people. For example:

• We’re working with the Morehouse School of Medicine to evaluate a parent-teen communication program with families in communities in the rural South.
• Let’s Talk Birth Control is a clinic-based evaluation of a contraceptive decision aid and provider training developed by UCSF and Power to Decide.
• We’re conducting an after-school evaluation of the Many Ways of Being program in Washington, DC, partnering with Equimundo and Latin American Youth Center.
• We are partnering with MyHealthEd on a virtual evaluation of the SafeSpace app-based program that incorporates youth-generated stories.

Capacity Building & Technical Assistance

We provide training and technical assistance to a number of organizations, including:

• Providing training and technical assistance to Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention grantees.
• Providing local evaluation support to Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) grantees.
• Working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to promote STI prevention and treatment through the New Insights for Sexual Health (NISH) program.

Research Communications

Finally, we work with Child Trends’ communications team to disseminate our work. This includes creating websites, research briefs, toolkits, data points, and data visualizations tailored for diverse non-technical audiences. For this work, we prioritize research translation, using clear and accessible language and providing clear recommendations.

I hope you will go to our webpage for more information about the work we do to support adolescent and young adult sexual and reproductive health.

Thanks again for this award and the chance to speak about my research!