Kate Guastaferro
Kate Guastaferro
Assistant Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Co-Director of the Center for the Advancement and Dissemination of Intervention Optimization
Director of the Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) Program
-
Professional overview
-
Kate Guastaferro, PhD is an intervention scientist by training, her work is devoted to the development, optimization, implementation and evaluation of effective, efficient, affordable and scalable interventions with high public health impact. She is an expert in the multiphase optimization (MOST) strategy and her expertise is in parent-focused, multicomponent behavioral interventions to prevent child maltreatment. Dr. Guastaferro co-led a statewide trial focused on the coordinated implementation of three evidence-base child sexual abuse prevention programs; included in this trial was the parent-focused child sexual abuse program that she developed, piloted and evaluated. Her current work is focused on the integration of intervention optimization into the prevention of child maltreatment.
Prior to joining NYU, Dr. Guastaferro was an assistant research professor in human development and family studies at the Pennsylvania State University, and an affiliate of its Prevention Research Center and Child Maltreatment Solutions Network. In 2020, she was awarded the Victoria S. Levin Award for Early Career Success in Young Children’s Mental Health Research from the Society for Research in Child Development. She has been published in Child Maltreatment, Translational Behavioral Medicine, and the American Journal of Public Health.
Dr. Guastaferro received her PhD and MPH from Georgia State University’s School of Public Health, and her BA in anthropology from Boston University. She also completed a year of postdoctoral training at the Pennsylvania State University.
-
Education
-
Postdoctoral Fellow, Prevention and Methodology Training Program (T32 DA017629), The Pennsylvania State UniversityPhD Public Health, Georgia State UniversityMPH Health Promotion, Georgia State UniversityBA Anthropology, Boston University
-
Honors and awards
-
Victoria S. Levin Award, Society for Research on Child Development (2020)NIH Loan Repayment Program Award: Toward the Optimization of Behavioral Interventions to Prevent Child Maltreatment (201820192020)Public Health Achievement Award, Georgia State University (2016)Scarlet Key Honor Society, Boston University (2008)
-
Publications
Publications
Validating the Hurricane Related Traumatic Experiences Measures: Understanding disaster exposure among children.
AbstractLai, B. S., La Greca, A. M., Cooper, D., Guastaferro, K., Hoskova, B., & Kelley, M. L. (n.d.).Publication year
2020Abstract~Virtual delivery of a school-based child sexual abuse prevention program: A pilot study
AbstractGuastaferro, K., Holloway, J. L., Trudeau, J., Lipson, L. B., Sunshine, S., Noll, J. G., & Pulido, M. L. (n.d.).Publication year
2022Journal title
Journal of Child Sexual AbuseVolume
31Issue
5Page(s)
577-592AbstractUniversal child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention is a public health priority. The prevailing prevention strategy is school-based CSA prevention programming. School closures during the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for flexible modes of delivery, including virtual programs. This pilot examined the virtual delivery of an evidence-based, school-based CSA prevention program, Safe Touches, designed to teach CSA-related knowledge and concepts. Using mixed methods, the pilot sought to determine the feasibility of the virtually delivered CSA prevention program. One school district that had previously received Safe Touches in-person participated. A total of 176 second grade students participated in the virtual workshop. Post-workshop survey responses from virtual (N = 37) and in-person workshops (N = 60) were compared descriptively. Mean item scores and response patterns from students who received the virtual workshop were nominally comparable to the student scores from the in-person workshop. Following the virtual workshop, one teacher notified the research team of a disclosure of CSA. Qualitative input from the facilitator and school staff was positive, indicating high student engagement. Results suggest the viability and feasibility of virtual school-based CSA preventive programs. Investment in virtual modes of delivery would ensure all students have access to CSA prevention programming in the future.We're lucky for Temple Grandin's brain
AbstractLutzker, J. R., & Guastaferro, K. (n.d.).Publication year
2014Journal title
PsycCritiquesVolume
59Issue
16Page(s)
6Abstract~What is MOST and what does it offer to advance our understanding of techniques and mechanisms that mitigate against stigma?
AbstractGuastaferro, K. (n.d.).Publication year
2023Abstract~When home is not safe: Media coverage and issue salience of child maltreatment during the COVID-19 pandemic
AbstractMadden, S., Guastaferro, K., Skurka, C., & Myrick, J. G. (n.d.).Publication year
2021Journal title
Howard Journal of CommunicationsVolume
32Issue
5Page(s)
474-492AbstractWhile staying at home is crucial for controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, there is concern that such public health measures may increase the risk for child maltreatment (CM). Using a qualitative content analysis of news coverage and a quantitative survey (N = 250) of media consumers, this study explored the framing of CM as an issue during COVID-19, as well as audience recall and perceived efficacy to prevent maltreatment. Findings from the content analysis indicate that domestic violence and CM are frequently discussed together, and that less frequent interaction with mandatory reporters during the pandemic was often cited as a problem. Survey results suggest that social media and public service announcements are more important compared to news media for increasing audience perceptions of salience and efficacy around CM during a pandemic. Implications for studying media coverage of intertwined public health issues, like a pandemic and CM, are discussed.“Public relations isn’t all rainbows and butterflies”: Student experiences in developing a child sexual abuse prevention campaign
AbstractMadden, S., & Guastaferro, K. (n.d.).Publication year
2024Journal title
Journal of Public Relations EducationAbstract~