Research In Action

Moderator’s Note: To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Center for Violence Prevention (CVP) at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), we will be highlighting CVP’s pillars and programs (including the people leading these programs) that help to reduce exposure to and impact of violence among youth and their families. First up, we take a look at the Aggression and Bullying Prevention Pillar. 

For more than 20 years, bullying prevention experts at CVP have partnered with the School District of Philadelphia to improve classroom climate by designing, implementing and evaluating programs that decrease aggression and promote social-emotional skills and healthy student-teacher relationships. The Aggression and Bullying Prevention Pillar features the following programs: 

• Preventing Aggression in Schools Everyday (PRAISE) teaches third through fifth grade students problem-solving, empathy, perspective-taking and how to be a positive bystander. 
• Friend to Friend (F2F) teaches problem-solving and anger management skills to third through fifth grade girls with accompanying lessons for their classmates. 
• Bullying Classroom Check-Up (BCCU) coaches third to fifth grade teachers to leverage classroom management strategies and trauma-informed instructional approaches to detect, prevent and respond to bullying and aggression. The program also helps students develop social-emotional skills. 

Meet the Aggression and Bullying Prevention Pillar Leaders 

Brooke Paskewich, PsyD and Tracy E. Waasdorp, PhD, MEd lead this work to decrease aggression and promote social-emotional skills. We recently caught up with them to learn about their career in violence prevention research. 

What is your title? 

Dr. Paskewich: Co-Director of School-Based Bullying Prevention and Social-Emotional Learning Research at CHOP’s Center for Violence Prevention; Research Faculty, PolicyLab at CHOP; Assistant Research Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania 

Dr. Waasdorp: Co-Director of School-Based Bullying Prevention and Social-Emotional Learning Research at CHOP’s Center for Violence Prevention; Research Faculty, PolicyLab at CHOP; Assistant Research Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania 

How long have you worked at CHOP? 

Dr. Paskewich: I will be celebrating my 20-year anniversary in March 2024! 

Dr. Waasdorp: 13 years 

What is your favorite project that you have worked on and why? 

Dr. Paskewich: Aggression and bullying are, unfortunately, common experiences for children in elementary school, but there’s often a gap between researching evidenced-based prevention and intervention strategies and putting them into practice in real world settings. What I love about my research is developing programs based on feedback from our school partners and studying factors associated with program uptake and sustainability in schools. This helps ensure our programs meaningfully reach and impact as many students as possible. 

Dr. Waasdorp: I truthfully enjoy all the projects I work on. My passion is fueled by the knowledge that our programs foster positive relationships between children and their peers, as well as with their teachers and counselors. This empowers me to continuously seek new projects to enhance their developmental trajectories. 

What values drive your work?

Dr. Paskewich: Respect and compassion work hand in hand in my work. I respect the voices and experiences of those we are trying to impact with our aggression and bullying prevention programming. I also respect my wonderful team of intervention coaches and research staff and the school counselors and teachers who compassionately work to bring the programs to life and positively impact children’s social-emotional development. 

Dr. Waasdorp: Compassion is important to me. Specifically, I strive to be mindful of others’ needs around me. This is integrated into every aspect of my role, from working with my colleagues and mentees, to people in the schools and children with which we partner. 

What do you like to do outside of work? 

Dr. Paskewich: Relax with a book or reality TV or go to the beach! But on the daily, my husband and I are proud parents of three wonderful kids who keep us busy with their academic, sports and theater/music activities. I also spend a lot of time hanging out with our extended family and friends. 

Dr. Waasdorp: I like spending time with my family. I have two sons, my husband and a mini goldendoodle. I also have four siblings and my mother, whom I spend a lot of time with, too! 

What is your “must-visit” spot in Philadelphia? 

Dr. Paskewich: I’m a big fan of the theater scene in Philly and going to shows with my mom and oldest son—who aspires to be on the big stage—are some of my favorite memories. 

Dr. Waasdorp: My family and I love the museums and the zoo. I remember going to these as a child, and I love watching my children enjoy the same places.