JAMES GARBARINO, Ph.D.
Spring 2001

Dr. James Garbarino is Co-Director of the Family Life Development Center and Elizabeth Lee Vincent Professor of Human Development at Cornell University. Prior to his current position, he served as President of the Erikson Institute for Advanced Study in Child Development (1985-1994). He earned his B.A. from St. Lawrence University in 1968, and his Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from Cornell University in 1973. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association. Dr. Garbarino has served as consultant or advisor to a wide range of organizations, including the National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse, the National Institute for Mental Health, the American Medical Association, the National Black Child Development Institute, the National Science Foundation, the National Resource Center for Children in Poverty, Childwatch International Research Network , the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect, and the FBI. In 1991 he undertook missions for UNICEF to assess the impact of the Gulf War upon children in Kuwait and Iraq, and has served as a consultant for programs serving Bosnian and Croatian children.

Books he has authored or edited include: Lost Boys: Why Our Sons Turn Violent and How We Can Save Them (1999); Raising Children in a Socially Toxic Environment (1995); Let's Talk About Living in a World with Violence (1993); Children in Danger: Coping With The Consequences of Community Violence (1992); Towards A Sustainable Society: An Economic, Social, and Environmental Agenda for our Children's Future (1992); Children and Families in the Social Environment, Second edition (1992); Saving Children: A Guide to Injury Prevention (1991); What Children Can Tell Us (1989); No Place To Be A Child: Growing Up In A War Zone (1991); Special Children/Special Risks: The Maltreatment of Children with Disabilities (1987); The Psychologically Battered Child (1986); Troubled Youth, Troubled Families (1986); Adolescent Development: An Ecological Perspective (1985); Social Support Networks (1983); Successful Schools and Competent Students (1981); Understanding Abusive Families (1980; Second Edition, 1997); and Protecting Children From Abuse and Neglect (1980).

Dr. Garbarino serves as a consultant to television, magazine, and newspaper reports on children and families, and in 1981, he received the Silver Award at the International Film and Television Festival of New York for co-authoring "Don't Get Stuck There: A Film on Adolescent Abuse." In 1985, he collaborated with John Merrow to produce "Assault on the Psyche," a videotaped program dealing with psychological abuse. He also serves as a scientific expert witness in criminal and civil cases involving issues of violence and children.

The National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect honored Dr. Garbarino in 1985 with its first C. Henry Kempe Award, in recognition of his efforts on behalf of abused and neglected children. In 1975, Dr. Garbarino was named a Spencer Fellow by the National Academy of Education and, in 1981, named a National Fellow by the Kellogg Foundation. In 1979, and again in 1981, he received the Mitchell Prize from the Woodlands Conference on Sustainable Societies. In 1987, he was elected President of the American Psychological Association's Division on Child, Youth and Family Services, In 1988, he received the American Humane Association's Vincent De Francis Award for nationally significant contributions to child protection. In 1989, he received the American Psychological Association's Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Public Service, and in 1992, the Society for Psychological Study of Social Issues prize for research on child abuse. In 1993, he received the Brandt F. Steele Award from the Kempe National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, and in 1994 the American Psychological Association's Division on Child, Youth and Family Services' Nicholas Hobbs Award. Also in 1994, he received the Dale Richmond Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Behavioral and Developmental Pediatrics. In 1995, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by St. Lawrence University. In 1999, he received the Humanitarian Award from the University of Missouri's International Center for Psychosocial Trauma, and in 2000 the President's Celebrating Success Award from the National Association of School Psychologists.