Researchers from the University of Nevada, Reno, School of Public Health and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Public Health teamed up to secure nearly $2.5 million dollars in funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The five-year grant will focus on preventing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and promoting positive childhood experiences (PCEs) in Nevada. According to the CDC, “preventing ACEs and promoting PCEs has the potential to reduce leading causes of death, mental health challenges, health risk behaviors such as substance use and verified reports of child abuse and neglect. Preventing ACEs and promoting PCEs also has the potential to increase productivity and educational attainment and save billions of dollars each year.” 

The University of Nevada, Reno Principal Investigator, Professor Kristen Clements-Nolle Ph.D., M.P., is a nationally recognized adolescent health researcher and has published extensively on the impact of ACE exposure on health outcomes across the lifespan. Grounded in positive youth development, she also investigates whether PCEs can buffer the impact of ACEs on behavioral health outcomes. The University of Nevada, Las Vegas Co-Principal Investigator, Amanda Haboush-Deloye, Ph.D., is the executive director of the Nevada Institute for Children’s Research and Policy (NICRP), home to Prevent Child Abuse Nevada. NICRP’s mission is to improve the lives of children through research, advocacy and other specialized services. The two investigators proposed a project that will build an innovative ACEs/PCEs surveillance system, implement and evaluate upstream prevention approaches and conduct data-to-action activities on an ongoing basis.

To support the grant, Clements-Nolle and Haboush-Deloye established a statewide multisector partnership with representatives from the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, urban and rural health departments, Nevada Department of Education, local school districts, Crisis Support Services of Nevada, Children’s Cabinet, Nevada Statewide Coalition Partnership, Nevada Parents Educating Parents, Nevada Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence, Larson Institute for Health Impact and Equity, Nevada Minority Health and Equity Coalition, Nevada Early Childhood Council, organizations serving sexual and gender minority youth and numerous community-based agencies in our urban, rural, frontier and tribal communities.

Dean Muge Akpinar-Elci of the School of Public Health shares her excitement for this collaborative opportunity, “It is imperative for the future of Nevadans that our State leaders and researchers pool their resources together to support the health and longevity of our communities. I very much look forward to seeing how this partnership will improve health outcomes for Nevada.”