Photo of DuBois, David

David DuBois

Associate Dean for Research

Professor and Faculty Mentoring Coordinator

Office of the Dean

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Contact

Building & Room:

1181 SPHPI - Office Hours Fridays 1-2pm

Address:

1603 W. Taylor St.

Office Phone:

(312) 413-3564

Associate Director, Institute for Health Research and Policy

Building & Room:

554 WROB

Address:

1747 W. Roosevelt Rd.

Office Phone:

(312) 413-9806

About

Dr. DuBois received his doctorate in clinical-community psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His program of research examines the contribution of contextual and individual level protective factors -- particularly mentoring and self-esteem -- to resilience and holistic positive development among youth and on translating knowledge in these areas to the design of effective programs and policies. His numerous peer-reviewed publications on these topics include two ground-breaking meta-analyses of the effectiveness of youth mentoring programs. He is lead co-editor of the Handbook of Youth Mentoring (Sage Publications, now in its second edition) and is co-author of After-School Centers and Youth Development: Case Studies of Success and Failure (Cambridge University Press, 2012), each of which received national awards from the Society for Research on Adolescence. He has received funding for his research from diverse sources, including the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Departments of Education and Justice, and several private foundations. His current projects include a multi-site randomized controlled trial of the effectiveness of the Big Brothers Big Sisters community-based mentoring program, funded by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation. Dr. DuBois serves as Chair of the Research Board of the federally-funded National Mentoring Resource Center and of the Research Advisory Committee of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. He is a Fellow of both the American Psychological Association and the Society for Community Research and Action. He is also one of only two researchers recognized as “Legends of Mentoring” by Mentor: The National Mentoring Partnership. Dr. DuBois' teaching interests include theory and research methods for community health promotion, with a special emphasis on systematic literature reviews and meta-analysis.  He enjoys advising and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students as well as post-doctoral trainees and both learning from them and involving them in his program of research. He lives in Evanston with his wife, 3 daughters, and faithful dog Ella.

Selected Grants

Laura and John Arnold Foundation, Randomized Control Trial of the Effects of the Big Brothers Big Sisters Mentoring Program on Crime and Delinquency, Principal Investigator

National Heart, Lung, & Blood Institute (National Institutes of Health), An Interpersonal Relationships Intervention for Improving Cardiovascular Health in Youth, Co-Investigator

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (U.S. Department of Justice), Further Developing and Enhancing the National Mentoring Resource Center, Co-Principal Investigator

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (U.S. Department of Justice), Long-Term Follow-Up of Effects of the Big Brothers Big Sisters Community-Based Mentoring Program, Principal Investigator

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (U.S. Department of Justice), An Agency-Level Randomized Trial of the Effectiveness of Youth-Centered Match Support as a Delinquency Prevention Strategy in Community-Based Mentoring, Principal Investigator

Institute of Education Sciences (U.S. Department of Education), Development of an Intervention to Improve Academic Outcomes for Low-Income, Urban Youth through Instruction in Effective Coping Supported by Mentoring Relationships, Co-Investigator

Institute of Education Sciences (U.S. Department of Education), Extension of the Chicago Social and Character Development (SACD) Trial, Co-Principal Investigator

William T. Grant Foundation, Promoting Evidence-Based Decision-Making in Youth Mentoring Programs, Principal Investigator (Distinguished Fellows Program Grant)

National Institute for Mental Health (National Institutes of Health), Development and Evaluation of a Youth Mentoring Program, Principal Investigator

William T. Grant Foundation, An Intensive Study of Mentoring Relationships in Urban Boys and Girls Clubs, Co-Investigator

Selected Publications

DuBois, D. L., Herrera, C., & Higley, E. (2018). Investigation of the reach and effectiveness of a mentoring program for youth receiving outpatient mental health services. Children and Youth Services Review, 91, 85-93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.05.033

DuBois, D. L., & Keller, T. E. (2017). Investigation of the integration of supports for youth thriving into a community-based mentoring program. Child Development, 88, 1480-1491. doi:10.1111/cdev.12887

Silverthorn, N., DuBois, D. L., Lewis, K. M., Reed, A., Bavarian, N., Day, J., . . . Flay, B. R. (2017). Effects of a school-based social-emotional and character development program on self-esteem levels and processes: A cluster-randomized controlled trial. SAGE Open, 7(3), 1-12. doi:10.1177/2158244017713238

DuBois, D. L., Portillo, N., Rhodes, J. E., Silverthorn, N., & Valentine, J. C. (2011). How effective are mentoring programs for youth? A systematic assessment of the evidence. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 12, 57-91. doi:10.1177/1529100611414806

DuBois, D. L., & Silverthorn, N. (2005). Natural mentoring relationships and adolescent health: Evidence from a national study. American Journal of Public Health, 95, 518-524.

DuBois, D. L., Holloway, B. E., Valentine, J. C., & Cooper, H. (2002). Effectiveness of mentoring programs for youth: A meta-analytic review. American Journal of Community Psychology, 30, 157-197.

DuBois, D. L., & Karcher, M. J. (Eds.). (2014). Handbook of youth mentoring (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Hirsch, B. J., Deutsch, N. L., & DuBois, D. L. (2011). After-school centers and youth development: Case studies of success and failure. New York: Cambridge University Press.

DuBois, D. L. (2017). Prevention and promotion: Toward an improved framework for research and action. In M. A. Bond, C. B. Keys, & I. Serrano-Garcia (Eds.-in-Chief) and M. Shinn (Assoc. Ed.), Handbook of community psychology: Vol. 1. Theoretical foundations, core concepts, and emerging challenges (pp. 233-251). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Felner, J. K., & DuBois, D. L. (2017). Addressing the commercial sexual exploitation of children and youth: A systematic review of program and policy evaluations. Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, 10, 187-201. doi:10.1007/s40653-016-0103-2

Publication Aggregators

Service to Community

Recurring “Ask the Expert” Segment on KOMU-TV News
Volunteer Mentor, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Boone County
Program Committee, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago
Research and Evaluation Committee, Get in Chicago
Elements of Effective Practice Toolkit Advisory Council, MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership
State Mentoring Partnership Outcomes Task Force, MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership
Technical Research Advisory Group, Illinois Strategic Prevention Framework, State of Illinois Department of Human Services
National Advisory Board, Mentors Inc., Washington, DC
Research and Policy Council, MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership
Pro bono consultation, Perach Mentoring Program, Israel (pro bono)
Pro bono consultation, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
National Expert Member, National Program Committee for Friends of the Children
External Advisor, Illinois Mentoring Partnership Board of Directors
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America Task Force on Juvenile Justice Mentoring
Chair, Research Advisory Council of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
Working Group on Community Institutions, Saguaro Seminar, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
Founder (2006) and moderator, listserv on youth mentoring research and practice

Professional Leadership

Action Editor, Journal of Community Psychology

Notable Honors

2012, Social Policy Award for Best Multi-authored Volume, Society for Research on Adolescence

2006, Social Policy Award for Best Edited Book, Society for Research on Adolescence

2005, Fellow, Society for Research and Community Action

2007, Fellow, American Psychological Association

Education

Oberlin College B.S., High Honors 1984
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, M.A. Clinical-Community Psychology, 1987
The University of Chicago, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Pre-Doctoral Clinical Internship, 1991-92
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, PhD. Clinical-Community Psychology, 1992

Licensures and Certifications

Licensed Psychologist, State of Missouri, 1994-2002

Professional Memberships

Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health

American Pubic Health Association

Society for Research on Child and Adolescent Development

Society for Research on Adolescence

Society for Prevention Science