Dana Birman, Ph.D.
I have three major programs of research: (a) Acculturation and adjustment of refugee and immigrant adolescents, adults, elderly, and families; (b) Mutual accommodation of newly arrived refugee students and schools, and the development of school-based interventions ; and (c) Refugee mental health services for diverse refugee children, adults, and families. Although much of my prior research has used quantitative measures, I am currently conducting a qualitative study, and am interested in ultimately combining quantitative and qualitative methodologies.
My approach to these varied research projects is routed in Community Psychology in several ways. First, I am interested in understanding the topics I study from an ecological perspective, studying not only individual and family level variables, but also how communities and institutions shape the lives of the people within them. Second, I believe that community research can be conducted in ways that empower and support communities and institutions through long-term collaborations with individuals and institutions we study. In this way research projects can not only contribute to general knowledge but also support and enhance the settings where data are collected. Third, mental health interventions can serve preventive functions that enhance general adaptation of immigrants and refugees as well as provide intensive treatment to those who need it. |
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