skip to content
Visit Visit Steps for Youth

The Center’s Year in Review, 2019

December 4, 2019
Image for 2019


It’s been a busy year at the Center for the Developing Adolescent! Some of our highlights from 2019 include:

  • February: Dr. Ron Dahl participated in the filming of Dr. Monique Morris’s documentary, Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools
  • April: Hired our new Executive Director, Deb Levine, to work closely with Center scientists to grow and scale the vision of the Center
  • June: Co-sponsored a think tank with the Center for Research in Child Development and the John Templeton Foundation at the Center for Scholars and Storytellers
  • July: Showcased a new logo and brand for the Center; Launched our monthly newsletter and blog
  • August: Collaborated with NASEM, Frameworks, and the FAST collaborative on the launch of the new report, The Promise of Adolescence: Realizing Opportunity for All Youth
  • September: Launched our new website at developingadolescent.org
  • October: Co-hosted a briefing with the FAST collaborative and Senator Kamala Harris’s office on The Promise of Adolescence
  • October: Our Founding Director, Dr. Ron Dahl, presented at the FAST Health Briefing in Los Angeles on What is adolescent developmental science and how can it help change systems/policies?
  • October: Co-sponsored Alliance for Girls’ annual summit, A Movement for Equity, with Kaiser Permanente, the Akonadi Foundation, and Charles Schwab
  • November: Doubled the size of our staff
  • December: Secured new funding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation

This is only the beginning for the Center.

In 2020, we’ll be convening the first meeting of the National Scientific Council on Adolescence. We’ll also be working to engage youth more deeply in our work, devising new impact measures for programs based on developmental science of adolescence, and expanding our efforts to increase equity in adolescent health, well-being, and education. And we’ll be premiering our new podcast: Adaptivity, The Science of Adolescence.

We’re grateful to all of you working to promote positive trajectories for young people.

We wish you all a wonderful holiday season, and a great start to your new year.

Sincerely,

The Center for the Developing Adolescent

Related News

Image for 2025 Adolescent Brain Development Boot Camp students examine sheep brains during a presentation

Exploring the Remarkable Adolescent Brain as an Adolescent

August 27, 2025

During the 2025 Summer Research Boot Camp, high school students from around the state came together for two weeks to learn about the developing adolescent brain. This blog post was written by some of the students and explains what they learned about brain and social development, and how it will inform their perspectives moving forward.

Image for Teen contributing by making food for herself and her family

How the Science of Contribution Can Inform Community Programs

August 5, 2025

During adolescence, the ages of 10 to 25, immense physical and cognitive growth expands our ability to understand, support, and care for those around us. These years are a critical time in development when young people build the skills necessary to give back to their communities, and when brain and social development increase our capacity to contribute. Opportunities to contribute, to reflect on the meaning of our contributions, and to have our contributions recognized are all important for the future health and well-being of young people.

back to top