News: 2026/02
Advisory Board Member Karen Pittman Awarded the NEA’s 2026 Outstanding Service to Public Education Award
February 24, 2026Advisory Board Member Karen Pittman has been awarded the National Education Association’s prestigious 2026 Outstanding Service to Public Education Award. Previous recipients include Kent McGuire, Linda Darling-Hammond, Sesame Street, Mister Rogers, and President Clinton. Frequently referred to as the godmother of positive youth development, Karen has spent her career bringing research on adolescent development into policy and practice to help leaders realize they can do more than help a few young people “beat the odds” — they can make systemic changes that actually “change the odds.”
Press Releases
February 25, 2025: Announcing the UCLA Center for the Developing Adolescent’s 2024 Annual Report
January 17, 2023: New Guides Help Organizations Build Effective Youth Engagement Programs
August 16, 2021: New Report Examines Intersection of Anti-Black Racism on Youth Development
November 30, 2020: Center for the Developing Adolescent Announces New Advisory Board Members
October 1, 2020: Center for the Developing Adolescent Announces New Leadership
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Founding Director Ron Dahl Receives the 2026 Huttenlocher Award
February 13, 2026Ron Dahl, founding director of the CDA, has received the 2026 Huttenlocher Award. The Huttenlocher Award reflects transformative contributions to the field of developmental cognitive neuroscience that inspire future generations of researchers through unique insights. As well as CDA’s founding director, Ron is a NSCA member, pediatrician, developmental scientist, and professor of Public Health at UC Berkeley. For more than 30 years, he has worked with interdisciplinary research teams to advance understanding of child and adolescent development, behavioral/emotional health in youth, adolescent brain development, and the clinical, public health, and policy implications of this research—work that has resulted in more than 300 publications.
The Science of Connection
February 12, 2026The UCLA Center for the Developing Adolescent was featured in a new UCLA Magazine article highlighting the different UCLA researchers and Centers studying human connection. “Adolescents seek out bonding with other people,” said Adriana Galvan, our co-executive director. “During this time, our brains are reshaping themselves in a way that facilitates bonding. We are better at reading facial expressions, identifying what someone is feeling, and taking someone else’s perspective.”