Elizabeth Knight, MSW

Research Scientist

UNC Injury Prevention Research Center

G3 BUILDING PREVENTION SYSTEMS: A PROMISING ALTERNATIVE TO “PROGRAMMING” OUR WAY TO PREVENTION

Elizabeth Knight is a Research Scientist at the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center.  After an earlier career as a mental health counselor serving at risk and maltreated children and their families in New York City, she came to NC to direct the Community Residential Care Therapeutic Homes Program for Orange-Person-Chatham Community Mental Health Center in Chapel Hill.  Knight came to the University in 1991 to coordinate the federally funded LONGSCAN project.  LONGSCAN is a congressionally mandated, 20-year longitudinal study of the antecedents and impacts of maltreatment involving over 1,300 children in five states.  After serving 6 years as the national coordinator, Knight advanced to become one of the Co-investigators for this study.  She currently directs the measurement development committee and oversees the protection of human subjects aspects of the project.  A major focus of her work in the last decade has focused on measurement development and issues relating to asking children for self report of maltreatment in a research context. She has published articles on the ethics of research on child abuse.  While continuing major involvement with LONGSCAN, she has been active on workgroups and committees for Prevent Child Abuse- North Carolina and the NC Institute of Medicine Task Force on Child Abuse Prevention.  Knight holds a BA from Denison University and an MSW degree from New York University.