Toria Herd

I am a developmental psychologist by training working at the intersection of research and policy. During my graduate program--which focused on basic developmental science--I became increasingly interested in what happens to science post publication--the translation, communication, and application of science beyond academia. Even though I was striving for prevention and policy impact potential in my program of research, as I published, I wondered, “Who is reading this and what are they doing with it? How is this science being translated and to whom? Who is bridging gaps between science and policy—can I?” My desire to see existing research integrated for application in combination with my enjoyment of critical thinking and synthesizing research across disciplines pushed me towards science policy. In my current work I make developmental science, across a wide range of issue areas, available to and digestible for policymakers, thereby enabling them to make informed and impactful decisions to optimize outcomes for youth and their families.