Bio:
Dr. Ashley Scudder is a research scientist at the Partnerships for Prevention Sciences Institute at Iowa State University. She is a licensed clinical child psychologist, a PCIT International-certified trainer, and currently serves on the PCIT International Task Force on Policy and Advocacy. Dr. Scudder’s clinical and research interests are focused on ways in which evidence-based practices (EBPs) are tailored or adapted to potentially improve their impact and reach, including 1) understanding the fit of EBPs in community-based service systems, 2) developing and testing implementation models, and 3) adapting and testing existing EBPs to novel populations or community settings (e.g., autism, schools, primary care, domestic violence shelters, corrections). She has been providing clinical consultation to community-based PCIT clinicians for the past 10 years and has now trained more than 400 behavioral health professionals across 11 states in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy as part of large-scale initiatives, including a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) study examining training models for EBP implementation. She was appointed a member of the Graduate faculty in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies in 2023 and serves as a graduate research supervisor, working closely with students from Iowa State and other universities with interest in early-childhood EBPs. Dr. Scudder feels strongly that children and families should be able to access EBPs in the communities in which they live. She has served as Principal Investigator/ Project Director on several research and implementation projects, including Fostering Resilient Rural Elementary Schools through an Evidence-Based Multi-component System Supporting Teachers and Students across the Risk Spectrum.