Director

Jack Shonkoff

Director, Connecting Science + Community

Jack P. Shonkoff, M.D. is the Julius B. Richmond FAMRI Professor of Child Health and Development at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Graduate School of Education; Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital; and Founding Director of the university-wide Center on the Developing Child at Harvard. He chairs the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, whose mission is to bring credible science to bear on public policy affecting young children, and the JPB Research Network on Toxic Stress, which is developing new measures of stress activation and resilience in young children.

Under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), Jack served as Founding Vice Chair (1993-97) and subsequently Chair (1997-2000) of the Board on Children, Youth, and Families and led a blue-ribbon committee that produced a landmark report in 2000 titled From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development. He also served as a member of the NAS Panel on Child Care Policy, the Committee on Assessment of Family Violence Interventions, and the Roundtable on Head Start Research. 

He has received multiple honors, including elected membership to the National Academy of Medicine, the C. Anderson Aldrich Award in Child Development from the American Academy of Pediatrics; the Award for Distinguished Contributions to Public Policy for Children from the Society for Research in Child Development; and The LEGO Prize. He has authored more than 180 publications and been a visiting professor or delivered named lectureships at more than 40 universities in the United States and around the world. 

Prior to joining the Harvard faculty, he was the Samuel F. and Rose B. Gingold Professor of Human Development and Social Policy and Dean of The Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University; and previously chaired the Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Selected Publications

Translating the Biology of Adversity and Resilience Into New Measures for Pediatric Practice

The authors of this special article in the June 2022 issue of Pediatrics explore how enhanced capacity to measure stress activation directly in young children could transform the role and scope of pediatric practice. They provide an overview of the potential benefits and risks of such expanded measurement capacity, as well as an introduction to candidate indicators that might be employed in an office setting.
 
Suggested citation: Shonkoff JP, Boyce WT, Bush NR, et al. Translating the Biology of Adversity and Resilience Into New Measures for Pediatric Practice. Pediatrics. 2022;149(6):e2021054493. doi:10.1542/peds.2021-054493

View this publication

Early Childhood Adversity, Toxic Stress, and the Impacts of Racism on the Foundations of Health

This article, published in the Annual Review of Public Health, presents a framework for addressing multiple dimensions of the public health challenge—including institutional/structural racism, cultural racism, and interpersonal discrimination—and concludes with the compelling need to protect the developing brain and other biological systems from the physiological disruptions of toxic stress that can undermine the building blocks of optimal health and development in the early childhood period.

Suggested citation: Shonkoff JP, Slopen N, Williams DR. Early Childhood Adversity, Toxic Stress, and the Impacts of Racism on the Foundations of Health. Annu Rev Public Health. 2021;42:115-134. doi:10.1146/annurev-publhealth-090419-101940

View this publication

Leveraging the Biology of Adversity and Resilience to Transform Pediatric Practice

In the January 2021 issue of Pediatrics, the authors present the latest thinking on the biology of adversity, and how pediatricians can help create resilience and improved outcomes for children facing it.

Suggested citation: Shonkoff, J.P., Boyce, W.T., Levitt, P., Martinez, F.D., and McEwen, B.S. (2021). Leveraging the Biology of Adversity and Resilience to Transform Pediatric Practice. Pediatrics, 147(1), e20193845.

View this publication

Genes, Environments, and Time: The Biology of Adversity and Resilience

In this article for Pediatrics, the authors present the neurobiology of the interaction between adverse childhood and other environmental stressors (like racism, community violence, and poverty) on the genes of children during critical periods of development.

Suggested citation: Boyce, T.W., Levitt, P., Martinez, F.D., McEwen, B.S., and Shonkoff, J.P. (2021). Genes, Environments, and Time: The Biology of Adversity and Resilience. Pediatrics, 147(1), e20201651.

View this publication

Rethinking the Definition of Evidence-Based Interventions to Promote Early Childhood Development

Half a century of research has shown that early childhood interventions can produce positive outcomes, but our understanding of what works best (and least) for whom remains minimal. In this Pediatrics commentary, the author discusses a recent review of pediatric interventions (Peacock-Chambers, et al.), and the need to leverage scientific knowledge, on-the-ground experience, and authentic parent engagement to improve the effectiveness of early childhood interventions.

Suggested Citation: Shonkoff, J.P. (2017). Rethinking the Definition of Evidence-Based Interventions to Promote Early Childhood Development. Pediatrics, 140(6), e20173136.

View this publication

Expanding the Evidence Base to Drive More Productive Early Childhood Investment

In a comment to The Lancet, the authors encourage the field to build on the explicit attention to the early years of life included in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. They note that “the time is ripe to take stock of how much has been accomplished in the past 10 years and identify priorities for accelerated progress in the decades to come.”

Suggested Citation: Shonkoff, J.P., Radner, J.M., Foote, N. (2016). Expanding the Evidence Base to Drive More Productive Early Childhood Investment. The Lancet, 389(10064), 14-16.

View this publication

Capitalizing on Advances in Science to Reduce the Health Consequences of Early Childhood Adversity

In this Special Communication to JAMA Pediatrics, the author emphasizes the need to develop practices and policies to address adverse childhood experiences from the prenatal period through the first 3 years of life to prevent and manage stress-related disorders.

Suggested Citation: Shonkoff, J.P. (2016). Capitalizing on Advances in Science to Reduce the Health Consequences of Early Childhood Adversity. JAMA Pediatrics, 170(10), 1003–1007.

View this publication

A Healthy Start Before and After Birth: Applying the Biology of Adversity to Build the Capabilities of Caregivers

This book chapter, which builds on knowledge about early brain development and its impact on lifelong learning, behavior, and health, calls for a fresh approach to two-generation strategies for improving child outcomes. The author says that interventions that improve adult caregivers’ executive functioning, mental health, and economic stability will help promote competence and build resilience in children.

Suggested Citation: Shonkoff, J.P. (2014). A Healthy Start Before and After Birth: Applying the Biology of Adversity to Build the Capabilities of Caregivers. In K. McCartney, H. Yoshikawa, & L.B. Forcier (Eds.), Improving the Odds for America’s Children (pp. 28-39).

View this publication

Changing the Narrative for Early Childhood Investment

In this editorial for JAMA Pediatrics, the author asserts that the science of early childhood development should drive new interventions and investments to reduce the biological embedding of early adversity. He contends: “The marching orders are clear—we must embrace a spirit of constructive dissatisfaction with best practices…and settle for nothing less than breakthrough impacts on important outcomes.”

Suggested Citation: Shonkoff, J.P. (2014). Changing the Narrative for Early Childhood Investment. JAMA Pediatrics, 168(2), 105–106.

View this publication

Mobilizing Science to Reduce Intergenerational Poverty

This essay describes a new approach to reducing intergenerational poverty by mobilizing science to stimulate community-driven innovation. The essay appears in the 2012 book, Investing in What Works for America’s Communities, a joint project of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and the Low Income Investment Fund.

Suggested citation: Radner, J.M. and Shonkoff, J.P. (2012). Mobilizing Science to Reduce Intergenerational Poverty.  Eds. N.O. Andrews and D.J. Erickson, Investing in What Works for America’s Communities (pp. 338-350). San Francisco: Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and Low Income Investment Fund.

View this publication

Leveraging the Biology of Adversity to Address the Roots of Disparities in Health and Development

Drawing on emerging science about how early adversity is “built into the body” and can impair learning, behavior, and health for a lifetime, this paper proposes an enhanced theory of change to promote better outcomes for vulnerable young children. The article was published in the Oct. 16, 2012, print supplement (Oct. 8 online ahead of print) in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

Suggested citation: Shonkoff, J.P. (2012). Leveraging the Biology of Adversity to Address the Roots of Disparities in Health and Development. PNAS, 109 (Suppl. 2), 17302-17307.

View this publication

An Integrated Scientific Framework for Child Survival and Early Childhood Development

New knowledge in the biological and social sciences offers a unifying framework that can inform innovative strategies to improve child survival and early development as well as adult outcomes in health, learning, and behavior, according to this article in the February 2012 issue of Pediatrics. The co-authors are Linda Richter of the Human Sciences Research Council and the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa; Jacques van der Gaag of the Center for Universal Education, Brookings Institution, and the Amsterdam Institute for International Development, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands; and Zulfiqar A. Bhutta of the Division of Women and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.

Suggested citation: Shonkoff, J.P., Richter, L., van der Gaag, J., and Bhutta, Z.A. (2012). An Integrated Scientific Framework for Child Survival and Early Childhood Development. Pediatrics, 129 (2), 460-472.

View this publication

Early Childhood Adversity, Toxic Stress, and the Role of the Pediatrician: Translating Developmental Science Into Lifelong Health

In the January 2012 issue of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) calls on “the entire pediatric community…to catalyze fundamental change in early childhood policy and services.” It urges a “greater focus on those interventions and community investments that reduce external threats to healthy brain growth.” This policy statement marks the first time that the AAP has highlighted toxic stress as a topic for urgent attention.

Suggested citation: Garner, A.S., Shonkoff, J.P., Siegel, B.S., Dobbins, M.I., Earls, M.F., McGuinn, L., … & Wood, D.L. (2012). Early Childhood Adversity, Toxic Stress, and the Role of the Pediatrician: Translating Developmental Science Into Lifelong Health. Pediatrics, 129 (1), 224-231.

View this publication

The Lifelong Effects of Early Childhood Adversity and Toxic Stress

Early adversity—physical or emotional abuse, chronic neglect, caregiver substance abuse or mental illness, exposure to violence, family economic hardship—is known to increase the risks of disease and life-threatening behaviors later in life. Now, scientific advances provide solid evidence of how this occurs and underscore an urgent need to enhance existing strategies for promoting health and preventing disease across the lifespan. This technical report appeared in the January 2012 issue of Pediatrics.

Suggested citation: Shonkoff, J.P., Garner, A.S., Siegel, B.S., Dobbins, M.I., Earls, M.F., McGuinn, L., … & Wood, D.L. (2012). The Lifelong Effects of Early Childhood Adversity and Toxic Stress. Pediatrics, 129 (1), 232-246.

View this publication

Protecting Brains, Not Simply Stimulating Minds

In an August 2011 commentary in Science, the author makes the case for scientists, practitioners, and policymakers to work together to design and test creative new interventions that mitigate the harmful effects of significant adversity in early childhood.

Suggested citation: Shonkoff, J.P. (2011). Protecting Brains, Not Simply Stimulating Minds. Science, 333(6045), 982-983.

View this publication

Science Does Not Speak for Itself: Translating Child Development Research for the Public and Its Policymakers

Science has an important role to play in advising policymakers on crafting effective responses to social problems that affect the development of children, according to this article that appears in the January/February 2011 issue of Child Development.

Suggested citation: Shonkoff, J.P. and Bales, S.N. (2011). Science Does Not Speak for Itself: Translating Child Development Research for the Public and Its Policymakers. Child Development, 82 (1), 17-32.

View this publication

Building a New Biodevelopmental Framework to Guide the Future of Early Childhood Policy

This commentary article offers an integrated, biodevelopmental framework for understanding the antecedents and causal pathways that lead to disparities in health, learning, and behavior. This knowledge can inform the development of enhanced theories of change to drive innovation in policies and programs. The article appears in Child Development (January/February 2010), the journal of the Society for Research in Child Development, as part of a special section, “The Effects of Early Experience on Development”.

Suggested citation: Shonkoff, J.P. (2010). Building a New Biodevelopmental Framework to Guide the Future of Early Childhood Policy. Child Development, 81 (1), 357-367.

View this publication

Neuroscience, Molecular Biology, and the Childhood Roots of Health Disparities: Building a New Framework for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

The origins of many adult diseases can be traced to negative experiences early in life, so confronting the causes of adversity before and shortly after birth may be a promising way to improve adult health and reduce premature deaths, according to this article published in the June 3, 2009 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

Suggested citation: Shonkoff, J.P., Boyce, W.T., McEwen, B.S. (2009). Neuroscience, Molecular Biology, and the Childhood Roots of Health Disparities: Building a New Framework for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. JAMA, 301 (21), 2252-2259.

View this publication

From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development

This landmark report addresses the convergence of existing research on child development with changes in the socioeconomic circumstances under which families with young children were living in the U.S. 25 years ago. This 500-page volume presented four themes that still resonate today: (1) all children are born wired for feelings and ready to learn; (2) early environments matter and nurturing relationships are essential; (3) society is changing and the needs of young children are not being addressed; and (4) interactions among early childhood science, policy, and practice are problematic and demand dramatic rethinking. 

Suggested citation: National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. (2000). From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development. Committee on Integrating the Science of Early Childhood Development. Eds. J.P. Shonkoff and D.A. Phillips. Board on Children, Youth, and Families, Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.

View this publication