Marcus Institute Research Programs Relocate to Georgia State University

Two nationally recognized programs housed at the Marcus Institute are moving to the Georgia State University’s College of Health and Human Sciences Aug. 1. The move creates the new Center for Healthy Development, led by John Lutzker, former executive director of the Marcus Institute.

The two programs that make up the new center include the University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD), directed by Daniel Crimmins, and SafeCare, headed by director Daniel Whitaker.

The UCEDD is the one of 67 programs in the country funded by the Administration for Developmental Disabilities. The core functions of UCEDD are education, research, service and the dissemination of information related to children and adults with disabilities.

SafeCare, developed by Lutzker more than 20 years ago, is an evidence-based approach to the treatment and prevention of child abuse. It evolved into the National SafeCare Training and Research Center (NSTRC) in 2007, which was initially funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. SafeCare has been replicated at universities around the country.

A well-known researcher in the prevention of child maltreatment and developmental disabilities, Lutzker has received more than $16 million through his career to fund his research. He also sits on the editorial board of five professional journals of child development, behavioral sciences, and family violence. Lutzker has published more than 125 articles and chapters and has written five books. His most recent book, Preventing violence: Research and Evidence-Based Strategies, was co-authored with fellow visiting professor Daniel Whitaker.

Lutzker was previously a professor of pediatrics with Emory University School of Medicine and Chief of the Prevention, Development and Evaluation Branch of the Division of Violence Prevention with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He received his Ph.D. in developmental and child psychology from the University of Kansas.

Daniel Crimmins, director of the University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD), has published five books, primarily on development disabilities in school children and written eight book chapters and more than 22 journal articles including a number on the issues surrounding autism.

Daniel Whitaker, director of the National SafeCare Training and Research Center, is a behavioral scientist with a concentration in statistics and research design. Whitaker has written numerous articles and book chapters on family violence and child maltreatment and is the co-author of Preventing Partner Violence: Foundations, Interventions, and Issues and Preventing Intimate Partner Violence in Racial and Ethnic Minority Communities: CDC’s Demonstration Projects