Texas Christian University

The Institute of Behavioral Research (IBR) at Texas Christian University (TCU) partners with the Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) for JJ-TRIALS. The IBR is a national research center for evaluating and improving treatment strategies that target reductions in drug abuse, related mental health and social problems, as well as other significant public health risks—especially HIV/AIDS and other infections among at-risk populations. TJJD is a unified state juvenile justice agency that works in partnership with local county governments, the courts, and communities to provide a full continuum of effective supports and services for juveniles from initial contact through termination of supervision. Dr. Danica Knight serves as PI.  Her research efforts focus on client and systems change processes, including the effectiveness of interventions for promoting treatment readiness and organizational factors that promote or impede best practices. Dr. Patrick Flynn (Co-I) serves as the IBR Director and is an experienced health behavior scientist who has conducted numerous studies, including randomized trials of behavioral interventions involving HIV+ and at-risk populations. Dr. Kevin Knight (Co-I) has a long track record of research on chronic health conditions, including HIV/AIDS, and currently serves as the TCU research center PI for studies focused on testing implementation strategies to improve offender access to care in the community. Dr. Jenny Becan serves as Project Director and Scientist for both JJ-TRIALS and a NIDA-funded effectiveness study to test motivational enhancement tools among substance using adolescents and uptake of these practices in diverse juvenile settings. TJJD Co-Investigators include Mike Griffiths who serves as TJJD Executive Director and Nancy Arrigona who serves as TJJD Director of Research.