Catherine Ayoub

Harvard Medical Center

Biographical Abstracts

Catherine Ayoub is an associate professor at Harvard Medical School. Her research and practice interests fall into two areas: 1) developmental impact of childhood trauma across the lifespan, including implications for individuals and communities; 2) community implementation of preventive mental health, pediatric, early care, and child welfare initiatives that serve young children and their families. 

Dr. Ayoub co-directs the Research and Evaluation Unit at the Brazelton Touchpoints Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, which focuses on the impact of intervention implementations developed with and in communities.

Ayoub maintains a clinical forensic practice at the Law and Psychiatry Service at Massachusetts General Hospital where she provides assessment, consultation, and testimony to courts across the United States and in Latin America on issues of child maltreatment, victimization, conflicted divorce, parenting, and the impact of trauma across the lifespan. 

From 2010 to 2020 she was PI/Co-PI for the OHS/OCC National Center on Parent, Family, and Community Engagement. From 1990- 2007 she served as faculty at the Harvard Graduate School of Education where she co-founded/co-directed the Prevention Science Master’s Program, which focuses on applying research-based strategies in communities to foster positive development, resilience, and well-being in children and adolescents. 

Areas of Expertise

• Impact of trauma across the life span with a focus on early trauma
• Research and evaluation of services for young children and families in community
• Child/adolescent forensic psychology with a focus on child maltreatment
• Mental health consultation in early care and home visiting
• Family and community engagement in HS/EHS, early care and home visiting