ACE Studies: The Next 30 Years

Dr. Mercie Josina DiGangi is a Regional Chair at Kaiser Permanente Southern California and a dedicated pediatrician committed to advancing high-quality, inclusive care for children and families. A Southern California native, she was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, with formative life experiences that also include time spent living in Mozambique and Italy.

Inspired by her father, a longtime Kaiser Permanente pediatrician, Dr. DiGangi developed a passion for medicine at an early age and has considered pediatric care her calling since childhood. She began her medical career with a year of surgical training before ultimately pursuing pediatrics, where she could build lasting relationships with patients and families.

In her clinical practice, Dr. DiGangi provides comprehensive pediatric care for patients from birth through young adulthood. She emphasizes preventive medicine—encouraging healthy nutrition, physical activity, and adequate sleep—while also ensuring that children receive timely, evidence-based treatment when illness occurs. She remains deeply committed to staying at the forefront of pediatric advancements through ongoing education and professional development, with a strong focus on immunizations and other preventive measures that promote lifelong health.

Dr. DiGangi is known for fostering a welcoming, inclusive environment for families of all backgrounds, ensuring that every patient feels seen, supported, and cared for. Her approach blends clinical excellence with compassion, reflecting her belief that effective pediatric care extends beyond treatment to encompass the overall well-being of children and their families.

Outside of her professional work, Dr. DiGangi is a devoted wife and mother. She and her husband, a former U.S. Marine, are raising two sons and are active foster parents in Los Angeles County. Family life is central to her, and she enjoys cooking healthy meals, spending time outdoors, attending sporting events, and cheering on the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Dr. Diana (“Denni”) Fishbein is a senior scientist in the FPG Child Development Institute at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She is founder and co-director of the National Prevention Science Coalition to Improve Lives, a large professional organization dedicated to the transfer of knowledge from science to public health policies, and retains a part-time research faculty position at The Pennsylvania State University.

Her 40-year-long career includes deep expertise in the fields of prevention science, neuroscience, and behavioral science, supported by numerous federal and national funding agencies and foundations to determine impacts of deleterious social contextual factors (e.g., trauma, family dysfunction, poverty) on brain development and behavioral/mental health in children and adolescents. Her research supports the premise that underlying neurobiological mechanisms interact with the quality of our psychosocial experiences and environmental contexts to alter trajectories either towards or away from risk behaviors. Her work further suggests that compensatory mechanisms can be strengthened with the appropriate psychosocial and environmental manipulations.

As an extension of her basic research, Dr. Fishbein’s objective is to identify effective means of disrupting pathways to psychopathology in youth considered to be at-risk due to prevailing adverse conditions. A wide range of approaches are applied toward equipping local, state, and federal organizations and agencies with the tools to implement, sustain, and scale evidence-based, trauma-informed practices and policies to prevent poor outcomes and promote health and well-being in children and families. As such, Dr. Fishbein has been intensively engaged in advising congressional members, state legislators, state and federal agencies, national organizations and other entities regarding well-tested strategies shown to avert trajectories away from psychopathology.

Omer Golan is a visionary entrepreneur, creative technologist, and innovator working at the forefront of mental health and emerging technology. As Chief Executive Officer of the MyWhatIf Foundation and Co-CEO of Globearium Inc., Omer leads initiatives that integrate artificial intelligence, storytelling, and immersive technologies to transform how individuals understand and navigate trauma, resilience, and personal growth.

With a multidisciplinary background spanning technology, art, and interactive media, Omer has built a career defined by innovation and impact. Their work bridges creative expression with advanced digital solutions, leveraging AI-driven platforms to create new pathways for healing, self-reflection, and human connection.

Omer’s approach is deeply rooted in the power of narrative—believing that storytelling is central to both individual transformation and collective understanding. This philosophy informs the development of tools and experiences designed to empower users to reframe their experiences, build resilience, and engage in meaningful personal development.

In addition to executive leadership roles, Omer has served as an advisor to a range of organizations, contributing strategic insight at the intersection of consumer engagement, technology, and interdisciplinary innovation. Through these efforts, Omer continues to shape the evolving landscape of digital mental health, advancing solutions that are both human-centered and technologically sophisticated.

Jennifer Hays-Grudo, PhD is a developmental psychologist, researcher, and Regents Professor dedicated to advancing the science of resilience and helping individuals and communities heal from adversity. A nationally recognized leader in the study of childhood trauma, protective factors, and human development, her work bridges rigorous research with real-world application—transforming how resilience is understood and cultivated across generations.

Dr. Hays-Grudo serves as Regents Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Center for Health Sciences at Oklahoma State University. She is the Director and Principal Investigator of the Center for Integrative Research on Childhood Adversity (CIRCA), an $11.3 million, five-year National Institutes of Health–funded center that coordinates multidisciplinary research on the effects of trauma and poverty on children’s health and development, while building research capacity across communities.

A pioneering voice in the field, Dr. Hays-Grudo is co-creator of the PACEs (Protective and Compensatory Experiences) Framework, a widely recognized model that demonstrates how positive, nurturing experiences can buffer the impact of early adversity and support lifelong resilience. Her work has helped shift the conversation from risk alone to the powerful role of relationships, environments, and protective systems in shaping outcomes.

Earlier in her career, she served as the George Kaiser Family Foundation Chair in Community Medicine at the University of Oklahoma–Tulsa, where she led the Tulsa Children’s Project—an integrated initiative designed to reduce the intergenerational effects of poverty and adversity through coordinated, community-based interventions.

Dr. Hays-Grudo is also the founding Editor-in-Chief of Adversity and Resilience Science, published by Springer, and has authored numerous scholarly articles and books on trauma, resilience, and child development. She is co-author, with Amanda Sheffield Morris, of Adverse and Protective Childhood Experiences: A Developmental Perspective, published by the American Psychological Association.

Beyond academia, Dr. Hays-Grudo is deeply committed to translating science into accessible, compassionate tools for everyday life. As a Wholehearted Thought Leader with Wholehearted.org, she helps bring evidence-based insights to parents, caregivers, and professionals through programs such as Reparenting the Inner Child and Balanced Parenting. These initiatives empower individuals to understand their experiences, strengthen relationships, and foster resilience in the next generation.

Grounded in the belief that healing happens not only in research settings but in homes, schools, and communities, Dr. Hays-Grudo’s work reflects a singular mission: to help people grow whole—by connecting science, compassion, and human potential.

Jesse Kohler is a national leader, advocate, and systems-change strategist dedicated to building a trauma-informed, resilient, and equitable society where all individuals, families, and communities can thrive. He is the Founder and President of The Change Campaign, a national nonprofit that has grown throughout his career, beginning as his senior project at Oberlin College. The Change Campaign reflects Jesse’s longstanding mission to create a sustainable planet and a hopeful future for all.

Jesse’s work is rooted in a decade of nonprofit leadership, grassroots service, and policy advocacy. He began his career in direct community work in Philadelphia before transitioning to systemic change efforts at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. His approach blends community-led engagement with data-informed policy strategies to create environments that foster resilience and healing. For five years, Jesse served as the first Executive Director (on loan) for the Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice (CTIPP), a nationwide nonprofit advancing policy and practice that incorporates scientific understanding of trauma, health, and well-being across the lifespan.

Jesse holds a Master’s in Educational Leadership from Arcadia University and a Trauma Competent Professional certification from the Lakeside Global Institute. He is currently completing an Executive Master’s in Public Administration at the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Institute of Government, with anticipated completion in 2026.

Based in Washington, DC, Jesse lives with his partner and their pets and remains deeply connected to his roots in the Greater Philadelphia area and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. His personal experiences, professional journey, and commitment to promoting holistic wellbeing and fuel his vision for systems transformation.

Michael J. Menard is an inventor, business leader, author, and social advocate whose career spans groundbreaking innovation, corporate leadership, and a growing national movement to address childhood trauma. A pioneer in the absorbent products industry, Menard earned his first patent at age 19 for one of the earliest disposable infant diaper designs and went on to secure 14 patents that generated billions in global value. He spent over 25 years at Johnson & Johnson, ultimately becoming its first Worldwide Vice President of Engineering, where he led large-scale global operations and innovation initiatives.

In 2002, Menard co-founded GenSight Group, developing AI-driven strategic portfolio management tools used by leading organizations including NASA, the United Nations, and Fortune 100 companies to guide high-stakes investment decisions.

As an author, Menard has written several influential works, including A Fish in Your Ear, Corporate Transformation, and his memoir The Kite That Couldn’t Fly, which recounts his childhood growing up in poverty in Kankakee, Illinois. His most recent book, Greater Than Gravity, published in March 2026, advances a bold thesis that childhood trauma is a leading driver of addiction, suicide, and incarceration in the United States.

Menard is also the founder of UACT (United Against Childhood Trauma), a nonprofit organization dedicated to prevention, awareness, and healing. Drawing from his own lived experience, he advocates for trauma-informed systems and emphasizes early-life intervention as critical to long-term societal well-being.

Melissa T. Merrick, PhD, is President and CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America (PCA America), the nation’s oldest and largest nonprofit organization dedicated to the primary prevention of child abuse and neglect. She has more than 20 years of clinical, research, and leadership experience related to the etiology, course, and prevention of child abuse and neglect.

Previously, Dr. Merrick was a senior epidemiologist at the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in Atlanta. She is recognized as one of the country’s foremost experts on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs): in partnership with the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Child Abuse and Neglect, she served for 8 years as the lead scientist for the ACEs study at CDC and is the lead author of CDC’s Vital Signs: ACEs, the most nationally representative report on the topic.

Dr. Merrick successfully leverages her significant clinical and research experiences to communicate and disseminate the critical public health importance of preventing early adversity to key stakeholders with diverse priorities, backgrounds, and knowledge, including legislators, business and civic leaders, and members of the academic and medical communities. She is one of the principal architects of Thriving Families, Safer Children: A National Commitment to Well-being, an effort that aims to reshape child welfare in the United States by focusing explicitly on equity and prevention. Thriving Families unites PCA America, the U.S. Children’s Bureau, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Casey Family Program, the CDC Injury Center, and Lived Expert Leaders among numerous other local partners, to proactively create the conditions and contexts for strong families and communities across the country.

Dr. Merrick received her BA in psychology, magna cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania, and her master’s and doctoral degrees in clinical psychology from the San Diego State University/University of California, San Diego, joint doctoral program in clinical psychology, where she served as a program coordinator for the San Diego site of the Longitudinal Studies on Child Abuse and Neglect consortium. Dr. Merrick was a National Institutes of Health-funded postdoctoral fellow at the University of Miami Child Protection Team (CPT), where she was involved in a multi-site program of research that examined child maltreatment risk and protective factors in families evaluated by CPTs across the state of Florida.

Dr. Merrick is married and has two young children who are still enthralled by the novelty of snow in Chicago.

Amanda Sheffield Morris, PhD is a developmental psychologist and internationally recognized leader in the science of childhood resilience, parent-child relationships, and socioemotional development. Her work sits at the intersection of research, practice, and public impact—advancing a deeper understanding of how early relationships shape lifelong health, well-being, and human potential.

Dr. Morris serves as the George Kaiser Family Foundation Chair and Regents Professor in the Department of Psychology at Oklahoma State University, where she is also Co-Director of her research lab. A distinguished developmental scientist, her research focuses on parenting, emotion regulation, and the pathways of risk and resilience across childhood and adolescence.

She is a Principal Investigator on the National Institutes of Health–funded HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study and contributes to the Culture and Environment Workgroup of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. Dr. Morris is also a researcher with the Center for Integrative Research on Childhood Adversity (CIRCA), further advancing the field’s understanding of how adversity and protective factors influence developmental outcomes.

A recognized leader in infant and early childhood mental health, Dr. Morris is endorsed as an Infant Mental Health Research Mentor (Level IV) and is a certified Trainer of Trainers for Active Parenting programs. She serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Adversity and Resilience Science: Research and Practice and has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on child development, parenting, and the neuroscience of emotion regulation. She is also co-author of the forthcoming book Adverse and Protective Childhood Experiences: A Developmental Perspective, to be published by the American Psychological Association.

Beyond academia, Dr. Morris is deeply committed to translating science into accessible, practical tools for families and communities. Through her work with Wholehearted.org, she brings decades of research to life through programs such as Reparenting the Inner Child and Balanced Parenting. These initiatives empower adults to better understand their own histories and cultivate the presence, attunement, and compassion needed to support the next generation.

With a warm, grounded presence and a profound respect for the healing power of relationships, Dr. Morris believes that every child deserves at least one safe, attuned adult. Her work serves as a bridge between rigorous science and lived human experience—advancing a vision of development rooted not only in knowledge, but in connection, compassion, and hope.