Assistant Professor of Psychology (Clinical)
Tier II Canada Research Chair in Child and Family Clinical Psychology (SSHRC)
Dr. Dillon Browne is Assistant Professor to the Department of Psychology at the University of Waterloo and is the Principal Investigator for the Whole Family Lab.
Dr. Browne completed his B.A. Hons. in Psychology in 2009 at the University of Guelph, his M.A. in School and Clinical Child Psychology in 2011 at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, and his Ph.D. in School and Clinical Child Psychology in 2016 at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. Dr. Browne also completed a Clinical Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2017 at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
Dr. Browne's program of research examines the influence of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), trauma, and socioeconomic status on human development. His research considers development in a variety of domains, including cognition, academic achievement, socioemotional functioning, behaviour, and mental health. The approach his research takes is unique in that it applies a “family systems” lens to understanding these developmental phenomena. Specifically, his research seeks to better understand how stress, adversity, and hardship disrupt life for entire families and across generations. It pays particular attention to the way family members (parents and children, siblings, and couples) relate to one another during real-time interactions. Collectively, his research has provided empirical support for the foundational tenets of family systems theory, demonstrating that families are indeed “more than the sum of their parts.” Thus, a comprehensive picture of human development and children’s mental health must consider how whole families are doing.
The second arm of Dr. Browne's research program concerns the development, evaluation, and implementation of evidence-based interventions for children and whole families who are struggling with mental health and developmental challenges, particularly in settings of trauma and adversity. As a clinician-scientist, Dr. Browne is very interested in trauma-informed interventions during early life (e.g., Child-Parent Psychotherapy) and systemic approaches to family intervention (e.g., Structural Family Therapy). He has also conducted a number of evaluations (including Randomized Controlled Trials) with service providers in Canada and the US in the context of child welfare, treatment foster care, integrated care for medically complex children, and reintegration services for youth who were previously incarcerated. Dr. Browne is committed to developing partnerships with community service providers and making sure my research aims are embedded in the contexts in which families seek treatment.