Dr. Greeson is an Associate Professor at the University of Pennsylvania in the School of Social Policy & Practice. She holds a PhD degree from UNC-Chapel Hill in social work, and two master's degrees, one in social services and the other in law & social policy from Bryn Mawr College's Graduate School of Social Work & Social Research. She is fervently dedicated to transforming the child welfare system, leveraging research to forge brighter futures for youth aging out of foster care, and harnessing the profound impact of connections with caring adults for all vulnerable youth. Her research agenda, driven by both evidence and empathy, focuses on resilience and the strengths that empower foster youth to not merely survive but thrive. Dr. Greeson’s scholarly contributions encompass a wide array of topics, including natural mentoring, evidence-based practices for older youth in foster care such as independent living programs, residential group care, and intensive in-home therapy. Her work also addresses low-income homeownership, child and adolescent traumatic stress, domestic minor sex trafficking, international family strengthening, cash transfer interventions, and child welfare reform. Her publications have been cited nearly 4,000 times in peer-reviewed scientific literature. Notably, during her PhD at UNC-Chapel Hill, Dr. Greeson developed a theory- and research-informed intervention for older youth in foster care, Caring Adults ‘R’ Everywhere (C.A.R.E.), aimed at addressing the aging out crisis. Central to this intervention is the cultivation of resilience through supportive adult relationships for at-risk youth. In 2015, she completed a pilot feasibility randomized controlled trial of C.A.R.E., funded by the Children’s Bureau and in partnership with the Philadelphia Department of Human Services. Dr. Greeson is now poised to further refine and test this natural mentoring intervention, employing rigorous research designs to evaluate its effectiveness and disseminate C.A.R.E. to jurisdictions interested in implementing a relationship-focused, trauma-informed mentoring program for youth aging out of care. Dr. Greeson also serves as the Managing Faculty Director of the Field Center for Children’s Policy, Practice, & Research, the university’s sole interdisciplinary research center dedicated to promoting child and family well-being. In this role, she supervises the Nancy Glickenhaus Fellowship in Child Welfare for advanced MSW students. She also directs the Child Wellbeing & Child Welfare specialization for advanced year MSW students.
