Dr. Clay Cook

Biography

Dr. Clay Cook’s work is centered around improving the social, emotional, and behavioral health of today’s children and teens — and the adults who play vital roles in their lives. Billions of dollars have been invested into developing and testing systems to help children. Unfortunately, there is a longstanding implementation gap between where these practices are researched and the real world. To address that gap, Dr. Cook collaborates with professionals and organizations and taps into insights from a hybrid field called implementation science. This is where best practices are actually implemented at the same time they are studied and evaluated. He does this work as a professor at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, a core faculty member of the Institute of Translational Research in Children’s Mental Health, Associate Director of Innovation and Research of the CAREI institute in Minneapolis, and as a consultant and intermediary with organizations nationwide. 

He was my graduate school advisor and mentor. I owe a lot of my personal and professional growth to him.

Specialties

Child and Adolescent Well-being

Implementation Science & Practice

School-based Mental Health

Adult Behavior Change

Awards

John W. and Nancy E. Peyton Faculty Fellow in Child and Adolescent Well-being