Creating Positive Social Change with PRA Policy Research Associates, Inc.

Conversations on Leadership is a series highlighting the leaders within Policy Research. In this series, guests share their thoughts on Policy Research’s work and culture and highlight how they are using the firm’s strategic plan to guide their work and advance the field.

In this 21-minute episode, Dr. Hope shares her approach to building and expanding Policy Research's Research and Evaluation area, the internal and external collaborations the area has developed, and her strategies for leading a remote-first team and ensuring life-work integration for staff members.

Transcript: https://www.prainc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CoL5-Transcript-508.pdf

Conversations on Leadership is a series highlighting the leaders within Policy Research. In this series, guests share their thoughts on Policy Research’s work and culture and highlight how they are using the firm’s strategic plan to guide their work and advance the field.

In this episode, President/CEO Sarah Desmarais, PhD, and Vice President Elan Hope, PhD, delve into Policy Research’s dedication to DEI. They share the company’s vision for an inclusive, representative workplace and the steps that the organization is taking to get there.

Transcript: https://www.prainc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CoL6-Transcript-508.pdf

This episode features Senior Project Associate Don Harris, MBA, and discusses key takeaways from his recently published paper, “Exploring the Association Between Suicide Prevention Public Service Announcements and User Comments on YouTube: A Computational Text Analysis Approach.”

Data Points is an ongoing podcast series produced by Policy Research that discusses research for social change.

Episode transcript: https://www.prainc.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/DataPoints-Suicide-Prevention-PSAs-Transcript-508.pdf

Research paper: https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2023.2203077

If you’re thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 across the United States. Call 988 or visit https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/.

Conversations on Leadership is a series highlighting the leaders within Policy Research. In this series, guests share their thoughts on Policy Research’s work and culture and highlight how they are using the firm’s strategic plan to guide their work and advance the field.

In this episode, Sarah Desmarais, PhD, reflects on her first year as President of Policy Research, shares the highlights from her first year, how Policy Research’s strategic plan guides her work, the expansion of the firm’s research portfolio, and what’s next for her and the firm.

Read the transcript: https://www.prainc.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/CoL4-Transcript-508.pdf

This episode features two team members at Policy Research. Senior Research Associate Samantha Zottola, PhD, and Senior Research Associate Lisa Callahan, PhD, discuss key takeaways from their recently finished project, “Understanding and Preventing Frequent Jail Contact.”

Data Points is an ongoing podcast series produced by Policy Research that discusses research for social change.

Episode transcript: https://www.prainc.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/DataPoints-Frequent-Utilizers-Transcript-508.pdf

Project findings: https://www.prainc.com/resources/population-people-frequent-jail-contact/

This research was supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation through the Safety and Justice Challenge Research Consortium, which is managed by the CUNY Institute for State & Local Governance. The Safety and Justice Challenge seeks to reduce over-incarceration and racial disparities by changing the way America thinks about and uses jails. The research consortium advances criminal justice research grounded in the efforts and data of safety and justice challenge sites. The authors are solely responsible for the content of this podcast. Special thanks to the research team and participating sites for their work and engagement in this project.

This episode was co-produced and hosted by Holley Davis and co-produced, engineered, and edited by Elianne Paley.

This episode features two Research & Evaluation team members at Policy Research. Senior Research Associate Samantha Zottola, PhD, and Research Associate Kamiya Stewart, PhD, discuss key takeaways from their forthcoming paper, “Pretrial Risk Assessment, Risk Communication, and Racial Bias”

Data Points is an ongoing podcast series produced by Policy Research that discusses research for social change.

Transcript: https://www.prainc.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/DataPoints-RiskAssessment-Transcript-508.pdf

Study link: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00938548231174908