Paula Smith portrait
  • Associate Professor, Educational Leadership&Policy
801-581-6017

Publications

  • Smith, P (2024). My experiences with doctoral socialization and a challenge to future mentors of diverse doctoral students. Handbook of Professional Youth Mentoring . Springer Nature. Accepted, 02/10/2024.
  • Summers-Gabr NM, Sato M, Chilenski SM, Villarruel F, Smith, P & et al. (2024). Discriminatory Experiences Among Black Youth: How Encounters and Expectations Explain Emotional Well-Being. Prevention science : the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research. Vol. 25, 314331-43. Published, 02/01/2024.
  • Debnam KJ, Rodgers, CRR & Smith, P (2024). Introduction to Special Issue on Advancing Health Equity Among Black Communities. Prevention science : the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research. Vol. 25, 151-5. Published, 02/01/2024.
  • Krull, M, Smith, WA, Hung, M, Leer, J & Smith, P (2024). The impact of racial battle fatigue on school principals: Examining the stress-related disparities between White and Black leaders. Journal for Minority Achievement, Creativity, and Leadership. Accepted, 01/15/2024.
  • Smith & Brown, A. M. (2022). Leading Restorative Justice Efforts for Equity in Secondary Schools. Information Age Publishing. Published, 10/2022.
  • Monisha Pasupathi (2021). Revenge, Justice Systems, and Institutional Trust in Schools: Narrative Considerations. Cambridge University Press. Published, 10/04/2021.
  • Brown, C. Hendricks, Eddy, J. Mark, Reid, John B. & Smith, Paula (2005). A Survey of Prevention Science Training: Implications for Educating the Next Generation. Springer Science + Business Media. Vol. 6(1), 59-71. Published, 06/2005.

Research Keywords

  • school-based prevention
  • risk and protective factors research
  • female juvenile offenders
  • equity and justice
  • Public Education

Presentations

  • Primary prevention, cross-agency collaboration, and the role of public-private partnerships to promote youth mental health. Presented at the National Governor’s Association Chair’s Initiative: Strengthening Youth Mental Health. Salt Lake City, UT. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 10/18/2022.
  • Partners, Prevention, and Progress. Presented at the Principles of Prevention Conference. St. George, UT . Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 09/12/2022.
  • Smith, P., Prospero, M., Knight, M., Hood, A., Andreasen, R., Thorn, L., Jenkins, C., Rees, D., Withers, M. & Dangerfield, R. (2021, October). Youth suicide prevention: A collaborative effort between state education, health, school districts, and a University evaluation team. Presented at the 2021 Annual Conference on Advancing School Mental Health. Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 10/21/2021.
  • Acosta, C., Jones, B., MacKay, B., Mekrut, C., Nguyen, C. & Smith, P. (2021, March). Restorative justice collaborative of Utah (RJCU): Advocacy for juvenile and criminal justice involved individuals: Opportunities and barriers. Refereed presentation at Utah Council on Conflict Resolution, Salt Lake City, UT. Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 03/11/2021.
  • Acosta, C., MacKay, B., Mekrut, C., Ross, C., & Smith, P. (2019, September). Implementation of restorative justice in juvenile and criminal justice settings: Opportunities and barriers. Refereed presentation at Utah Criminal Justice Conference, Salt Lake City, UT. Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 09/2019.
  • Smith, P. & Bosworth, L. K. (2019, May). Prevention in High Schools Dialogue: Leadership, Restorative Justice, PBIS, Student Assistance Programs, and Others. Facilitated Dialogue at the Society for Prevention Research Annual Conference in San Francisco, CA. Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 05/2019.
  • Smith, P., Smith, W. A., & Parker, L. (2019, April). Black graduate education in a “post- truth” era: Preliminary results of a multifaceted initiative for African American doctoral students. Presented at the American Educational Research Association conference, Toronto, Canada. Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 04/2019.
  • Traditional and Gender Responsive Placements for Female Juvenile Offenders, Society for Prevention Research. Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 05/27/2016.

Grants, Contracts & Research Gifts

  • Strategic Prevention Grant. PI: Paula Smith. Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health, 01/01/2021 - 06/30/2022. Total project budget to date: $40,000.00
  • Evaluation of a Mental Health Intervention in 3 School Districts. PI: Smith, P. Utah State Board of Education, 01/15/2019 - 08/20/2023. Total project budget to date: $500,000.00
  • Pipeline for the development of the African American Doctoral Scholars Initiative. PI: Smith, P. Co-PI(s): Smith, W. A. & Parker, L.. Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs, 09/03/2018 - 06/30/2023. Total project budget to date: $322,500.00
  • Pipeline Development of African American Doctoral Students and Scholars. PI: Paula Smith. Co-PI(s): William A. Smith, Laurence Parker, Karen Johnson. George S. & Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation, 10/01/2015 - 09/30/2018. Total project budget to date: $120,000.00