The program is located within the University of Massachusetts Amherst Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and is affiliated with the interdisciplinary Center for Research on Families. The program has several goals:
- Advance knowledge about the psychology of adoption.
- Provide evidence-based knowledge to inform adoption policy and practice
- Engage with community partners to incubate, implement, and evaluate innovative programs
- Mentor the next generation of adoption-competent scholars
- Create an adoption-friendly campus at UMass Amherst
The program seeks to develop synergy among scientists, practitioners, and policymakers from varied disciplines who share interests in the many topics relevant to adoption. The ultimate goal of these activities is to contribute to evidence-based practice in adoption and to provide research-based information that will influence policy at agency, state, federal, and international levels.
Annual Report Archive
To learn more about the program, please view our annual report archive.
Our Programs
- Adoption Conference
- Adoption Mentoring Partnership (AMP) - adopted college students mentoring adopted youth
- Adopted Student Advisory Panel (ASAP) - advocacy group comprised of adopted college students
- Re-envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) Initiative - new perspectives addressing aging out, education, and permanency
- Minnesota / Texas Adoption Research Project (MTARP) - longitudinal research on openness in adoption
- The Voices Project - perspectives from internationally known adoption researchers
Our Department
The Rudd Adoption Research Program is part of the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences (PBS).
PBS is the theoretical and applied study of the biological, cognitive, developmental, and social bases of behavior. We take pride in our teaching and clinical training, we conduct advanced research, and we provide support services to the community.