Bio
Dr. Thomas Keller is the Duncan & Cindy Campbell Professor for Children, Youth, and Families in the School of Social Work at Portland State University. He directs the PSU Summer Institute on Youth Mentoring and the Center for Interdisciplinary Mentoring Research. He also is Co-Principal Investigator of the BUILD EXITO initiative, a major NIH-funded research training program for undergraduates historically underrepresented in biomedical and health sciences research. Dr. Keller’s research interests include the development and influence of youth mentoring relationships, social networks in mentoring interventions, evaluation of mentoring program innovations and enhancements, the professional development of program staff, and the mentoring of undergraduates in science, biomedical, and health fields. Dr. Keller’s projects have been supported by the National Institutes of Health, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Spencer Foundation, and William T. Grant Foundation. Prior to earning his PhD, he worked for several years with a Big Brothers Big Sisters chapter in Seattle as a caseworker, supervisor, and program director.
Research Interests
Mentoring relationship development, social context and mentoring, family systems and mentoring, influence of program staff on mentoring relationships, mentoring program enhancement and quality improvement initiatives, research-practice translation in mentoring.
Publications
Keller, T.E., & DuBois, D.L. (2021). Influence of program staff on the quality of mentor-youth relationships in a community-based mentoring program. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1483, 1, 112-126.
Keller, T. E., Drew, A.L., Clark-Shim, H., Spencer, R., & Herrera, C. (2020). It’s about time: Staff support contacts and mentor volunteer experiences. Journal of Youth Development, 15, 4, 145-161.
Keller, T.E., Perry, M., & Spencer, R. (2020). Formal youth mentoring to address social isolation: Potential opportunities and pitfalls. Clinical Social Work Journal, 48, 35-45
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