Gassman-Pines Named Incoming Senior Associate Dean

Image

The Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University is pleased to announce that Anna Gassman-Pines will become senior associate dean for faculty affairs on July 1. 

Gassman-Pines is a professor of public policy and psychology, as well as neuroscience at Duke. She has served as the Sanford director of graduate studies for the PhD in Public Policy program since July 2023.

Her research focuses on the development of low-income children in the United States and, in particular, how parents’ experiences outside the home – in low-wage workplaces, labor markets, accessing social services – spill over to the home and affect family functioning and child well-being.

Gassman-Pines has received awards for both research and teaching, including the Mavis Hetherington Award for Excellence in Applied Developmental Science and the Mid-Career Award for Outstanding Contributions to Children, Youth, and Families, both from the American Psychological Association. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, in additional to several foundations.

In addition to her Sanford faculty appointments, Gassman-Pines is also a faculty affiliate of Duke’s Center for Child and Family Policy and faculty research scholar of Duke’s Population Research Center.

In January 2024, Gassman-Pines was featured in the Duke Centennial kickoff for her interdisciplinary research.

“Before college and during college, I worked with a lot of children, and I saw that some kids were really flourishing and some kids were struggling. My research tries to understand what are the forces that lead to those differences and what can we do to help families’ lives be more predictable and manageable,” Gassman-Pines said in the Duke Centennial video. “At Duke, we are able to bring people together across different perspectives to answer really important research questions. . . Duke has thought creatively and in a forward-looking way about how to invest in research that can be used for positive change.”

Regarding her new role, Gassman-Pines said, “I am looking forward to working together with my colleagues to support and build Sanford’s faculty excellence in research, teaching, and policy engagement.”

Gassman-Pines received her B.A. with distinction in psychology from Yale University and PhD in community and developmental psychology from New York University.

Gassman-Pines succeeds Manoj Mohanan as senior associate dean for faculty affairs. Mohanan has been appointed interim dean of Sanford as of July 1. He congratulated Gassman-Pines on her new leadership role.

“Anna is a natural leader who is an excellent choice to fill the role of Senior Associate Dean, which is integral to the future of our school and faculty. As PhD program leader, Anna has helped to shape the future of public policy research through doctoral mentorship and support. She is committed to the growth and excellence of Sanford, as well as our connections across Duke. Her faculty service across the campus, our community and country showcases her scholarship, expertise and network. I look forward to working with Anna to continue to build Sanford’s faculty excellence,” Mohanan said.

Watch Sanford’s recent 20 Questions video with Anna Gassman-Pines.