Contact
A. RAE SIMPSON
rsimpson@mit.edu
A. Rae Simpson, PhD, formerly co-directed the MIT Work-Life Center, where she developed a broad range of initiatives, many of which have won national and international recognition.
As chief consultant to the Harvard Parenting Project at the Harvard School of Public Health, with funding from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Dr. Simpson wrote the widely disseminated report Raising Teens: A Synthesis of Research and a Foundation for Action (PDF; Harvard Public School of Health, 2001). This groundbreaking report is the basis of the Raising Teens website.
A specialist in communicating research knowledge to the public, Dr. Simpson also created the MIT Young Adult Development Project. In addition to highlighting the unique needs and characteristics of this age group, the project explores the implications for employers, parents, educators, policymakers, and others. Extending this work, she is currently analyzing and disseminating new research on brain development and its implications for understanding mental illness.
Dr. Simpson has consulted on issues in parenting education, parenting and the media, youth development, and research communication to national and international organizations. These include the World Health Organization, CBS Television, the National Science Foundation, the United Nations, the Public Broadcasting Service, as well as major advertising, publishing, and law firms. She is founding chair of the National Parenting Education Network, a professional organization for parenting education.
Under her former name, Rae Goodell, she is the author of The Visible Scientists (Boston: Little, Brown, 1977), which explores the relationship between experts and the media. Dr. Simpson’s numerous articles have appeared in such publications as The New York Times, The Columbia Journalism Review, and The Washington Post. She holds a PhD in communication research from Stanford University.
For further information about Rae, please visit www.raesimpson.com.