Research Press sadly notes the passing of author Betty R. Yung (1945-2012), who had a major, programmatic role in the development and evaluation of the Positive Adolescent Choices Training (PACT) Program, a nationally known adolescent violence prevention program published by Research Press.
Dr. Yung was a graduate of the University of Kentucky, and was an associate professor and the director of the Center for Child and Adolescent Violence Prevention in the School of Professional Psychology. She also served as the Grants Officer for SOPP, providing assistance to faculty in locating funding sources, grant proposal development and grant writing. Her background included extensive experience in juvenile court administration and direct service to court-referred youth, and as a grants specialist and consultant for university academic programs, public schools, and community agencies. Her particular areas of research included: children and adolescents, prevention programming, adolescent violence, program evaluation, and ethnic minority and Appalachian health and mental health needs.
In 2008, Dr. Yung was named as the Ohio Researcher of the Year award from the Health Policy Institute of Ohio. The award was given for a statewide study of capacity building needs of Ohio minority health service providers; she was the lead researcher working with a team of colleagues from Wright State, University of Akron, and Case Western.