Youth-Nex, the UVA Center to Promote Effective Youth Development, hopes to become nationally known for suppressing psychological and social disorders in adolescents, according to a press release from UVA Today.
The center was created with a $4 million commitment from cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris USA. Philip Morris’ parent company, Altria, previously donated $25 million to UVA’s capital campaign in 2007, and also gave to the UVA school of law and Darden School of Business in the past. UVA President John Casteen joined the company’s board of directors in February.
According to the press release, the center plans to focus on preventing a wide range of behaviors including bullying, obesity and even smoking—despite the business of its donor. Professor Patrick Tolan from the Curry School of Education’s Department of Human Services leads Youth-Nex with 10 years as director of the Institute for Juvenile Research at the University of Illinois in Chicago, as well as two years as chair of the American Psychological Association’s Working Group on Children’s Mental Health. His studies include healthy development and risk prevention. A phone call made to Tolan regarding the nature of the center was not immediately returned.