Faculty

David J Kolko, PhD

David J Kolko, PhD

Professor of Psychiatry, Clinical and Translational Science, Pediatrics, and Psychology

Contact Details

3811 O'Hara St.
Pittsburgh
 
PA
 
15213
Email
Website
AF-CBT
SKIP Program
Assistant
Kevin Rumbarger
rumbargerkm@upmc.edu

Education & Training

PhD
Clinical Psychology, Georgia State University
Behavioral Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Specialty Certifications

Board Certification
American Board of Professional Psychology (Child and Adolescent Psychology)

Current Appointments

Director, Special Services Unit

Professional Affiliations

Fellow, American Psychological Association
Member, American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children
Member, Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers

Selected Honors & Awards

Dorothy M. Bernstein Visiting Professorship and Lecture in Child Psychiatry, Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora
Fellow, American Psychological Association, Divisions 37 (Child and Family Policy and Practice, 53 (Child and Adolescent Psychology) and 56 (Trauma Psychology)
William Friedrich Memorial Award, American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children

Research Interests

Dissemination and implementation science; Collaborative pediatric health care
Selected Research Publications & Products
  1. Kolko DJ, Foster KT, Torres E, Hart J, Rounds J & Rumbarger K. (2023) Sexual offense disclosure assessment in youth referred to community treatment: A latent class analysis. Sexual Abuse, 35, 6, 716-747. Nov 25;10790632221139165. doi: 10.1177/10790632221139165.
  2. Kolko DJ, Herschell AD, Baumann BL, Hart JA & Wisniewski SR. (2018) AF-CBT for families experiencing physical aggression or abuse served by the mental health or child welfare system: An effectiveness trial. Child Maltreatment, 23(4), 319=333.
  3. Kolko DJ, Campo JV, Kilbourne A, Hart J, Sakolsky D & Wisniewski S. (2014). Collaborative care iutcomes for pediatric behavioral health problems: A cluster randomized trial. Pediatrics, 133(4), April, e981-992.
  4. Kolko DJ, Lindhiem O, Hat J & Bukstein OG. (2014). Evaluation of a booster intervention three years after acute treatment for early-onset disruptive behavior disorders. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 42 (3), 383-398
  5. Kolko DJ, Baumann BL, Herschell AD, Hart J, Holden E & Wisniewski S. (2012). Implementation of AF-CBT by community practitioners serving child welfare and mental health: A randomized trial. Child Maltreatment, 17 (1), 30-44. DOI 10.1177/1077559511427346

Clinical Interests

Behavioral dysfunction/antisocial behavior; Child abuse; trauma; Integrated collaborative care interventions
Selected Clinical Publications & Products
  1. Kolko DJ (in press). Tertiary prevention strategies: Psycho-social intervention for youth firesetting. In Nichola Tyler & Joanna Foster (Eds.), International Perspectives on Youth Firesetting: Advances in Research and Practice, Taylor and Frances/Routledge, Oxfordshire, England.
  2. Kolko DJ, McGuier EA, Turchi R, Thompson E, Iyengar S, Smith SN, Hoagwood K, Liebrecht C, Bennett IM, Powell BJ, Kelleher K, Silva M, Kilbourne AM. (2022) Care Team and Practice Level Implementation Strategies to Optimize Pediatric Collaborative Care: Study Protocol for a Cluster-Randomized Hybrid Type III Trial. Implementation Science, 17:20.
  3. Kolko, D. J., & Vernberg, E. M. (2017). Assessment and intervention with children who misuse fire: Practitioner guide. In D. Barlow (Ed.), Treatments That Work series. New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press.
  4. Asarnow J, Kolko DJ, Miranda J & Kazak A. (2017). The pediatric patient centered medical home: Innovative models for improving behavioral health. American Psychologist,72 (1), 13-27.
  5. Kolko DJ, Brown EJ, Shaver ME, Baumann BL & Herschell AD. (2011). Alternatives for Families: A Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy: Session Guide. Third Edition (11-1-2011). Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Education Interests

Training in evidence-based treatment; Practitioner training & supervision; Dissemination and implementation
Selected Education Publications & Products
  1. Kolko DJ & Foster J. (in press). Firesetting in children and youth. In Vincent B. Van Hasselt & Michael L. Bourke (Eds.). Handbook of Behavioral Criminology: Contemporary Strategies and Issues. Springer Publishing: New York, NY
  2. Kolko DJ, & Berkout, O. (2017). Child physical abuse. In S. Gold, J. Cook, & C. Dalenberg (Eds.), Handbook of Trauma Psychology (pp. 99-116), American Psychological Association, Washington, DC.
  3. Kolko DJ & Foster J. (2017). Firesetting in children and youth. In Vincent B. Van Hasselt & Michael L. Bourke (Eds.). Handbook of Behavioral Criminology: Contemporary Strategies and Issues (pp., 97-112). Springer Publishing: New York, NY
  4. Berliner L & Kolko DJ. (2016). Trauma Informed Care: A commentary and critique. Child Maltreatment, 21(2), 168-172.
  5. Kolko DJ. (2015). Invited Commentary: The effectiveness on integrated care on pediatric behavioral health: Outcomes and opportunities. JAMA Pediatrics, Published online August 10th, 2015, E1-E3.

Pitt Psychiatry Awarded $16.2M National Institute of Mental Health Center Grant Focused on Addressing Adolescent Suicide, with Focus on Black and Hispanic Youth

ETUDES Investigators

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has awarded Pitt Psychiatry a Center of Excellence (P50) grant renewal for Enhancing Triage and Utilization for Depression and Emergent Suicidality (ETUDES), led by David Brent, MD (Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry, Pediatrics, Epidemiology, and Clinical and Translational Science, and Endowed Chair in Suicide Studies). The Center is co-led by Bruce Rollman, MD...

David Kolko, PhD, on Monitoring & Managing Risk for Family Conflict and Coercion during COVID

Over the last eight months, the COVID-19 pandemic has magnified the challenges associated with complex or harmful family interactions that can occur as many people spend more time at home, often with decreased access to community supports and services. The Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network (funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration), in collaboration with the National...

David Kolko, PhD, Honored for Medical Student Research Mentorship

Dr. David Kolko

Congratulations to David Kolko, PhD (Professor of Psychiatry, Pediatrics, Psychology, and Clinical and Translational Science), who has received a Medical Student Research Mentoring Merit Award from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The Research Mentoring Merit Award recognizes outstanding Longitudinal Research Project mentorship of a graduating Pitt Med student and is traditionally presented at the...

Pitt Psychiatry Researchers Conduct Community Effectiveness Trial of a Novel Form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (AF-CBT)

Dr. David Kolko

This paper was published in Child Maltreatment, the official publication of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, and was recently named Child Maltreatment Article of the Year for 2018. Children who experience physical abuse or harsh physical discipline are particularly vulnerable to adverse mental health outcomes such as trauma symptoms, aggression, interpersonal problems, substance use and...

New ETUDES Center Aims to Help PCPs Assess and Increase Engagement of Depressed and Suicidal Youth through Innovative New Technologies

ETUDES

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents and has increased by at least 20% in the past decade, but depressed and suicidal youth, who are at high risk for suicide, are often not identified, and when identified, often do not go for treatment. Pediatric primary care is an ideal place to identify youth at risk for suicide. At-risk youth are much more likely to present in primary care than in...