Meet the Team

Ryan Chesnut, Ph.D., received his Ph.D. in Communication Arts & Sciences, with a specialization in Family Communication, from Penn State. He received his M.A. in Communication and his B.S. in Communication from Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville. His research primarily focuses on understanding how parent-child interaction shapes children’s developmental outcomes. He is particularly interested in investigating how parenting prevention and intervention programs can be harnessed to strengthen parent-child relationships and promote child well-being. His current work at the Clearinghouse focuses on the dissemination, implementation, and evaluation of a suite of parenting programs that have been adopted by the Department of Defense to support military families. He is also currently working on understanding how moral injuries that military personnel suffer during their service impact relational functioning. This work will help to inform family prevention and intervention services designed to strengthen Service member resilience and promote successful reintegration into family life.