Nathaniel RiggsDr. Nathaniel R. Riggs is a professor of Human Development and Family Studies and Director of the Prevention Research Center at Colorado State University. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Society for Prevention Research and as associate edtor for the journal, Prevention Science. It is through these experiences and his collaborations with colleagues in the Colorado State University Developmental Disabilities Lab that he has recognized the timely opportunity that is bridging the fields of prevention science and intellectual and developmental disabilities research. Dr. Riggs' research focuses on translating basic science in neurocognitive development to the development of preventive interventions that promote child and adolescent social-emotional, behavioral, and physical health. Of primary interest is the development of executive function, the set of neurocognitive skills mediated by the prefrontal cortex that encompass self-regulated decision-making and goal-oriented problem-solving. His research has demonstrated that disruptions in the development of executive function can be an important contributor to patterns of childhood and adolescent aggressive and depressive symptomatology, substance use, and obesity.

Importantly, Dr. Riggs takes a social-ecological approach that views neurocognitive development within the context of important family, peer, and educational influences. It is these important contexts that set the stage for healthy neurocognitive development. Dr. Riggs' research has demonstrated that supporting these contexts with preventive interventions can significantly improve youth behavioral health due, in part, to the ability of preventive interventions to promote neurocognitive development. Read More Read Less