Professor Blake is a clinical psychologist and behavioral scientist with postdoctoral training in public health. Her primary interests lie in applying behavioral and ecological theories to prevent adverse health outcomes and to promote health and mental health in populations. Whether she is seeking ways to prevent violence, substance use, pregnancy, or HIV among adolescents, studying the mental health issues facing at-risk, immigrant or orphan children and families, or evaluating school and community-based prevention programs, Professor Blake's diverse professional, clinical and public service-oriented activities focus on the goal of building healthier individuals, families, organizations and communities.
Education
• Bachelor of Sciences (Psychology), Old Dominion University, 1972
• Master of Arts (Clinical Psychology), University of Arizona, 1978
• Doctor of Philosophy (Clinical Psychology), University of Arizona, 1982
• Post-doctoral Fellow, University of Minnesota (School of Public Health, Division of Epidemiology), 1982-1985
Teaching
• HSML 222 – Group Leadership and Team Facilitation Interdisciplinary Student Community-Oriented Prevention Enhancement Service (ISCOPES)
• PubH 206 – Health Behavior and Health Education, Department of Prevention and Community Health
Research
Professor Blake's current research focuses primarily on child, adolescent and women's health. Her research is notable for its diversity, and has involved health communications; assessing behavioral and social determinants of risk and resiliency, and designing behavioral and community-based interventions; and quality improvement and assurance programs in primary care. An expert on program development and evaluation, Professor Blake consults regularly with local, national and international agencies; more recent consultancies include ones for the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA); the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and various state and local public health and education agencies.
Among the community-based and clinical interventions she has developed or tested are those designed to: enhance parent-child communications; promote physical activity and smoking cessation in communities; and improve health education and services in schools, worksites and primary care settings. She is currently Principal Investigator of an NIH-funded study to prevent environmental tobacco smoke exposure during infancy, and a study with Kidsave International assessing the psychosocial adjustment of older Russian and Columbian orphans adopted by American families. She is additionally Co-PI on a NICHD-funded study to prevent repeat teen pregnancy, a DC Dept. of Mental Health, School Mental Health Program evaluation, an evaluation study of the Bodyworks program that is designed for adolescent girls and their parents/caregivers and is sponsored by the Office of Women’s Health, and a recently completed CDC-funded intervention with Johns Hopkins University to prevent dating violence, and verbal, physical and sexual aggression in Baltimore public schools.
Community Service
As an ISCOPES Academic Preceptor, Professor Blake serves as an academic preceptor to interdisciplinary teams at GWU's School of Public Health and Health Services and George Mason University and facilitates service-learning experiences in the community. As a volunteer evaluation consultant, Professor Blake has developed and implemented a follow-up study of older adopted children who were institutionalized in Russia and Columbia orphanages for Kidsave International. She is a member of numerous professional organizations and a peer reviewer for multiple journals in psychology and public health.
Joseph, J.G., El-Mohandes, A.E., Kiely, M., El-Khorazaty, M.N., Gantz, M.G., Johnson, A.A., Katz, K., Blake, S.M., Rossi, M., Subramanian, S. Clinic-based integrated counseling reduces psychosocial/behavioral risk factors: Results of a multi-site randomized intervention trial of high risk pregnant women. American Journal of Public Health, (in press).
El-Mohandes AE, Kiely M, Gantz MG, Blake SM, El-Khorazaty MN. Birth weight may be predicted by cotinine levels during pregnancy in a population of African American smokers. Pediatrics (in press).
Blake, Susan M.; Murray, Kennan D.; El-Khorazaty, M. Nabil; Gantz, Marie; Kiely, Michele; Best, Dana; Joseph, Jill G.; El-Mohandes, Ayman A.E. (2009). Correlates Of Environmental Tobacco Smoke Avoidance Early In Pregnancy Among African American Non-Smokers. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 36:3, 225–234.
Katz, KS., Blake, SM., Milligan, RA; Sharps, PW; White, DB; Rodan, MF; Rossi, M; Murray, KB. (2008). The design, implementation and acceptability of an integrated intervention to address multiple behavioral and psychosocial risk factors among pregnant African American women. BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth, 8:22.
[http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1471-2393-8-22.pdf]
Blake, SM, Keily, M., Gard, CC., El-Mohandes, AAE, El-Khorazaty, MN, and the NIH-DC Initiative. (2007). Pregnancy intentions and happiness among pregnant Black women at high risk for adverse infant health outcomes. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 39(4): 194-205.
Jaycox, Lisa H.; McCaffrey, Daniel F.; Ocampo, Beverly W.; Shelley, Gene A.; Blake, Susan M., Peterson, Donna J.; Richmond, Lucinda S.; Kub, Joan E.. (2006). Challenges in the evaluation and implementation of school-based prevention and intervention programs on sensitive topics. American Journal of Evaluation. 27 (3); 320-336.
Blake SM, Ledsky R, Sawyer R, Goodenow C, Banspach S, Lohrmann D, Hack T. Local school district adoption of state recommended policies for HIV prevention education. Prev Med 2005;40(2):239-48.
Amaro HA, Blake SM, Morrill AC, Cranston K, Logan J, Conron KJ, Dai J. HIV prevention community planning: challenges & opportunities for data-informed decision-making. AIDS Behav Suppl 2005;9(1):9-27.
Jenkins RA, Robbins A, Cranston K, Batchelor K, Freeman AC, Averbach AR, et al. Bridging data and decision making: development of techniques for improving the HIV prevention community planning process. AIDS Behav Suppl 2005;9(1):41-53.
Jenkins RA, Averbach AR, Robbins A, Cranston K, Amaro H, Morrill AC, et al. Improving the use of data for HIV prevention decision making: lessons learned. AIDS Behav Suppl 2005;9(1):87-99.
Morrill AC, Amaro HA, Blake SM, Cranston K, Averbach AR, Logan JA, et al. HIV prevention community planning: enhancing data-informed decision-making. AIDS Behav Suppl 2005;9(1):55-70.
Sawyer R, Blake S. Ledsky R, Goodenow C, Evans D. Training and resource needs of teachers who provide HIV education to special population students. J HIV/AIDS Prev Educ Adolesc Child 2005;6(1):27-42.
Blake S, Ledsky R, Goodenow C, Sawyer R, Lohrmann D, Windsor R. Condom availability programs in Massachusetts high schools: Relationships with condom use and sexual behavior. Am J Public Health 2003;93 (6): 955-62.
Blake SM, Ledsky R, Lehman T, Goodenow C, Sawyer R, Hack T. Preventing sexual risk behaviors among gay, lesbian and bisexual adolescents: The benefits of gay-sensitive HIV instruction in schools. In: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Health Issues: Selections from the American Journal of Public Health. Am J of Public Health 2001. Washington, D.C., 191-8.
Blake SM, Amaro HA, Schwartz P. and Flinchbaugh L. A review of substance abuse prevention interventions for young adolescent girls. Special Issue: J Early Adolesc 2001; 21 (3):294-324.
Amaro HA, Blake SM, Schwartz P, Flinchbaugh L. Developing theory-based substance abuse prevention programs for young adolescent girls. Special Issue: J Early Adolesc 2001;21 (3):256-93.
Blake S, Ledsky R, Lehman T, Goodenow C, Sawyer R, Hack T. Preventing sexual risk behaviors among gay, lesbian and bisexual adolescents: The benefits of gay-sensitive HIV instruction in schools. Am J Public Health: Special Issue: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Health 2001;91 (6): 940-6.
Blake S, Ledsky R, Goodenow C, O'Donnell L. Recency of immigration, substance use, and sexual behavior among Massachusetts adolescents. Am J Public Health 2001;91 (5): 794-8.
Blake S, Simkin L, Ledsky R, Perkins C, Calabrese J. Effects of a parent-child communications intervention on young adolescents' risk for early onset of sexual behavior. Int Fam Plan Perspect 2001;33 (2):52-62.
Blake S, Ledsky R, Goodenow C, O'Donnell L. Receipt of school health education and school health services among adolescent immigrants in Massachusetts. J Sch Health 2001;71 (3):105-13.
