Collaborative Excellence

At Yale Child Study Center (YCSC), we value every community member—within our department and in the broader community of children and families we serve. We are committed to fostering a welcoming environment, conducive to sustaining and attracting diversity in all forms. Through curiosity, partnership, and exchange of knowledge, our commitment to collaborative excellence is integral to enhancing the health and lives of those in New Haven and our regional, national, and global communities.

YCSC works to support differing perspectives in research, clinical practice, and professional training. Such practices allow us to best participate and contribute to society and enhance both the center and the community we serve. Tara Davila, LCSW, serves as YCSC vice chair for collaborative excellence, and in her role as a member of the department’s strategy and stewardship team since 2020, she has fostered open, respectful communication with the goal of shaping an interconnected, engaged, and productive community, which in turn allows individuals and innovation to thrive.

In her vice chair role, Davila works to establish and nurture relationships that are conducive to collaboration and support the center’s development as a more intentionally collaborative organization. She actively works to engage all YCSC community members in related efforts and activities, including inviting all to a protected “Friday Focus” space for monthly reflection and learning to help deepen efforts to create a more inclusive community.

Under Davila’s leadership and through close collaboration among members of a volunteer action group she convenes regularly, a great deal of related work has been accomplished at the YCSC over the past several years. Many of these efforts are on-going, including through annual review of outcomes. This is in line with the departments’ commitment to evaluating and aligning goals that are responsive to needs within and across the community.

• Clarified organizational structure for department governance & clinical mission
• Clarified job responsibilities for those in leadership roles
• Instituted an ongoing series of leadership workshops and learning groups
• Introduced concept of service leadership and restorative leadership practices
• Launched the annual Viola W. Bernard Prize, with a focus on pilot testing an innovative mental health care delivery model in a community setting
• Engaged consultant to review clinical services around culture/climate, workflow, and the integration of research and practice
• Developed and regularly convened a volunteer diversity action group (DAG) to inform departmental strategic planning and support sustainable projects related to organizational culture and climate
• Developed and implemented a new hiring process aligned with Yale School of Medicine (YSM) best practices to ensure fair assessment of skills and experience
• Established a committee focused on developing a consistent approach to onboarding to ensure all new YCSC community members feel welcome and included
• Participated in a committee developing a tool and training materials to expand a clinical formulation interview to address the potential impacts of discrimination on mental health
• Collaborated with Yale’s Office of Academic and Professional Development (OAPD) and other department leads focused on expanding mentorship workshops
• Piloted and established the provision of Continuing Education Credits through the National Association of Social Workers, expanding department-supported training credits for licensure
• Continued Friday Focus series for the department and monthly staff meetings in outpatient clinical services that continue to expand knowledge and practices to support inclusion
• Launched the Viola W. Bernard Fellowship, focused on improving access to mental health care and decreasing health disparities for children and families
• Established annual professional progression celebration to honor the contributions and progression of YCSC faculty and staff
• Provided ongoing opportunities for expanded learning across the department
• Developed a curriculum for clinical faculty and fellows to support the delivery of clinical care tailored to the unique cultures and needs of the diverse populations they serve
• Created a strategic framework within YCSC clinical services to ensure that all children and families who participate in center programs and studies experience the same respectful and responsive care