Elizabeth Letourneau, PhD

About

Elizabeth Letourneau, Ph.D., is the inaugural director at the Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse and associate professor at the Department of Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. For more than 25 years she has conducted research involving the evaluation of clinical practice and legal policy related to adult and adolescent sexual offending. By framing child sexual abuse as a preventable public health problem, Dr. Letourneau is now working to prevent child sexual abuse through the development of perpetration prevention programs.

Recent Posts

Building a New Narrative on Child Sexual Abuse Prevention

Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Month reminds us that prevention, healing, and justice all need attention and funding—and that prevention of child sexual abuse is possible.

Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Program Plans Major Expansion

A helpline and therapy service for adults who are troubled by their sexual interest or behavior involving children is set to expand.

Encountering Hatred in Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Work

A university researcher writes a content analysis of the hate mail they received in response to their work about preventing child sexual abuse.

Baltimore Abuse Revelations Show Urgent Need for Prevention

A sweeping report on child sexual abuse in the Baltimore Catholic Archdiocese shows that institutions must prioritize prevention. Here’s how they can get started.

We Need Prevention Science to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse

A tendency to err on the side of reporting in CSA research has led to a lack of information about how to protect children from sexual abuse, leaving children more vulnerable.

Teaching Teens to Help Prevent Child Sexual Abuse

Giving teens clear guidance that sexual behaviors with younger children are harmful and illegal can help them avoid behaviors associated with child sexual abuse.

Put People First When Discussing Child Sexual Abuse

Why person-first language is critical to discussing child sexual abuse.

What Medicaid Expansion Can Tell Us About Child Maltreatment

Can health insurance help protect kids from harm by reducing family violence? New research about Medicaid expansion may help answer this question.

Hate Won't Prevent Child Sexual Abuse; Research Will

3 reasons why academic research dedicated to preventing child sexual abuse is vitally important.

Child Sex Abuse: We Need Prevention, Not Just Punishment

Incarcerating adults who commit child sexual abuse costs the U.S. billions per year. Yet for every $3,125 we spend on punishment, we spend just $1 on prevention research.