Trupti Rao, Psy.D. is the Director of Child Welfare Services and Psychology Training at WIHD.  Dr. Rao received her BA from Boston University and her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Hartford.  Dr. Rao is responsible for leading and managing the continuum of Child Welfare programs including the Pediatric Medical Unit, Educational Coordination, Evaluations, Project IMPACT, and the Every Family Counts Aftercare Program.  She also serves as the Director of Psychology Training, leading and managing the recruitment, training and supervision of doctoral level trainees.  Dr. Rao was co-developer of Project IMPACT, an intensive in-home parenting program serving parents with intellectual disabilities.   Dr. Rao has presented information about the program and findings about the efficacy of the model at both local and national conferences.   Dr. Rao is an Assistant Professor of Practice on Disability and Health in the School of Health Sciences and Practice at New York Medical College, as well as an Adjunct Faculty Professor in the Psychology Department at Iona University.  

Selected Presentations and Research Activities

• Rao, T. (2023, March).  The lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on young children.  Workshop presented for the Children’s School of Early Development Professional Development, Ossining, NY.
•  Rao, T. Reiman, B., Begun, Y., DeDilectis, M., Rizzo, J., and Vasques, S. (2022, November).  Exploring the Perspectives of Biological Parents Involved in the Child Welfare System during the COVID-19 Pandemic.  Poster presented at AUCD National Conference, Washington, DC. 
•  Rao, T., (2022, November).  Understanding Trauma and Its Impact on WIHD’s Clients and Staff.  Workshop presented for WIHD, Virtual. 
•  Rao, T., Reiman, B., Faas, M., Lopreto, J., Rawal, M. and Yablonsky, H.  (2021, November).  A Profile of Young Children in Westchester County Foster Care.  Poster presented at AUCD National Conference, Virtual. 
•  Rao, T. (2021, March).  Building Resilience through Self-Care.  Workshop presented for the Children’s School of Early Development, Virtual. 
•  Rao, T. (2020, February).  Right to Family.  Roundtable Facilitator at the Sixth Annual Disability and Civil Rights Clinic Roundtable, Brooklyn, NY. 
• Rao, T. (2020, January).  The Overlap of Trauma & Developmental Disabilities.  Workshop presented for the Children’s School of Early Development, Ossining, NY. 

•  Rao, T., Weisberg, D., Augsberger, A., Zeitlin,W. (2020).  Supporting parents with intellectual disabilities through community and university collaboration.  Children’s Voice, 29(2), 58-61. 

•  Augsberger, A., Zeitlin, W., Rao, T., Weisberg, D. & Toraif, N. (2020).  Examining a child welfare intervention for parents with intellectual disabilities.  Research on Social Work Practice, 31(1), 65-74. 
• Zeitlin, W., Augsberger, A., Rao, T., Weisberg, D. & Toraif, N. (2020).  Measuring Parenting Skills: Validating the Skills Assessment for Parents with Intellectual Disability. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, DOI: 10.1080/26408066.2020.1830909.
• Rao, T., Reiman, B., & Ausikaitis, A. (2019).  Child welfare caseworkers and children with developmental disabilities: An exploratory study.  Social Work, 64 (2), pp. 131-138.
•  Rao, T.  (2013).  Implementation of an Intensive, Home-Based Program for Parents with Intellectual Disabilities.  Journal of Public Child Welfare, 7:5, 691-706, DOI: 10.1080/15548732.2013.857628.
•  Bonuck K, Rao T, Xu L. Pediatric Sleep Disorders and Special Educational Need at 8 Years: A Population- Based Cohort Study. Pediatrics published online.  September 3, 2012: DOI: 10.1542/peds.2012-0392.