Peter Wyman, Ph.D.

Contact Information

Phone Numbers

Appointment: (585) 276-3000

A member of the University of Rochester Medical Faculty Group

An Accountable Health Partner

Accepting New Patients

Locations

University of Rochester Medical Center
School of Medicine and Dentistry
601 Elmwood Ave, Box PSYCH
Rochester, NY 14642

Faculty Appointments

Professor - Department of Psychiatry , Child & Adoles Serv (SMD)

Biography

Professional Background

Peter A. Wyman, PhD., is Professor and Director of the School and Community-Based Prevention Laboratory (Department of Psychiatry), University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. Wyman develops and tests interventions that prevent mental, emotional and behavioral problems, focused on underserved youth populations. Since 2006, Wyman has led randomized trials of Sources of Strength, a universal, school-based suicide prevention program preparing adolescent key opinion leaders to disseminate through their natural social networks practices that enhance adaptive social ties and healthy coping (NIH-NIMH funded). Wyman's research group is currently developing and testing other key opinion leader interventions focused on preventing substance use initiation among early adolescents and suicidal behavior among military personnel (Department of Defense funded). Another interest is on methods for testing community based prevention programs that address scientific needs and community needs to address sensitive and pressing problems such as youth suicide. Wyman was an expert panelist for the National Institute of Mental Health-National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention in 2013, has served on the scientific advisory board of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention since 2005, and is faculty on the Injury Control Research Center for Suicide (ICRC-S) funded by the CDC (E Caine, PI). In 2012 Wyman received the Excellence in Suicide Prevention Award from the Suicide Prevention Center of New York State.

Credentials

Education

1979
| Connecticut College

1984
MA | Univ. of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry

Post-doctoral Training & Residency

09/01/1986 - 06/30/1988
Fellowship in Psychology at University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry

Awards

1985
Distinction for Ph.D. Comprehensive Examinations, University of Rochester

1982 - 1983
NIMH Research Fellowship (merit-based)

1982
Magna Cum Laude, Columbia College, Columbia University, New York, NY

1979
Cleveland Foundation Research Award (merit based)

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Clinical Trials

Testing Peer-led Network Intervention to Prevent Adolescent Vaping

Lead Researcher: Peter Wyman

Rates of adolescent vaping are increasing rapidly. Current high school student use of electronic vaping products (EVPs) rose from 1.5% in 2011 to 20.8% in 2018 - an increase from 220,000 to 3.05 million adolescent users. Effective, school-based interventions are urgently needed to protect adolescents from initiating or continuing use of electronic vaping products (EVPs). This study leverages a state-supported prevention initiative to test the effectiveness of a promising intervention that trains 8th-9th grade student peer leaders to deliver school-wide vaping prevention campaigns with ongoing adult mentoring. If study hypotheses are supported, the study will provide the first evidence of a school-based preventive intervention that reduces adolescent vaping behaviors, as well as insight into how peer communications can be harnessed to prevent vaping.

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Publications

Journal Articles

5/16/2022
Pickering TA, Wyman PA, Valente TW. "A comparison of peer change agent selection methods: Evidence from a high-school based suicide preventive intervention." BMC public health.. 2022 May 16; 22(1):985. Epub 2022 May 16.

1/22/2022
Wyman PA, Pickering TA, Pisani AR, Cero I, Yates B, Schmeelk-Cone K, Hendricks Brown C, Gibbons RD, Simonson J, Pflanz SE. "Wingman-Connect Program increases social integration for Air Force personnel at elevated suicide risk: Social network analysis of a cluster RCT." Social science & medicine.. 2022 Jan 22; 296:114737. Epub 2022 Jan 22.

9/3/2021
Espelage DL, Rulison KL, Ingram KM, Valido A, Schmeelk-Cone K, Wyman PA. "Social Networks of Adolescent Sexual Violence Perpetrators: Peer Friendship and Trusted Adult Characteristics." Prevention science : the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research.. 2021 Sep 3; Epub 2021 Sep 03.

Books & Chapters

2004
Chapter Title: Translating research on resilience into school-based prevention: Program components and preliminary outcomes from the Promoting Resilient Children Initiative (PRCI).
Book Title: Community Planning to Foster Resilience in Children
Author List: Wyman, P.A., *Cross, W.C., & Barry, J
Published By: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers. 2004 in New York

2003
Chapter Title: Emerging perspectives on context-specificity of children's adaptation and resilience: Evidence from a decade of research with urban children in adversity.
Book Title: In S. Luthar (Ed.), Resilience and vulnerability: Adaptation in the context of
Author List: Wyman, P.A.
Published By: Cambridge University Press. 2003 in New York

2002
Chapter Title: A partnership between a school prevention program and state office of mental health: Towards a sustainable prevention-treatment continuum.
Book Title: In Prevention-treatment continuum in the public mental health system.
Author List: Wyman, P. A. and *Cross, W
Published By: Center for Mental Health Services (SAMHSA). 2002 in Washington, DC

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