Biography
Walter S. Gilliam is the Elizabeth Mears & House Jameson Professor of Child Psychiatry and Psychology at the Yale Child Study Center and Director of Yale’s Edward Zigler Center in Child Development and Social Policy. Dr. Gilliam is Vice President of ZERO TO THREE, a past president of Child Care Aware of America; board Treasurer for the Irving Harris Foundation, and a board director for First Children’s Finance, and All Our Kin; and a former Senior Advisor to the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Dr. Gilliam is co-recipient of the prestigious 2008 Grawemeyer Award in Education for the coauthored book, A Vision for Universal Preschool Education. His research and scholarly writing address early childhood care and education, early childhood mental health, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and adults in early care and education, school readiness, developmental assessment of young children, and race and gender disparities in early childhood, as well as issues of COVID-19 transmission, vaccination, and health and safety promotion in early childhood settings. He is most known for his work on preschool expulsion and suspension, early childhood mental health consultation, and race and gender bias in early childhood settings. His work frequently has been covered in major national and international news outlets, and he actively provides consultation to state and federal decision-makers.
