Peter is the graduate assistant for the Nebraska Children's Justice and Legal Advocacy Center, working with Dr. Katherine Hazen to evaluate the center's programs and the impact on juvenile court advocacy across Nebraska. His program advisor is Dr. Soo-Young Hong.

Peter began his professional career in clinical nursing practice but soon realized that the most detrimental consequences of the civil war and deadly Ebola virus disease (EVD) on the well-being of the Liberian people were not physical, but rather mental health issues, with children being especially at risk. This realization has shifted his interest toward child development and early childhood education , where he seeks to promote children’s healthy growth and development by striving to create a safe, stable, and nurturing care environment where they can thrive. His research interests center around children’s mental health, attachment, the generational transmission of adverse childhood experiences, and their effects on children’s social-emotional development and academic achievement.

Awards

1. Israeli Government International MA Scholarship program for developing countries, University of Haifa, Israel.
2. The Two Lilies Foundation Scholarship to attend the International Step by Step Association “2019 Nurturing Care Conference” in Leiden, the Netherlands.
3. Scholarship to attend the 7^th annual Leadership in Mental Health Course for WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region at American University in Cairo, Egypt.

Conference Participation

1. The International Step by Step Association (ISSA) “2019 Nurturing Care” Conference, Leiden, the Netherlands
2. The 2020 Donald J. Cohen Fellowship Program for the International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professionals (IACAPAP), Singapore
3. The 1^st and 3^rd International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA), 2021, 2023

Highlighted Publications & Presentations

Stephens, M. T., Juniastuti, J., Sulistiawati, S., Dossen, P. C., (2024). The potential risk components and prevention measures of the Ebola virus disease outbreak in Liberia: An in-depth interview with the health workers and stakeholders. Belitung Nursing Journal. https://doi.org/10.33546/bnj.3069

Education

BSc, Nursing, William V. S. Tubman University, Liberia

MA, Child Development, University of Haifa, Israel