Translational Research Because People’s Lives Depend on It: Reflections from 36 Years at Cornell

This is the kickoff for the Talks at Twelve Series from the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research (BCTR).

Jennifer Tiffany will reflect on and draw examples from her 36-year career leading programs at Cornell, highlighting approaches that offer inspiration and potential pathways forward in these times. This talk will focus on community-engaged translational research with an emphasis on infrastructures supporting sustained partnerships that put communities first while also honoring academic expertise.

 Jennifer Tiffany began her work at Cornell in June 1989. Building on her experience coordinating AIDS Work of Tompkins County, she was hired to develop and direct a Parent HIV/AIDS Education Project in the College of Human Ecology, called Talking with Kids about HIV/AIDS (Hablando con los ninos sobre el SIDA). It was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the New York State Department of Health’s AIDS Institute and had statewide reach via educators based in Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) offices throughout the state. Funded by New York state through 2011, the project won numerous state and federal awards.

 Jennifer’s participatory research work has been supported by UNICEF, the National Institutes of Health, and other institutions and has been presented and published widely. Jennifer served on the committee that developed plans for the BCTR and served as the BCTR’s director of community engagement and as CCE’s associate director (Human Ecology) beginning in 2011. She served as the executive director of Cornell University Cooperative Extension’s NYC Programs (CUCE-NYC) from 2013 until 2025 and is a member of the Action Research Collaborative (ARC). Jennifer holds a Ph.D. in city and regional planning. She retired from Cornell in June 2025.