Sep 1, 2004 -- David Pelcovitz's fascination with the complexities of parenting, adolescent development, and other child-related issues underscores a passion for making lives whole, especially in times of crisis and trauma. Joining Yeshiva University this fall as professor of education and psychology at the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration, Dr. Pelcovitz looks forward to using "teaching" and "discovery" to improve the quality of life for people in distress. He will teach courses on developmental psychology and psycho-social issues in the Jewish community to Azrieli students, as well as pastoral counseling and family education at YU's Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. He will also serve as special assistant to the president on issues important to Jewish life. We caught up with Dr. Pelcovitz outside his Belfer Hall office, where he talked about his goals and aspirations. What attracted you to YU? The exciting challenge of building something important and lasting for the Jewish community, the training of quality Jewish teachers, educators, and rabbis, which makes Azrieli and RIETS such special institutions, and to be doing so under the umbrella of Yeshiva University. For me, YU represents an incredible opportunity for personal and professional growth. What goals are you setting for yourself? My hope is to help broaden the scope of Azrieli's already strong curriculum and outstanding faculty—educating our educators to become more attuned to the urgent needs of youth at risk. The classroom is the ideal place for synergy between psychology and education. Where do you feel you will have the most impact? I want to bring to my courses real-life experience that comes from my years working with parents, teachers, principals, and others in addressing children in crisis. I want to expose rabbinic students to hospice programs and bring in bereavement counselors as guest speakers. Can you define children at risk? These are young people who come from broken homes and dysfunctional families and often carry the scars of an unsettled home-life well into adulthood. I've spent much of my career helping create programs that emphasize parent-training to foster a more effective home-school relationship. The idea is to step in with help before student anger finds its outlet in tragedies like school violence. Can you talk about your work at Ohel in the wake of 9/11? It was at Ohel Family and Children's Services that I helped set up programs for families impacted by the September 11 terror attacks. These included education, outreach, and supportive counseling for related trauma and its aftermath. Are you continuing your clinical work? Every Friday afternoon, I gather with my former colleagues at North Shore University Hospital-NYU School of Medicine [where Dr. Pelcovitz worked and taught before YU] for research into post-traumatic stress disorder, with the hope of eventually producing data for future doctoral dissertations by Azrieli graduates. As a highly respected child psychologist, who are your mentors? At the top of the list is my father, Rabbi Raphael Pelcovitz, whose insights and wisdom on the Torah's approach to child-rearing served as a role model for fatherhood and was the inspiration behind my book, The Parenting Path. I hope to collaborate with him on a more expansive version of the book.