April Wilson is a developmental researcher who focuses on identifying factors that promote high-quality coparenting, romantic, and parent-child relationships. Dr. Wilson brings over a decade of experience leading research, evaluations, implementation studies, and training and technical assistance to strengthen programs, policies, and practices that enhance family relationships. She has led numerous studies of Healthy Marriage and Relationship Education programs, fatherhood programs, home visiting programs, and other parenting programs. Dr. Wilson also specializes in programmatic, policy, and system-level efforts to prevent and address family violence.

Dr. Wilson currently serves as the research vice president at Child Trends. Additionally, Dr. Wilson is a lead on a project designed to identify the specific elements of relationship education programs that lead to positive relationship outcomes, and she is a senior advisor on a project that aims to prevent and address domestic violence in these programs. Dr. Wilson also serves as the research director for the Home Visiting Assessments of Implementation Quality project, which is conducting three national studies to determine how high-quality implementation of family voice, racial equity, and supervision supports can strengthen family outcomes. Dr. Wilson’s work has been funded by numerous federal agencies (e.g., OPRE, HRSA, OCSS, FYSB, OAH), state agencies, community-based programs, and advocacy organizations.

Dr. Wilson has led qualitative and quantitative studies; implementation and outcomes evaluations; research to support continuous quality improvements; and precision studies designed to answer— “What works for whom and in what context(s)?” She has presented her work for federal and state agencies, at numerous conferences, and for practitioner and advocacy group convenings; she also provided expert testimony on linking research to policies that affect families. Dr. Wilson’s research has been published as reports or briefs for legislators, various federal and state agencies, as well as in peer–reviewed journals. She has also developed tip sheets, practice briefs, and other short products for programmatic audiences.