Adrine McKenzie joined the University of Miami in 2008 as a Senior Research Associate in the School of Education where she serves as the Research Director for the Miami SPEC (Strengths, Prevention, Empowerment and Community Change) project. This innovative project, funded by The Children’s Trust aims to transform service delivery towards enhancing the well-being of children and families in the Miami-Dade County.

McKenzie earned her Master’s degree in Community Psychology from Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada and she holds a Ph.D. in School and Child Clinical Psychology from the University of Toronto. She has over 12 years of experience in the areas of community-based research, primary prevention and early intervention programs for minority and low-income children and families. Much of her research has focused on risk and protective factors and their impact on the academic and behavioral outcomes of immigrant and refugee children. As a research coordinator, McKenzie was involved in a study examining the efficacy of an evidence-based program in a non-clinic setting on families of children diagnosed with a disruptive disorder. As a research consultant for the City of Toronto, she has worked on several projects to evaluate and to review school-based nutrition and community-based parenting programs.

In addition to her research experience, McKenzie is a licensed school and clinical psychologist in Ontario, Canada and in Florida who has worked directly with children, adolescents and their families in both hospital clinics and school settings.