Science of the Positive

As the Director and Chief Research Scientist at The Montana Institute, Dr. Jeff Linkenbach has developed national award-winning programs that change community norms. Jeff holds a Doctor of Education with a focus on community education, a master’s degree in counseling and has over the past 30 years of experience in public health leadership. He is a co-investigator of the HOPE (Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences) study at the HOPE Center at Tufts School of Medicine and a past Fellow at the Mansfield Academy for Global Leadership at The University of Montana.

In 1998, Jeff created the National Conference on The Social Norms Approach to Prevention, which has since transformed into the renowned Montana Summer Institute on Positive Community Norms. Jeff also founded the Center for Health & Safety Culture at the Western Transportation Institute and is the developer of the Science of the Positive and Positive Community Norms frameworks, which have been utilized by tribal, federal, state, and local organizations to achieve positive change and transformation around issues such as child maltreatment, substance abuse, suicide and traffic safety.

Jeff is known for translating social norms science into practical applications and has trained others to implement effective norms interventions across North America. For the past sixteen years, he has led Positive Community Norms implementation across the state of Minnesota, which has resulted in significant reductions in teen alcohol and other substance abuse. Jeff was a member of the Center for Disease Control & Prevention’s Knowledge-to-Action (K2A) think tank on Essentials for Childhood and was commissioned by the CDC to write a supplemental paper on Promoting Positive Community Norms. He has served as a consultant and trainer for numerous prestigious organizations such as the U.S. White House (Office of National Drug Control Policy), the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration, The Canadian Agriculture Safety Association, The U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, Harvard University, The American Medical Association, The National Football League, and many others.