Robert Gallen Receives Ron Cowell Award for Excellence

Honors excellence in service to young children with disabilities and their families

Dr. Robert Gallen, associate professor of practice at the University of Pittsburgh School of Education, was honored with the 2025 Ron Cowell Award for Excellence during the State Interagency Coordinating Council (SICC) meeting on April 3, 2025. The award recognizes his outstanding contributions to early intervention and infant mental health in Pennsylvania.

During the virtual ceremony, the award’s namesake, former Pennsylvania State Rep. Ron Cowell praised Gallen’s contributions to the field. “I’m always proud and honored to have my name be associated with this award, but I’m especially proud to be associated, even in a small way, with the good work that you have done and continue to do,” he said

Gallen has been instrumental in developing infant mental health programs and practices that have transformed the field across Pennsylvania. His work emphasizes the importance of relationships in early intervention.

Deb Noel, a colleague at the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning, noted that he “has helped early intervention providers, parents, and policymakers to see the importance of relationships,” adding that “relationships have always been at the heart of our early intervention work, but Gallen has been able to make the focus on relationships an intentional practice.”

Brandy Fox, director of cross sector infant/early childhood mental health Initiatives at Pennsylvania Key, highlighted Gallen’s dedication to developing the workforce: “He loves the workforce that supports them,as dedicated years and years of efforts…to create systems and structures to support our workers. We would not have an infant mental health organization without Robert.”

In a video message played during the award call, Shannon Wanless, director of the Office of Child Development at the University of Pittsburgh School of Education, expressed her admiration for Gallen as a colleague.

“You inspire me. You have maintained your enthusiasm, your passion, your commitment, your uncanny ability to blend practice, lived experience, with the research, and a respect for the science truly instills in our students and the field in Pennsylvania and beyond a commitment to keep the work going, no matter what.”

“We don’t do this work alone. We do it together.”

In his acceptance speech, a verklempt Gallen expressed his gratitude. “We don’t do this work alone. We do it together. We’re fueled by hope, strengthened by the relationships that we have, and I’m honored to have walked this path with you,” he said.

Gallen’s contributions include co-founding the Pennsylvania Association for Infant Mental Health, developing accessible educational programs for early childhood professionals such as a non-credit course at the School of Education, and establishing a credentialing system for the field. His work integrates relationships into early intervention.

“I think this work is based on hope and relationships,” Gallen said during his acceptance speech. “Hope is inherent in what we do every time we go into a home, meet a family, work with a young child. We hold the hope that we can help, that this child, this caregiver, this family can truly thrive no matter where they’re starting from.”