The Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma was founded at the
University of Washington in 1999 to nurture innovation in ethical reporting on victims of violence and tragedy. Among its founders were Roger Simpson, a professor of communication at UW and the center's director until 2006; Shapiro, the center's executive director from 2006 to 2025;
Frank Ochberg, a psychiatrist and authority on
post traumatic stress disorder, and Elana Newman, a psychologist specializing in traumatic stress. It was named for its principal funder, the Dart Foundation. The Dart Center re-located to
Columbia University in the spring of 2009. Among the Dart Center's programs were the annual
Dart Center Awards for Excellence in Reporting on Trauma (given annually since 1994) and the fellowship program, called after one of its founders
Frank Ochberg which is aimed at mid career journalists who want to deepen their knowledge of emotional trauma and improve coverage of violence, conflict and tragedy, among whom six to ten journalists are selected every year to attend an intensive weeklong seminar program, including discussions with journalist colleagues, and the annual conference of the
International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. As of July 2025, more than 250 journalists had been selected for
Dart Center Ochberg Fellowship. The Dart Center also encouraged and led research on the psychological impact of reporting traumatic events on journalists, and encouraged the development of training and support programs at leading news organizations around the world. Its affiliate Dart Centre in Europe developed programs for the BBC and other news organizations. Dart Centre Asia Pacific worked actively with journalists in Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Cambodia and elsewhere in the region, and pioneering newsroom peer support programs. ==References==