Brilliant, witty, and down to earth, Mark was a beloved husband, father, colleague, mentor, and
friend.
He was born in Oklahoma City to Bill and Jolene Chaffin. Mark grew up in Verden, Oklahoma with his sister, Susan Babcock. He was a Sooner–a sports fan and he obtained all of his college degrees from the University of Oklahoma.
Mark married Barbara Ann in 1982. Together they raised Roxanne Chaffin. Mark had enthusiasm for many aspects of life, including bikes (motorized and not), cooking, sports, coffee, home repair, manhattans, methodology, and implementation science. However, he glowed the brightest when asked about Roxanne.
After working many years as a direct service provider, Dr. Chaffin served as faculty for 18 years at the Center on Child Abuse and Neglect at the OU Health Sciences Center. As Director of Research, he conducted critical implementation studies in child maltreatment. In 2014, Dr. Chaffin retired and accepted a position as Professor of Public Health at Georgia State University. His move stemmed in part from a desire to have population level impact of his work.
Mark will be dearly remembered for:
- Knowing something about absolutely everything,
- Conducting research that matters,
- His ability to take complex issues, reach the core of what really matters, and then effectively communicate the message to the public,
- His thought provoking “rants”,
- His core ethics and need to do what is right, and
- His quick wit, including his opinions on sandals in the work place.
Mark, you made the world a better place. Thank you for the cherished memories. You are missed.
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