University of Cincinnati Department of Pediatrics

Dennis Drotar, PhD

Title

Director of the Center for Adherence and Self-Management

Appointment

Professor

Email

dennis.drotar@cchmc.org

Phone

513-636-3936

Fax

513-803-0415

Bio

Visit Dr. Drotar's Lab site

Dennis Drotar, PhD, is professor in the Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology and director of the new Center for Adherence and Self-Management.

The center will have both research and clinical components. The research component will focus on identifying the best methods to help families follow prescribed treatment (adherence) and to manage their treatment at home (self-management). The clinical component will focus on developing systems to embed the best adherence promotion interventions into clinical care to improve medical and quality of life outcomes.

Dr. Drotar comes to Cincinnati from Cleveland, Ohio, where he was chief of the Division of Behavioral Pediatrics and Psychology at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital. A nationally recognized leader and teacher, Dr. Drotar is a past president of the Society of Pediatric Psychology (SPP) and is currently editor of the Journal of Pediatric Psychology. Among his many professional honors, Dr. Drotar has received the Distinguished Service Award, the Distinguished Research Contribution Award, and the Martin P. Levin Mentorship Award from the SPP.

Dr. Drotar's research focuses on understanding the factors that influence psychological outcomes of children and teens with chronic physical illness, including cystic fibrosis, diabetes, asthma and cancer. He is currently the principal investigator of several NIH-funded studies and is the author of more than 200 publications, including several books, most recently Psychological Interventions in Childhood Chronic Illness (2006).

"We are absolutely delighted to have recruited Denny Drotar to Cincinnati Children's," says Lori Stark, PhD, director of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology. "He is one of the most distinguished pediatric psychologists in America. His expertise and the established research programs he brings to Cincinnati will strengthen our division and will help us improve outcomes for children and families across the community."

Center for Adherence Promotion and Self-Management

Visit the Center for Adherence Promotion and Self-Management Web site.

Credentials

PhD: Clinical Psychology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, 1970

MA: Psychology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, 1968

BA: Psychology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 1966

Awards and Honors

Martin P. Levin Award for Distinguished Mentoring, Society of Pediatric Psychology, Division 54
Calvin Woodruff Award for Research in Child Nutrition, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Department of Child Health
Distinguished Research Contribution Award, Society of Pediatric Psychology
Fellow, American Association of Applied and Preventive Psychology
Distinguished Service Award, Society of Pediatric Psychology

Research

Identifying best methods to help families follow prescribed treatment (adherence) and to manage their treatment at home (self-management); understanding the factors that influence psychological outcomes of children and teens with chronic physical illness, including cystic fibrosis, diabetes, asthma and cancer

Presentations

Behavioral Approaches to Enhance Treatment Adherence in Personalized and Predictive Medicine (PPM): Empirical Evidence and Future Directions. Presentation to Children's Hospital Medical Center Faculty, April, 2008

Building a Collaborative Research Agenda to Promote Treatment Adherence. Presentation at University of Cincinnati, Institute for the Study of Health. March 2008

Promoting Adherence to Treatment in Pediatric Chronic Conditions: Current Models and Future Directions. Presentation at Children's Hospital Medical Center, January, 2008

Strategies Utilized To Promote Adherence in Patients with Other Pediatric Chronic Illnesses: Some Lessons to be Learned, Presentation at: Non-adherence Consensus Conference. Tampa, Florida. January 2008

Faculty Cross Talk: Building a Collaborative Research and Clinical Care Agenda to Promote Treatment Adherence. Presentation to Children's Hospital Medical Center Faculty, December 2007

Changing Systems of Care to Promote Adherence to Treatment. Presentation at conference: Adherence to Medical and Behavioral Interventions. University of Buffalo, October 2007

Publications, Most Recent

Pai, A.L., Greenley, R.N., Lewandowski, A., Drotar, D., Youngstrom, E., & Peterson, C.C. (in press). Parent functioning in pediatric cancer. Journal of Family Psychology.

Hart, C.N. & Drotar, D. (in press). Maternal knowledge of nutrition, problem-solving abilities and the introduction of complementary foods into infants' diets.Early Child Development and Care.

Josie, K.L., Peterson, C.C., Burant, C., Drotar, D., Stancin, T., Wade, S.L., Yeates, K., & Taylor, H.G. (in press). Predicting family burden following traumatic brain injury: A cumulative risk approach.Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation.

Zebracki, K., & Drotar, D. (in press). Pain and activity limitations in children with Duchenne or Becker muscular dystrophy. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology.

Peterson, C.C., Johnson, C.E., Ramirez, L.Y., Huestis, S., Pai, A.L.H., Demaree, H., H., & Drotar, D. (in press). A meta-analysis of the neuropsychological sequelae of chemotherapy-only treatment for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Pediatric Blood and Cancer.

Kahana, S., Frazier, T., & Drotar, D. (in press). Preliminary quantitative investigation of predictors of treatment nonadherence in pediatric organ transplantation: a brief report. Pediatric Transplantation.

Kahana, S., Frazier, T., & Drotar, D. (in press). Meta analysis of psychological interventions to promote adherence to treatment in pediatric chronic health conditions. Journal of Pediatric Psychology.

Greenley, R.N., Josie, K.L., Drotar, D. (in press). Self-reported quality of life among inner city youth with asthma, an empirical examination of the PedsQL 3.0.Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

Townsend, L., Demeter, C.A., Youngstrom, E.A., Drotar, D., & Findling, R.L. (in press). Family conflict moderates response to pharmacological intervention in pediatric bipolar disorder. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology.

Hart, C.N., Kelleher, K.J., Drotar, D., & Scholle, S.H. (in press). Parent-provider communication and parental satisfaction with care of children with psychosocial problems. Patient Education and Counseling.

Josie, K.L., Greenley, R.N., & Drotar, D. (in press). Cumulative risk and asthma outcomes in inner-city African American youth.Journal of Asthma.

Spilsbury, J.C., Drotar, D., Rosen, C.L., & Redline, S. (in press). The Cleveland Adolescent Sleepiness Questionnaire: A new measure to assess excessive daytime sleepiness in adolescents. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.

Pai., A.L.H., Drotar, D., Kodish, E. (in press). Correspondence between objective and subjective reports of adherence among adolescents with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Children's Health Care.

Schwartz, L., & Drotar, D. (in press). Defining the nature and impact of goals in children and adolescents with a chronic health condition. A review of research and a theoretical framework.Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings.

Spilsbury, J.C., Belliston, L., Drotar, D., Drinkard, A.., Kretschmar, J., Creeden, R., Flannery, D.L., & Friedman, S. (in press). Clinically significant trauma symptoms and behavioral problems in a community-based sample of children exposed to domestic violence. Journal of Family Violence.

Spilsbury, J.C., Storfer-Isser, A., Kirchner, H.L., Nelson, L., Rosen, C.L., Drotar, D., & Redline, S. (in press). Neighborhood disadvantage as a risk factor for pediatric obstructive sleep apnea. Journal of Pediatrics.

Spilsbury, J., Storfer-Isser, A., Drotar, D., Rosen, C.L., Kirchner, H.L., & Redline, S. (in press). Effects of the home environment on school-aged children's sleep.Sleep.

Wade, S., Taylor, H.G., Drotar, D., Stancin, T., Yeates, K.O., & Minich, N.M. (in press). Interpersonal stressors and resources as predictors of family adaptation following pediatric traumatic injury. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.

Modi, A.C., Marciel, K.K., Slater, S.K., Drotar, D., & Quittner, A.L. (2008). The influence of parental supervision on medical adherence in pre and late-adolescents with cystic fibrosis: Developmental shifts from early to late adolescence.Children's Health Care. 37, 78-92.

Spilsbury, James C., Kahana, Shoshana, Drotar, Dennis, Creeden, Rosemary, Friedman, Steve, and Flannery, Daniel, J. (2008). Profiles of behavioral problems in children who witness domestic violence. Violence and Victims, 23, 3-17.

Josie, K.I., Greenley, R.N., & Drotar, D. (2007). Health-related quality-of-life measures for children with asthma: reliability and validity of the Children's Health Survey for Asthma and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 3.0 Asthma Module.Annals of Allergy Asthma Immunology. 98: 218-24.

Hazen, R., Greenley, R.N., Drotar, D., Kodish, E. (2007). Recommending randomized trials for pediatric leukemia: observer and physician report of recommendations. Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics, 2, 49-55.

Wightman, A., Schluchter, M., Drotar, D., Andreais, L., Taylor, H.T., Klein, N., Wilson-Costello, D., & Hack, M. (2007). Parental protection of extremely low birth weight children at age 8 years.Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 28, 317-326.

Pai, A.L.H., Mullins, L.L., Drotar, D., Burant, C., Wagner, J., & Chaney, J.M. (2007). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of the child uncertainty in illness scale among children with chronic illness. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 32, 288-297.

Pai, A.L.H., Neff-Greenley, R., Lewandowski, A., Drotar, D., Youngstrom, E., & Peterson, C.C. (2007). A meta-analytic review of the influence of pediatric cancer on parent and family functioning.Journal of Family Psychology, 21, 407-415.

Miller, V.A., & Drotar, D. (2007). Decision-making competence and adherence to treatment in adolescents with diabetes.Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 32, 178-188.

Hart, C., Drotar, D., & Lewin, L. (2007). Enhancing parent-provider communication. An intervention with pediatric residents.Patient Education and Counseling, 63, 38-46.

Hazen, R., Drotar, D., & Kodish, E. (2007). The role of the consent document for pediatric leukemia trials.Contemporary Clinical Trials, 28, 401-408.

Drotar, D., Greenley, R.N., Demeter, C.A., McNamara, N.K., Stansbrey, R.J., Calabrese, J.R., Stange, J., Vijay, P., & Findling, R.L. (2007). Adherence to pharmacological treatment for juvenile bipolar disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 46, 831-839.

Lewandowski, A., & Drotar, D. (2007). The relationship of parent-reported social support, conflict, discrepancy in decision-making autonomy and adolescent adherence to medical treatment in families of adolescents with type 1 diabetes.Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 427-436.

Greenley, R.N., Taylor, H.G.., Drotar, D., & Minnich, N.M. (2007). Longitudinal relationships between early adolescent family functioning and youth adjustment: An examination of the moderating role of very low birth weight.Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 32, 453-462.

Cunningham, C., Drotar, D., Palermo, T.M., McGowan, K., & Arendt, R. (2007). Health-related quality of life in children and adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease.Children's Health Care, 36, 29-43.

Pai, A.L.H., Drotar, D., Zebracki, K., Moore, M., & Youngstrom, E. (2006). A meta-analysis of the effects of psychological interventions in pediatric oncology on outcomes of psychological distress and adjustment.Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 31, 978-988.

Hart, C.N., & Drotar, D. (2006). Maternal knowledge of nutrition, problem-solving abilities, and the introduction of complementary foods into infants diets.Early Child Development and Care, 176, 693-705

Taylor, H.G., Klein, N., Drotar, D., Schluchter, M., & Hack, M. (2006). Consequences and risks of < 1000-g birth weight for neuropsychological skills, achievement, and adaptive functioning.Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 27, 459-469.

Hoff, A.L., Palermo, T.M., Schluchter, M., Zebracki, K., & Drotar, D. (2006). Longitudinal relationships of depressive symptoms to pain intensity and functional disability among children with disease-related pain.Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 31, 1046-1056.

Kahana, S.Y., Feeny, N.C., Youngstrom, E.A., Drotar, D. (2006). Posttraumatic stress in youth experiencing illnesses and injuries: An exploratory meta-analysis. Traumatology, 12, 1-14.

Greenley, R.N., Josie, K.L., & Drotar, D. (2006). Perceived involvement in condition management among inner city youth with asthma and their primary caregivers.Journal of Asthma, 43, 1-7.

Witherspoon, D., & Drotar, D. (2006). Correlates of adherence to prophylactic penicillin therapy in children with sickle cell disease.Children's Health Care, 35, 281-296.

Peterson, C.C., & Drotar, D. (2006). Family impact of neurodevelopmental late effects in survivors of pediatric cancer: Review of research, clinical evidence, and future directions.Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 11, 349-366.

Opipari-Arrigan, L., Stark, L., & Drotar, D. (2006). Benchmarks for work performance in pediatric psychologists. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 31, 630-642.

Drotar, D., Hack, M., Taylor, G., Schluchter, M., Andreias, L., & Klein, N. (2006). The impact of extremely low birthweight on the families of school-age children.Pediatrics, 117, 2005-2118.

Schwartz, L., & Drotar, D. (2006). Posttraumatic stress and related impairment in survivors of childhood cancer in early adulthood compared to healthy peers.Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 31, 356-366.

Cotton, S., Zebracki, K., Rosenthal, S.L., Tsevat, J., & Drotar, D. (2006). Religion/spirituality and adolescent health outcomes: A review. Journal of Adolescent Health, 38, 472-480.

Bagenda, D., Nassali, A., Kalyesubula, I., Sherman, B., Drotar, D., Boivin, M., & Olness, K. (2006). Health, neurological, and cognitive status of HIV infected, long surviving, and ARV naïve Ugandan children.Pediatrics, 116, 729-740.

Walders, N., Kercsmar, C., Schluchter, M., Redline, S., Kirchner, H.L., & Drotar, D. (2006). An interdisciplinary intervention for under-treated pediatric asthma. Chest, 129, 292-299.

Drotar, D., Schwartz, L., Palermo, T., & Burant, C. (2006). Factor structure of the Child Health Questionnaire-Parent Form in pediatric populations. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 31, 127-138.

Drotar, D., Greenley, R., Hoff, A., Johnson, C., Lewandowski, A., Moore, M., Spilsbury, J.,Witherspoon, D., & Zebracki, K. (2006). Summary of issues and challenges in the use of new technologies in clinical care and with children and adolescents with chronic illness. Children's Health Care, 35, 91-102.

Greenley, G.N., Drotar, D., Zyzanski, S.J., & Kodish, E. (2006). Stability of parental understanding of random assignment in childhood leukemia trials: An empirical examination of informed consent. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 24, 891-897.

Traore, F., O'Riordan, M., Myers, C., Groth, K., Hoff, A., Angiolillo, A., Rheingold, S., Drotar, D., & Kodish, E. (2006). How low is too low? Use of cluster analysis to define low levels of mercaptopurine metabolites.Pediatric Blood and Cancer, 46, 187-192

Editorials / Commentaries, Most Recent

Drotar, D. (2005). Critique 1: Parental treatment decision making in pediatric oncology.Seminars in Oncology Nursing, 21, 98-100.

Drotar, D. (2005). Commentary: Randomized controlled trials of psychological interventions with pediatric populations: The time has come and the Journal of Pediatric Psychology is ready.Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 30, 409-412.

Drotar, D., & Palermo, T. (2005). Commentary: Conducting randomized controlled trials of psychological treatment to improve the outcomes of recurrent abdominal pain: Contributions and challenges.Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 30, 449-452.

Drotar, D. (2005). Commentary: Involving families in psychological interventions in pediatric psychology: Critical needs and dilemmas.Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 30, 689-693.

Drotar, D. (2006). Introduction to the Special Issue: Innovations in the use of technologies in research and clinical care for children and adolescents with chronic health conditions.Children's Health Care, 35, 1-3.

Drotar, D., & Schwartz, L. (2006). Commentary: Warner, L.J., Lumley, M.A., Casey, R.J., Pierantoni, W., Salazar, R., Zoratt, E.M., Enberg, R., & Simon, M.R. Health effets of written emotional disclosure in adolescents with asthma: A randomized controlled trial.Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 31, 569-573.

Drotar, D. (2006). Commentary: Revising behavioral family systems therapy to enhance treatment adherence and metabolic control in adolescents with type 1 diabetes.Journal of Pediatric Psychology,31, 939-944.

Drotar, D. (2008). Thoughts on establishing research significance and preserving scientific integrity. Journal of Pediatric Psychology. 33, 1-5.

Drotar, D. (2008). Acknowledging the extraordinary service and contributions of the editorial board for the journal. Journal of Pediatric Psychology. 33, 109.

Papers Presented to Scientific and Professional Organizations, Most Recent

Drotar, D. (2005, April). Pediatric Psychology and Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics: Collaborative Challenges and Opportunities. Invited Address. Great Lakes Regional Conference on Child Health, Columbus, Ohio.

Drotar, D., Banez, G., Peterson, C., Stork, L.J., & Young-Saleme, T. (2005, April). Developing Multidisciplinary Clinical Care in Pediatric Settings. Great Lakes Regional Conference on Child Health, Columbus, Ohio.

Drotar, D. (2005, June). Quality of Life in Clinical Care and Research with Children with Chronic Health Conditions. Invited Presentation, Children's Hospital of Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Drotar, D. (2005, August). Challenges and Lessons Learned in Research and Clinical Care with Children with Chronic Illness. Presidential Address: Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association, Washington, D.C.

Drotar, D. (2005, August). Leading a Pediatric Medical Division: Challenges and Opportunities. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association, Washington, D.C.

Sices, L., Haverkos, L., Iever-Landis, C., & Drotar, D. (2005, September). Mentored Career Development Awards (K Grants): Practical Information for Students, Fellows, and Junior Faculty Considering a Research Career. Presented at Annual Meeting of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, San Diego, CA.

Drotar, D. (2006, February). Presentation at National Institutes of Health of Investigators funded under RFA: Overcoming barriers to treatment adherence in minorities and persons living in poverty, Bethesda, MD.

Professional Organization Memberships

Association of Medical School Professors of Psychology
National Association of Children's Hospital
American Academy of Pediatrics
Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics
Society of Pediatric Psychology

Books

Drotar, D. (Ed.) (1985). New directions in failure to thrive: Implications for research and practice, New York: Plenum Press.

Drotar, D. (1995). Consulting with pediatricians: psychological perspectives, New York: Plenum.

Wolraich, M.L., Felice, ME., and Drotar, D. (Eds.). (1996). The classification of child and adolescent mental diagnoses in primary care. Diagnostic and statistical manual for primary care (DSM-PC). Child and Adolescent Version. Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics.

Drotar, D. (Ed.). (1998). Measuring health related quality of life in children and adolescents: Implications for research and practice. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Drotar, D. (Ed.). (2000). Conducting research in pediatric and clinical child psychology. A handbook of practical strategies and methods. New York: Kluwer Academic/ Plenum Press.

Drotar, D. (Ed.). (2000). Promoting adherence to medical treatment in childhood chronic illness: Concepts, methods, and interventions. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Drotar, D. (2006). Psychological interventions in childhood chronic illness. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.

Wolraich, M., Drotar, D., Dworkin, P., & Perrin, E. (2008). Developmental-behavioral pediatrics: evidence and practice. Philadelphia: Elsevier.

Book Chapters, Most Recent

Drotar, D. (2004). Health status and quality of life. In S. Naar-King, Ellis, D.A., & Frey, M.A. Assessing children's well being. A handbook of measures (pp. 104). Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Drotar, D., Sturner, R., & Nobile, C. (2004). Diagnosing and managing behavioral and developmental problems in primary care: Applications of the DSM-PC. In B.G. Wildman & T. Stancin (Eds.). Treating children's psychosocial problems in primary care (pp.191-224). Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.

Wolraich, M.L., & Drotar, D., (2008). Diagnostic classification systems. In Wolraich, M.L., Dworkin, P., Drotar, D., & Perrin, E., (Eds.). Developmental - behavioral pediatrics: Evidence and Practice. (p p.109-122). Philadelphia: Elsevier

Pai, A.L.H., & Drotar, D. (in press). Adherence. In L. Weiner, A.E., Kazak, J.J., Kupst, M., Pao, & A. Patenaude (Eds). Quick Reference for Pediatric Oncology.