 Janelle Allen, MS
Janelle Allen is from Cincinnati and holds a Bachelor of Science from Miami University in Zoology and a Master of Science from Miami University in Zoology: Physiology & Neuroscience. Over the past ten years, Janelle has completed research in developmental biology, neurophysiology / behavior, analytical / quality product review, molecular cardiovascular medicine, infectious diseases, and child behavior & nutrition. She also works in community and youth / young adult development within Butler and Hamilton Counties, and is a Visiting Faculty member within the Department of Zoology at Miami University.
Janelle enjoys clinical research and working with the dedicated professionals at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. She currently serves as the study coordinator of the Chronic Headache Study and the Headstrong Headache Study, and holds other responsibilities within the Pediatric Pain Program and Diabetes Studies. She hopes that the lab's work involved with pediatric headache/migraine, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, and obesity will lead to practical solutions for children and families who deal with these aliments. Her goal is to help discover a happier, healthier lifestyle and quality of life for children with these conditions.
Contact Janelle Allen.
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 Kimberly Barnett, BS
Kim Barnett is a 2009 graduate of Northern Kentucky Unviersity where she received a BS in Psychology with a minor in Health Care. She is currently working as a Research Assistant with the Headstrong and Chronic Headache studies of the Pediatric Pain Research Program. Kim's research involovement began as an undergraduate student researcher studying bio-psychology at NKU, and behavioral psychology as a student research volunteer with the Adherence Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. She is extremely excited for the opportuntity to work with the Power's Lab and further her education in the field of Behavioral Medicine.
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 Erin Brannon, BS
Erin Brannon is a research assistant in Dr. Powers Lab. She graduated from Xavier University in 2009 with a BS in psychology. Erin currently works on the WIC obesity Study examining the relation between parental feeding restriction and child eating; and also the relation between parental feeding restriction and child weight.
Erin looks forward to pursuing her research interests under the mentorship of Dr. Spear in her work, dealing with the Cystic Fibrosis population. She enjoys learning about the dynamics of the parent-child relationship among families.
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 Leigh Ann Chamberlin, RD, MEd
Leigh Ann Chamberlin is a Registered Dietitian. She is a Senior Clinical Research Coordinator at Children's Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Ms. Chamberlin is currently overseeing several research studies related to cystic fibrosis, diabetes, obesity in young children.
Her expertise combines over 6 years of public health experience in the Kentucky WIC Program with over 10 years of work as a research coordinator working with multisite studies. She earned a Bachelors Degree in Dietetics from Morehead State University and a Masters Degree in Health Promotion with an emphasis in Community Health from the University of Cincinnati. Her career reflects a long-term commitment to the public health and chronic issues affecting children.
Contact LeighAnn Chamberlin.
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 Jennifer Hembree
Jennifer Hembree joined the Powers Lab team in August, 2009 as a part-time Administrative Assistant for Dr. Scott Powers and the lab team. In addition to working at Children's, she also assists her husband in the daily operations of his hardwood flooring business. Prior to working with her husband, Jennifer was an Administrative Assistant at Graydon Head & Ritchey law firm and a loan processor/loan closer with their subsidiary, Longworth Title Agency.
Jennifer Hembree has been calling Cincinnati her home for the last 20 years. Prior to living in Cincinnati, she lived in Stamford, Connecticut and briefly in New York City. Jennifer graduated with an Associates degree from West Chester Business Institute in White Plains, New York, and worked as an Administrative Assistant at Waldenbooks, Inc. in Stamford, Connecticut and at Weil Gotshal & Manges in New York, New York.
Jennifer currently lives in West Chester, Ohio, with her husband and three children--Aidan, 13, Tommy, 9, and Kate, 7.
Jennifer feels it is an honor to work at Children's Hospital with Dr. Powers and his lab team and she looks forward to learning more about the lab and the wonderful work that they do in order to improve our children's outcomes so that they may have a brighter future.
Contact Jennifer Hembree
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 Elizabeth Kuhl, PhD
Dr. Elizabeth S. Kuhl is a postdoctoral fellow in pediatric psychology funded through at T32 training grant in Child Behavior and Nutrition. Dr. Kuhl received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from The George Washington University in 2002 and her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Eastern Michigan University in 2009. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.
Dr. Kuhl’s research interests are in behavioral intervention, dietary adherence, and child health. She is specifically interested in the relationship between fluid recommendations and disease management for children with chronic health conditions and her doctoral dissertation examined the effectiveness of a behavioral enhancement on increasing fluid adherence and daily water intake in children receiving treatment for retentive encopresis. Dr. Kuhl is currently working with Dr. Scott Powers, Dr. Richard Boles, and Dr. Megan Ratcliff on a longitudinal study examining the feeding practices in families of African American preschoolers. She is also working with Dr. Lori Stark and Dr. Stephanie Spear to develop and examine the effectiveness of a family-based behavioral intervention targeting obesity in preschoolers.
Contact Elizabeth Kuhl
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 Samantha Morgan, BS
Samantha Morgan is a research assistant on the multi-site clinical trial entitled "Behavioral and Nutrition Treatment to Help Preschoolers with Cystic Fibrosis Grow." She also works on the HOME Study, for the Children's Environmental Health Center, and is involved in evaluating lead and injury hazards in the home. She enjoys working closely with the families involved in both studies and hopes her efforts lead to improving the lives of all children. She graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a BS in Biological Sciences.
Contact Samantha Morgan .
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 Megan Benoit Ratcliff, PhD, MPH
Megan Benoit Ratcliff, PhD, MPH, began her postdoctoral research fellowship in pediatric psychology at Cincinnati Children's in 2008. Dr. Ratcliff received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Ithaca College in 1999, her Masters in Public Health from Emory University in 2001, and her doctoral degree from the University of Georgia in 2007. Dr. Ratcliff completed her clinical internship in pediatric behavioral medicine at University of Miami / Jackson Memorial Hospital in 2004. She also completed a clinical fellowship in pediatric psychology at Children's Hospital of Atlanta in 2008.
Dr. Ratcliff is currently funded by a two year T32 grant awarded to Dr. Powers, with an emphasis on child behavior and nutrition. The training provided by this fellowship is comprehensive, with opportunities to actively engage in a number of NIH-funded grants as well as to develop independent research projects. As a fellow, Dr. Ratcliff is co-project coordinator on Dr. Powers' WIC FUN study, a longitudinal study examining feeding practices in families of African American preschool children. She has also worked with Dr. Lori Stark on a behavioral nutrition and physical activity family-based intervention for overweight preschoolers, and has developed a study examining lifestyle factors associated with post-surgical weight gain in adolescent bariatric patients with Dr. Meg Zeller.
Dr. Ratcliff's clinical and research interests focus on assessment of adolescent health-related behaviors and development of biopsychosocial interventions to improve outcomes among this at-risk group, specifically as they relate to nutrition and physical activity. Utilization of motivational interviewing as a means of reducing ambivalence and increasing motivation is of particular interest. Her current line of research, developed with Dr. Zeller, involves assessment of adolescent bariatric patients' behaviors and expectancies during the second postoperative year to determine which factors are associated with weight regain. Dr. Ratcliff is also interested in encouraging engagement in preventive health as a public health priority.
Contact Megan Benoit Ratcliff
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 Stephanie Spear, PhD
Stephanie Spear, PhD, is a postdoctoral fellow in pediatric psychology. Dr. Spear is working with Dr. Scott Powers as a T32 fellow in the Center for Child Behavior and Nutrition. As a fellow she delivers a nutritional and behavioral intervention designed to improve the nutritional status and growth in preschoolers with cystic fibrosis. Dr. Spear is also working with Lori Stark, PhD, and Richard Boles, PhD, to develop and deliver a nutritional and behavioral family-based intervention to reduce overweight in young children.
Dr. Spear's clinical and research interests focus on the evaluation and dissemination of behavioral interventions to address both normal developmental difficulties encountered during childhood, as well as those designed to improve physical and psychological functioning in children and adolescents with chronic illness. Her line of research examines how psychosocial factors (primarily parental variables) impact adherence with treatment regimens, as well as coping and adaptation to pediatric medical problems in general. She has conducted behaviorally-based research in the areas of enuresis and infant safety. Her doctoral dissertation examined parental factors that influence the management of asthma in young children. She has also conducted research in the area of adolescent sleep and overweight, in addition to worry in adults.
Stephanie earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Luther College in 1998 and her PhD from the University of Nevada-Reno. She completed her predoctoral internship at Girls and Boys Town through the Nebraska Internship Consortium in Professional Psychology in 2006.
Contact Stephanie Spear.
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Stephanie Sullivan, BS
 Stephanie Sullivan graduated from Xavier University in May of 2005 with a BS in psychology. She is a research assistant on the multi-site clinical trial entitled "Behavioral and Nutrition Treatment to Help Preschoolers with Cystic Fibrosis Grow." She enjoys working closely with the children and families who live with cystic fibrosis.
Stephanie also values her interactions with the psychologists, doctors, nurses, and dieticians involved in the care of children with cystic fibrosis. She is hopeful that her work on the study will eventually make a positive impact on the lives of chronically ill children.
In the future, Stephanie plans to pursue a career in pediatric psychology.
Contact Stephanie Sullivan.
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 Marium Zafar, PsyD
Marium Zafar is a Psychology Fellow in the Pain Lab. Her current research interests include the psychological functioning of children with pain-related chronic illnesses and their families. She is working on clinical trials involving children with chronic headaches and juvenile fibromyalgia syndrome, and her duties include conducting assessments and providing psychosocial treatment for children with chronic pain. She also provides clinical care for children and adolescents with chronic headaches seen in the Headache Center and children with chronic pain seen at the multidisciplinary Pain Clinic.
Marium received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Miami University in 2004. She pursued graduate study in Clinical Psychology, with an emphasis in Pediatric / Child Clinical. She obtained her doctorate degree in 2009 from Wright State University. Her predoctoral internship was completed at Wright State University, with a primary rotation at Dayton Children’s Hospital. Her previous research interests have been in the area of chronic health issues in pediatric populations, and the psychological impact of diversity variables on children and adults.
Contact Marium Zafar
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