Find a Health Care Professional / Researcher

Robert T. Ammerman, PhD, ABPP

Title

Scientific Director, Every Child Succeeds

Appointment

Professor of Pediatrics

Email

robert.ammerman@cchmc.org

Phone

513-636-8209

Fax

513-636-7756

Bio

Robert T. Ammerman, PhD, ABPP, is Professor of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, and Scientific Director for Every Child Succeeds.

Dr. Ammerman received a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Pittsburgh and completed an internship at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He is a Diplomate in Behavioral Psychology from the American Board of Professional Psychology.

Dr. Ammerman is:

The former Supervisor of Research and Clinical Psychology at the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the MCP-Hahnemann University
Director of Mental Health in Childhood Disabilities at the Department of Psychiatry and Allegheny Neuropsychiatric Institute, Allegheny General Hospital (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Dr. Ammerman has established comprehensive clinical programs addressing the mental health needs of children with:

Developmental disabilities
Mental retardation
Learning disabilities
Chronic medical illnesses

Research interests include causes and prevention of child abuse and neglect, prevention of behavioral and emotional problems in children, family adaptation to childhood disability and chronic illness, and adolescent drug and alcohol abuse.

Credentials

PhD:University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh, PA; 1986.
Internship: Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; Pittsburgh, PA; 1986.
Certification: American Board of Professional Psychology, Diplomate in Behavioral Psychology, 1995; Ohio State Board of Psychology, 1999.

Research

Child abuse and neglect, prevention, family violence, substance abuse, developmental disabilities, developmental psychopathology.

Research Grants and Contracts

National Institute on Disabilities and Rehabilitation Research (U.S. Department of Education)
National Institute on Drug Abuse
National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse
Center for Substance Abuse Prevention
Vira I. Heinz Foundation; Children's Trust Fund (Pennsylvania)
National Institute of Mental Health
Maternal and Child Health Bureau

Publications, Most Recent

Robert T. Ammerman, PhD, ABPP, has written more than 115 scientific articles, book chapters, and edited books on mental health, child clinical psychology, child psychopathology, family violence, child abuse and neglect, substance abuse, and developmental disabilities.

Ammerman, R.T., Putnam, F.W., Stevens, J., Holleb, L.J., Novak, A.L., & Van Ginkel, J.B. (2005). In-home cognitive behavior therapy for depression: An adapted treatment for first time mothers in home visitation.Best Practices in Mental Health, 1, 1-14.

Stevens, J., Ammerman, R.T., Putnam, F.W., Gannon, T.A., & Van Ginkel, J.B. (2005). Facilitators and barriers to engagement in home visitation: A qualitative analysis of maternal, provider, and supervisor data.Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment, and Trauma, 11, 75-93.

Ammerman, R.T., Stevens, J., Putnam, F.G., Altaye, M., Hulsmann, J.E., Lehmkuhl, H.D., Monroe, J.C., Gannon, T.A., & Van Ginkel, J.B. (2006). Predictors of early engagement in home visitation.Journal of Family Violence, 21, 74-85.

Ris, M.D., Ammerman, R.T., Waller, N., Walz, N., Oppenheimer, S., Brown, T.M., Enrile, B.G., & Yeates, K.O. (2007). Taxonicity of nonverbal learning disabilities in a high risk disorder.Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 13, 50-58.

Ammerman, R.T., Bodley, A.L., Putnam, F.W., Lopez, W.L., Holleb, L.J., Stevens, J., & Van Ginkel, J.B. (2007). In-Home Cognitive Behavior Therapy for a depressed mother in a home visitation program.Clinical Case Studies, 6, 161-180.

Rao, P., Beidel, D.C., Turner, S.M., Ammerman, R.T., Crosby, L.E., & Sallee, F.R. (2007). Social anxiety disorder in childhood and adolescence: Descriptive psychopathology.Behaviour Research and Therapy, 45, 1181-1191.

Donovan, E.F., Ammerman, R.T., Besl, J., Atherton, H., Khoury, J.C., Altaye, M., Putnam, F.W., Van Ginkel, J.B. (2007). Intensive home visiting is associated with decreased risk of infant death.Pediatrics, 119, 1145-1151.

Ammerman, R.T., Putnam, F.W., Kopke, J.E., Gannon, T.A., Short, J.A., Van Ginkel, J.B., Clark, M.J., Carrozza, M.A., & Spector, A.R. (2007). Development and implementation of a quality assurance infrastructure in a multisite home visitation program in Ohio and Kentucky.Journal of Prevention and Intervention in the Community, 34, 89-107. Also published in J. Galano (Ed.), The Healthy Families America initiative: Integrating research, theory and practice (pp. 89-107). Binghamton, NY: The Haworth Press.

Brown, T.M., Ris, M.D., Beebe, D., Ammerman, R.T., Oppenheimer, S.G., Yeates, K.W., & Enrile, B.G. (in press). Factors of biological risk and reserve associated with executive behaviors in children and adolescents with spina bifida myelomeningocele.Child Neuropsychology.

Beidel, D.C., Turner, S.M., Sallee, F.R., Ammerman, R.T., Crosby, L.A., & Pathak, S.J. (in press). SET-C vs. fluoxetine in the treatment of childhood social phobia.Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Editing

Member of the following editorial boards:

Journal of Family Violence
Behavior Modification
Aggression and Violent Behavior
Child Abuse and Neglect

Presentations, Most Recent:

Robert T. Ammerman, PhD, ABPP, has given more than 140 presentations at regional, national, and international conferences on child abuse and neglect, substance abuse, developmental disabilities, child psychopathology, and behavior therapy.

Ammerman, R.T., Morrow, A.L., Putnam, F.W., Stevens, J., Holleb, L.J., Hulsmann, J.E., Geraghty, S.R., & Van Ginkel, J.B. (2004, May). Breastfeeding in first time mothers in home visitation. Poster presented at the annual convention of the Pediatric Academic Society, San Francisco.

Jackson, B.S., Ammerman, R.T., Van Ginkel, J.B., DeWitt, T.G., Putnam, F.W., & Larkin, D.D. (2005, May). Impact of medical home training in home visitation. Poster presented at the annual convention of the Pediatric Academic Society, Washington, D.C.

Ammerman, R.T., Putnam, F.W., Stevens, J., & Van Ginkel, J.B. (2005, May). In-Home CBT for depressed mothers in home visitation. In F.W. Putnam (Chairperson), Depression and domestic violence in home visitation. Symposium presented at the Society for Prevention Research, Washington, D.C.

Coe, M.E., Ammerman, R.T., Putnam, F.W., Stevens, J., Short, J.A., Van Ginkel, J.B. (2005, May). Measurement of motivation in a community-based home visitation program. Poster presented at the Society for Prevention Research, Washington, D.C.

Ammerman, R.T., Van Ginkel, J.B., Spector, A.R., Putnam, F.W., & DeWitt, T.G. Every Child Succeeds: A continuous quality improvement model for early prevention. Workshop presented at the National Initiative for Children's Healthcare Quality Conference, Orlando, FL, March 18, 2006.

Beidel, D.C., Turner, S.M., Sallee, F.R., Ammerman, R.T., & Crosby, L. A. (2006, October). Fluoxetine and behavior therapy for the treatment of social phobia. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, San Diego.

Melson, B.N., Ammerman, R.T., Putnam, F.W., & Van Ginkel, J.B. (2007, May). Alliance predicts retention in home visitation. Poster presented at the annual conference of the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago.

Ammerman, R.T., Donovan, E.F., Besl, J., Atherton, H., Khoury, J.C., Altaye, M., Putnam, F.W., & Van Ginkel, J.B. (2007, May). Intensive home visiting is associated with decreased risk of infant death. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Pediatric Academic Society, Toronto.

Ammerman, R.T., Putnam, F.W., DeWitt, T.G, Stevens, J., & Van Ginkel, J.B. (2007, May). In-home CBT for depressed mothers in home visitation. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Pediatric Academic Society, Toronto.

Ammerman, R.T., Putnam, F.W., Stevens, J., & Van Ginkel, J.B. (November, 2007). Adapting CBT for depression to an early childhood prevention program. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Philadelphia.

Professional Organization Memberships

American Psychological Association
International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect
Association for Advancement of Behavioral Therapy and Cognitive Therapies
Society for Prevention Research
American Academy of Behavioral Psychology

Special Interests

Child abuse and neglect; maternal depression; motivational interviewing; learning disabilities; developmental disabilities; parent training; substance abuse.