Kimberly Yolton, PhD
Title
Research Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Appointment
Research Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Email
kimberly.yolton@cchmc.org
Phone
513-636-2815
Fax
513-636-4402
Bio
Kimberly Yolton, PhD, is a developmental psychologist whose research interest is in the area of toxicant exposures and effects on development and behavior in infancy and childhood. She is particularly interested in neurobehavior among newborns and young infants.
Dr. Yolton was formerly the director of a follow-up clinic serving high-risk infants and young children. She has extensive experience with patients who are prenatally exposed to substances of abuse, born prematurely or at low birth weight, or come from disadvantaged home environments.
Dr. Yolton was involved in the initial development of the NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale (NNNS), a neurobehavioral assessment tool used with healthy and high-risk newborns, and has used the tool for clinical, research and teaching opportunities. She is currently conducting a pilot research project to investigate whether the NNNS is sensitive enough to detect subtle differences in the neurobehavior of newborns who have been prenatally exposed to environmental toxicants such as lead, mercury, PCBs, pesticides, tobacco and alcohol. She is certified to train others on the proper administration, scoring and interpretation of the NNNS.
Dr. Yolton is currently conducting research on the effects of environmental tobacco smoke on the behaviors and sleep patterns of children enrolled in the Cincinnati Asthma Prevention (CAP) Study. This project is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). As an investigator with the Health Outcome and Measures of the Environment (HOME) Study, she is studying the effects exposure to several common toxins, including tobacco smoke during pregnancy and early infancy and behavioral and neurological outcomes in infants as well as later child developmental and behavioral outcomes.
Dr. Yolton came to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center as a postdoctoral fellow in Pediatric Environmental Health in 2000 and joined the faculty in 2003. She earned her master's degree in family and child development from Virginia Tech, and her doctoral degree in child development and developmental psychology from Ohio State University.
Credentials
PhD: Family Relations & Human Development, Developmental Psychology, The Ohio State University, 1992.
Position History
Director: High-risk newborn follow-up, University of Tennessee-Memphis, 1992-2000.
Research
- Exposure to environmental toxicants and infant and child outcomes
- Newborn neurobehavioral assessment as a tool for examining prenatal and early postnatal events
- Environmental tobacco smoke and child behavior and development
Research Grants and Contracts
Cincinnati Children's Environmental Health Center New Scientist; Exploration of ETS Effects on Child Behavior and Sleep; Involuntary Tobacco Smoke Exposure and Early Human Neurobehavior (under review)
Publications, Most Recent
Talati, AJ, Yang, W, Yolton, K, Korones, SB, Bada, HS. Combination of early Perinatal factors to identify near-term and term neonates for neuroprotection.Journal of Perinatology. 2005; 25, 245-250.
Lanphear, BP, Hornung, R, Khoury, J, Yolton, K, et al. Low-level Lead Exposure and Children's Intellectual Function: An International Pooled Analysis.Environmental Health Perspectives. 2005; 113: 894-899.
Eskenazi, B, Gladstone, E, Berkowitz, G, Drew, C, Faustman, E, Holland, N, Lanphear, B, Meisel, S, Perera, F, Rauh, V, Sweeney, A, Whyatt, R, Yolton, K. Methodological and logistic issues in conducting longitudinal birth cohort studies: Lessons learned from the Centers for Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research.Environmental Health Perspectives. 2005; 113: 1419-1429.
Dietrich, K, Eskenazi, B, Schantz, S, Yolton, K, Rauh, V, Johnson, C, Alkon, A, Canfield, R, Pessah, I, Berman, R. Principles and practices of neurodevelopmental assessment in children: Lessons learned from the Centers for Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research.Environmental Health Perspectives. 2005; 113: 1437-1446.
Yolton, K, Dietrich, K, Auinger, P, Lanphear, BP, Hornung, R. Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke and Cognitive Abilities among US Children and Adolescents.Environmental Health Perspectives. 2005; 113: 98-103.
Ohls, RK, Ehrenkranz, RA, Das, A, Dusick, AM, Yolton, K, Romano, E, Delaney-Black, V, Papile, L, Simon, NP, Steichen, JJ, Lee, KG, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network. Neurodevelopmental outcome and growth at 18 to 22 months' corrected age in extremely low birth weight infants treated with early erythropoietin and ironPediatrics. 2004; 114, 1287-1291.
Castro L, Yolton K, Haberman B, Roberto N, Hansen NI, Namasivayam A, Vohr BR, Donovan EF: Bias in reported neurodevelopmental outcomes among extremely low birth weight survivors.Pediatrics, 2004; 114: 404-410.
Presentations, Most Recent
"Tobacco Smoke in the Prenatal and Postnatal Environment." Kentucky Perinatal Association Annual Meeting, Jamestown, KY, June 7, 2005.
"Prenatal and Postnatal Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: What Do We Know About the Effects of this Common Exposure for Children?," American Association on Mental Retardation, Toxic Exposures and Developmental Disabilities Research and Science Teleconference Series. November, 2005.
Child Behavior and Learning Problems: Could Tobacco Smoke Play a Role? Every Child Succeeds, Assuring Smoke-Free Homes Smoking Cessation Conference. Sharonville, OH. 10/27/2003.
Tobacco Smoke Exposure and Infant and Child Neurobehavior. University of Kentucky Department of Pediatrics. Lexington, KY. 11/13/2003.
Professional Organization Memberships
Related Areas
This person works in these other areas at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center:
