I am a clinical psychologist and researcher. In my patient care, I specialize in treating adolescents and young adults with conditions such as chronic pain and sickle cell disease. I seek to help them with managing their disease, treatment adherence and transitioning to adult healthcare.
I am the co-director of Innovations in Community Research in Cincinnati Children’s Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology. I also co-direct Cincinnati Children’s Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Training (CCTST) Community Engagement Core where I help the community and researchers work together on health projects.
I was inspired to work with young people after I lost a childhood friend to cancer. I chose to do research because I wanted to help as many children and families as I could. With my research, I strive to learn the best ways for the medical team and patients and families to work together to improve treatment and the family's quality of life.
My areas of research interest include self-management, treatment adherence, healthcare transition, recruitment and retention of minorities in research, integrating design thinking into research, implementation science and community engagement.
I hope to find answers to a number of questions with my research, including:
Engaging patients and communities allows us to develop innovative and feasible solutions to health challenges.
I am proud to be an elected fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA) and to have received their Division 54 Diversity Award. I’m also a committee member for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s effort titled Addressing Sickle Cell Disease: A Strategic Plan and Blueprint for Action.
PsyD: Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, 1995.
Residency: Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH.
Fellowship: Clinical Psychology, INTERACT Behavioral Healthcare Services Inc, Columbus, OH, 1995-1996.
Adolescents and young adults; sickle cell disease; transition to adult care; chronic pain; migraines; diversity and inclusion
Behavioral Medicine
Community-engaged research; self-management; quality improvement; sickle cell disease; health disparities; patient centered outcomes; shared decision making; health services research
Clinical Psychology, Adherence and Self-Management
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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within Pediatric Adherence Science. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings. 2022; 1-12.
Family-centered communication in pediatric sickle cell disease. Pediatric Blood and Cancer. 2022; 69.
A Health Equity Echo for Providers of Children and Adults with Sickle Cell Disease. Blood. 2022; 140:13141-13142.
Optimizing Shared Decision Making about Hydroxyurea in Young Children with Sickle Cell Anemia. Blood. 2022; 140:10857-10859.
A New Phen X Collection: Sickle Cell Disease Psychosocial and Social Determinants of Health Protocols. Blood. 2022; 140:7898-7899.
Hydroxyurea Use Among Youth with Sickle Cell Anemia across Eight Care Centers within the United States. Blood. 2022; 140:7875-7876.
Chronic pediatric diseases and risk for reading difficulties: a narrative review with recommendations. Pediatric Research. 2022; 92:966-978.
Partnering With Faith-Based Organizations to Offer Flu Vaccination and Other Preventive Services. Pediatrics. 2022; 150.
School Challenges and Services Related to Executive Functioning for Fully Included Middle Schoolers With Autism. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities. 2022.
COVID-19 Exposure and Family Impact Scales for Adolescents and Young Adults. Journal of Pediatric Psychology. 2022; 47:631-640.
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