I am a pediatric psychologist who specializes in working with children, teens and young adults with cystic fibrosis. I help them balance the demands of their treatment regimen with living a life that is really meaningful to them. I also specialize in treating preschool children with emotional and behavioral concerns, including tantrums, anxiety, sleep and toileting.
Helping support family wellness, fun and connection has always been meaningful and rewarding for me. I partner with my patients and families to help them build the skills that will be theirs to keep, and allow them to be the healthiest family they can be. My care is grounded in the importance of building healthy and enduring parent-child bonds early in life. I help parents understand what we would expect for the child's development and life experiences, and how best to teach, model and build skills needed to meet expectations and thrive. We actively set goals and track progress toward these goals. We work hard together and have fun while building important skills that can last a lifetime.
In addition to my clinical care of patients, I lead and partner with others on research. My research focus is broadly in early intervention to improve the health and wellness of children and their families, including emotion and behavior, nutrition and school functioning. Much of my research is in chronic illnesses such as cystic fibrosis and obesity, and is focused on wellness, education and care improvement. I also educate medical trainees in behavioral healthcare.
I find balance in listening to music, cooking, enjoying art, and being with friends and family.
PhD: University of Nevada, Reno, NV, 2007.
Internship: Boystown, Nebraska Internship Consortium of Professional Psychology, Omaha, NE, 2006-2007.
Fellowship: Pediatric Psychology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 2007-2009.
Behavior management in toddlers and preschoolers; adherence to treatment in chronic illness (CF and obesity); coping and adjustment; child anxiety; toileting
Behavioral Medicine, Pulmonary Medicine, Cystic Fibrosis, Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology
Early intervention; adherence to treatment in chronic illness (CF and obesity); development and testing of brief behavioral interventions; quality improvement
Clinical Psychology
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Abstract P616: Implementing a Dietary Energy Density Intervention in Preschool Children. Circulation. 2023; 147:ap616.
Longitudinal Assessment of Educational Risk for K-12 Students with Cystic Fibrosis. The Journal of Pediatrics. 2023; 253:238-244.e3.
Management of Mental Health in Cystic Fibrosis. Clinics in Chest Medicine. 2022; 43:791-810.
293 Longitudinal mental health trends in pediatric cystic fibrosis. Journal of Cystic Fibrosis. 2022; 21:s173-s174.
27 Effect of SARS-CoV-2 on long-term physical and mental health symptoms in people with cystic fibrosis and their caregivers. Journal of Cystic Fibrosis. 2022; 21:s16-s17.
294 National assessment of school resources in cystic fibrosis care centers. Journal of Cystic Fibrosis. 2022; 21:s174.
288 Treatment targets in the psychological care of youth with cystic fibrosis. Journal of Cystic Fibrosis. 2022; 21:s171.
298 Co-designing an acceptance and commitment therapy telehealth group intervention for adolescents with cystic fibrosis. Journal of Cystic Fibrosis. 2022; 21:s176-s177.
Innovative Pediatric Resident Training in Behavioral Health and Communication: Pilot Study Results. Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology. 2022; 10:20-31.
Assessment of treatment burden and complexity in cystic fibrosis: A quality improvement project. Pediatric Pulmonology. 2021; 56:1992-1999.
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