I am a pediatric psychologist and researcher, with a special interest in the use of health technology to improve self-management of pediatric chronic conditions. I’m also interested in improving access to care and enhancing care provision through the use of technology. I joined the Cincinnati Children’s team in 2008.
I became interested in health technology research early in my career, when I saw that while our interventions were helping our patients and families, many families could not take advantage of them. These families had barriers to care such as living too far from the hospital. This led us to find new and innovative ways to reach our patients so their needs could be met.
In my research, we develop and evaluate innovative technologies to help children and their families meet the demands of managing a chronic condition effectively. We are also using these technologies to improve the data clinicians can access to better inform patient care.
Our successes include licensing our “Migraine Manager” technology to Pear Therapeutics. This program provides evidence-based self-management assessment and intervention for adolescents with migraine.
We have also developed and continue to optimize the SMART IBD mobile app for use in iOS and Android operating systems. This app provides evidence-based self-management care for adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease.
Finally, we have developed a working prototype of an electronic adherence monitoring device for use across chronic conditions.
I’m honored that my colleague, Dr. Meghan McGrady, and I received the 2018 Journal of Pediatric Psychology Most Cited Paper Award for our article “Targeting Health Behaviors to Reduce Health Care Costs in Pediatric Psychology: Descriptive Review and Recommendations.” I am also a fellow in the American Psychological Association (APA), and I received the APA Division 54, Society of Pediatric Psychology 2008 Routh Early Career Award in Pediatric Psychology.
BA: University of Central Oklahoma, 1996.
MS: Oklahoma State University,1999.
PhD: Oklahoma State University, 2002.
Residency: Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 2002.
Fellowship: Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 2004.
Promotion of treatment adherence; self-management in pediatric chronic conditions
Use of technology to promote self-management in chronic conditions; adherence and self-management assessment methodology; behavioral treatment of nonadherence; promotion of self-management behavior; impact of adherence and self-management on health outcomes; quality of life in pediatric chronic conditions
Clinical Psychology, Adherence and Self-Management, Health Technology
Digital headache self-management interventions for patients with a primary headache disorder: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Headache. 2022; 62:1105-1119.
Examining the Unified Theory of Behavior Change Constructs Among Adolescents Taking Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Medicine: A Longitudinal Study. Ambulatory Pediatrics. 2022.
Technology-Assisted Stepped-Care to Promote Adherence in Adolescents with Asthma: A Pilot Study. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings. 2022; 1-10.
Decision making about anti-TNF therapy: A pilot trial of a shared decision-making intervention. Patient Education and Counseling. 2022; 105:1075-1081.
A systematic evaluation of primary headache management apps leveraging behavior change techniques. Cephalalgia. 2022; 42:510-523.
Treatment by biomarker-informed endotype vs guideline care in children with difficult-to-treat asthma. Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. 2022; 128:535-543.e6.
Establishing Clinical Cut-points on the Pediatric PROMIS-Pain Interference Scale in Youth With Abdominal Pain. Clinical Journal of Pain. 2022; 38:173-181.
The Impact of Adherence and Health Literacy on Difficult-to-Control Asthma. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. 2022; 10:386-394.
Feasibility and preliminary validity of mobile spirometry in pediatric asthma. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. 2021; 9:3821-3823.
Systematic evaluation of commercially available pain management apps examining behavior change techniques. Pain. 2021; 162:856-865.
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