As a behavior and development specialist, I provide prevention and intervention services to families in primary care. I love partnering with families to help support their parenting goals, as well as working with children who need developmental, behavioral or medical support.
I was inspired to become a psychologist after I volunteered at a hospital in Prague for a study-abroad experience. I had originally planned to become a pediatrician, but my time in Prague changed my mind. I learned that I love community outreach and connecting with patients to support their journey to become healthier and enhance their well-being.
In my practice, I value family-centered, culturally informed care. This allows me to create partnerships with families to collaboratively identify their strengths, their challenges and their goals. Our vision is to make Cincinnati’s children the healthiest in the nation. To get there, we have a variety of resources to support families beyond standard medical care. We offer support for normal parenting challenges and caregiver well-being and short-term therapy for emerging concerns.
I’m proud to work with the national organizations Zero to Three and HealthySteps. I advise them on how to develop training and resources to support development and health for kids across the country.
In addition to helping patients, I also conduct research. My colleagues and I are trying to learn how best to promote health and prevent negative health and developmental outcomes.
In my free time, I love to garden, hike and practice yoga and karate, in which I have a black belt. I also enjoy participating in cultural activities in my community.
PhD: University of Miami, Miami, FL, 2013.
Internship: Child Clinical Psychology, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, 2012-2013.
Fellowship: Pediatric Primary Care, Children's Hospital Colorado, Denver, CO, 2013-2014.
Prevention; early intervention; health promotion; integrated pediatric primary care; coping with medical illness; undocumented immigrants
Behavioral Medicine
Underserved population; integrated behavioral healthcare; pediatric primary care; prevention; health promotion; community-based participatory research; families with limited English proficiency (LEP); health disparities
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Virtual reality informs clinical observation tool. The Clinical Teacher. 2023; 20:e13575.
Evaluation of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire for Preschoolers in Urban Primary Care. Journal of Child and Family Studies. 2023; 32:1304-1317.
Adapting a preschool disruptive behavior group for the underserved in pediatric primary care practice. Families, Systems, and Health. 2023; 41:101-111.
A Pilot Randomized Trial of an Obesity Prevention Program for High-Risk Infants in Primary Care. Journal of Pediatric Psychology. 2023; 48:123-133.
A Virtual Reality Curriculum to Enhance Residents' Behavioral Health Anticipatory Guidance Skills: A Pilot Trial. Academic Pediatrics. 2023; 23:185-192.
Integrated Behavioral Health Increases Well-Child Visits and Immunizations in the First Year. Journal of Pediatric Psychology. 2022; 47:360-369.
Assessment of Competency-Based Behavioral Health Anticipatory Guidance Skills Among Pediatric Residents: the Role of Virtual Reality. Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science. 2022; 7:115-124.
Innovative Pediatric Resident Training in Behavioral Health and Communication: Pilot Study Results. Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology. 2022; 10:20-31.
A Virtual Reality Resident Training Curriculum on Behavioral Health Anticipatory Guidance: Development and Usability Study. JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting. 2021; 4:e29518.
Four innovations: A robust integrated behavioral health program in pediatric primary care. Families, Systems, and Health. 2020; 38:450-463.
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