Meghan E. McGrady, PhD

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Program Leader, Young Adult Oncology Psychosocial Program
Pediatric Psychologist, Research, Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology
Associate Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics

meghan.mcgrady@cchmc.org

About

Biography

I am a pediatric psychologist and researcher whose work focuses on promoting health behavior change, including medication adherence, among adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer.

For many adolescents and young adults with cancer, treatment includes a variety of complex health behaviors, such as taking multiple medications at varied dosing schedules. Following treatment recommendations can be difficult, but it can result in better health outcomes. The goal of my research is to develop and test new interventions to help make it easier for adolescents and young adults with cancer to adhere to their treatment recommendations.

I first became interested in this line of research as a psychology doctoral student when I volunteered at a camp for teens with type 1 diabetes. I watched teens balance their day-to-day activities, such as hiking, sports, and spending time with friends, with the tasks required for self-management — things like checking their blood sugar and administering insulin. As I gained an appreciation of the challenges of managing a medical condition as an adolescent or young adult, I began to consider how I could contribute to adherence science.

To prepare me for a career in adherence science, I obtained specialized training in this field, including a National Institutes of Health T32 postdoctoral fellowship. Since starting my faculty position at Cincinnati Children's in 2014, I have developed a research career focused on finding solutions that will help make it easier for adolescents and young adults with cancer adhere to treatment recommendations.

I'm also a proud mom, hiking enthusiast, triathlete, and music lover.

Services and Specialties

Interests

Treatment adherence; adolescents and young adults; oncology

Research Areas

Publications

Unique and shared partner priorities for supporting engagement in knowledge mobilization in pediatric pain: a best-worst scaling experiment. MacKenzie, NE; Chambers, CT; Marshall, DA; Cassidy, CE; Corkum, PV; McGrady, ME; Parker, JA; MacDonald, KV; Birnie, KA. Health Research Policy and Systems. 2025; 23:49.

Symptom burden, healthcare utilization, and risky behaviors in survivors of the childhood cancer survivor study (CCSS): an observation cohort study. Webster, R; Srivastava, DK; Xie, L; Darji, H; Liu, W; McGrady, ME; Brinkman, TM; Alberts, NM; Ness, KK; Fuemmeler, B; Howell, RM; Green, DM; Yasui, Y; Krull, KR. EClinicalMedicine. 2025; 90:103657.

Feasibility Trial of a Tailored Adherence-Promotion Intervention for Adolescents and Young Adults With Cancer. McGrady, ME; Ketterl, TG; Webster, RT; Burns, MM K; Bills, SE; Burke, M; Szulczewski, L; Brock, MY; Schwartz, LE; Herriott, JK; Hommel, KA; Pai, AL H; Mara, CA; Norris, RE. Pediatric Blood and Cancer. 2025; e32127.

Engaging end-users to develop a novel algorithm to process electronic medication adherence monitoring device data. McGrady, ME; Hommel, KA; Mara, CA; Breen, G; Kouril, M. JAMIA Open. 2025; 8:ooaf135.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of interventions to promote medication adherence among children, adolescents, and young adults with medical conditions. McGrady, ME; Keenan-Pfeiffer, ME; Lang, AC; Noser, AE; Tyagi, AP; Herriott, JK; Ramsey, RR. Journal of Pediatric Psychology. 2025; 50:531-549.

Design of the type 1 diabetes and life (T1DAL) pilot and feasibility study: A brief telehealth intervention targeting health-related quality of life across clinical settings. Hilliard, ME; Levy, W; Weinstock, RS; Hood, KK; Trief, PM; DeSalvo, DJ; Rojas, Y; Holland, K; Schneider-Utaka, AK; Alamarie, SA; de Wit, M; McGrady, ME; Messer, LH; Anderson, BJ. Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications. 2025; 45:101491.

Developing Behavior Change Model-Informed and Participant-Engaged Retention Strategies for Adolescents and Young Adults With Cancer Enrolled on Behavioral and/or Psychosocial Trials. McGrady, ME; Webster, RT; Burke, M; Gomez, C; Breen, G; Herriott, JK; Norris, RE; Ketterl, TG. Pediatric Blood and Cancer. 2025; 72:e31583.

Understanding the unique and common perspectives of partners engaged in knowledge mobilization activities within pediatric pain management: a mixed methods study. MacKenzie, NE; Chambers, CT; Cassidy, CE; Corkum, PV; McGrady, ME; Parker, JA; Birnie, KA. BMC Health Services Research. 2024; 24:337.

A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Loss versus Gain Incentives to Improve Adherence to an Obesity Treatment Intervention in Adolescents. Siegel, RM; Kist, C; Kirk, S; Kharofa, R; Stackpole, K; Sammons, A; Dynan, L; McGrady, ME; Seo, JD; Urbina, E; Kasparian, NA. Nutrients. 2024; 16:3363.

Body Image Concerns in Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Patients within Six Months of Upfront Diagnosis. D’Alessandro, PR; McGrady, ME; Nagata, JM; Norris, RE; Pressey, JG. Journal of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology. 2024; 13:792-798.

Patient Ratings and Comments

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