I am passionate about improving outcomes for children and adults living with sickle cell disease through my work at the Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center at Cincinnati Children's. My research interests are health education, health disparities, health services, health literacy, newborn screening, sickle cell disease, sickle cell trait, network building and quality improvement.
The health services research and patient/provider education programs that I oversee complement this world-class research and clinical program for sickle cell disease. This includes an Ohio Department of Health-funded newborn screening grant for sickle cell disease and sickle cell trait follow-up, along with community outreach and education.
I also lead the Sickle Treatment and Outcomes Research in the Midwest (STORM) project, an eight-state regional learning network of pediatric and adult providers in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. This work has been a federally funded Sickle Cell Disease Treatment Demonstration Project since 2014. As part of this, we launched the successful Project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (Project ECHO) that provides monthly telementoring to healthcare providers across the country and world.
I received my doctorate in Health Professions Education in 2020, my master’s degree in Health Education in 2008, and I have been a Master Certified Health Education Specialist since 2012. I have been a researcher for more than 15 years and began working at Cincinnati Children's in 2005.