A photo of Lori Stark.

Lori J. Stark, PhD, ABPP


  • Director, Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology
  • Associate Chair, Department of Pediatrics
  • Arnold W. Strauss Endowed Chair for Mentoring
  • Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
  • Board Certified
Our web-based intervention, called BeInCharge.org, is currently being tested in clinical practice. This intervention, for children ages 3 to 12 with CF, is one of the most researched and effective treatments for helping families change behavioral patterns to meet CF dietary guidelines.
Lori J. Stark, PhD, ABPP

About

Biography

I am a psychologist and researcher with more than 30 years in the field. My focus is on developing clinical interventions to help children who have acute and chronic conditions adhere to their medical treatments. My research is specifically concerned with dietary adherence. Diet is one of the more difficult behavioral changes to make, but it yields significant impact on health.

I came to Cincinnati Children’s in 1998. One line of my research here is helping families of children with cystic fibrosis (CF). Dietary recommendations for these children require that they consume 50% to 100% more calories than a child without this condition.

Our web-based intervention, called BeInCharge.org, is currently being tested in clinical practice. This intervention, for children ages 3 to 12 with CF, is one of the most researched and effective treatments for helping families change behavioral patterns to meet CF dietary guidelines.

My interest in research began when I worked with families clinically and saw the struggles they experienced trying to get their child with CF to eat more, or their child with obesity to eat less. A second area of my research addresses obesity in young children — preschoolers, toddlers and at-risk infants.

During my career, I’m proud to have received the Logan Wright Distinguished Research Award from the Society of Pediatric Psychology, Division 54 of the American Psychological Association (APA), in 2003. I also received the 2015 Society of Pediatric Psychology Award for Outstanding Mentorship, Division 54 of the APA. And I was honored by the Greater Cincinnati YWCA as a YWCA Career Woman of Achievement in 2015.

PhD: West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 1985.

Internship: Clinical Psychology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, 1984-1985.

Certification: Clinical Psychology, 1985.

Interests

Health psychology; anxiety; behavior problems; parent training; adherence to medical regimen; coping with illness

Interests

Behavioral interventions

Research Areas

Clinical Psychology

Publications

Evaluation of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire for Preschoolers in Urban Primary Care. Bignall, WJ R; Mara, CA; Stark, LJ; Taylor, S; Herbst, RB; McClure, JM; Burkhardt, MC; Ammerman, RT. Journal of Child and Family Studies. 2023; 32:1304-1317.

A Pilot Randomized Trial of an Obesity Prevention Program for High-Risk Infants in Primary Care. Rybak, TM; Modi, AC; Mara, CA; Herbst, RB; Lauer, BA; Burkhardt, MC; Stark, LJ. Journal of Pediatric Psychology. 2023; 48:123-133.

Integrated Behavioral Health Increases Well-Child Visits and Immunizations in the First Year. Ammerman, RT; Herbst, R; Mara, CA; Taylor, S; McClure, JM; Burkhardt, MC; Stark, LJ. Journal of Pediatric Psychology. 2022; 47:360-369.

A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of a Daily Living Skills Intervention for Adolescents with Autism. Duncan, A; Meinzen-Derr, J; Ruble, LA; Fassler, C; Stark, LJ. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 2022; 52:938-949.

Iterative Development of a Daily Living Skills Intervention for Adolescents with Autism Without an Intellectual Disability. Duncan, A; Liddle, M; Stark, LJ. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review. 2021; 24:744-764.

Examining patterns of postnatal feeding in relation to infant's weight during the first year. Rybak, TM; Goetz, AR; Stark, LJ. Appetite. 2021; 166:105473.

A novel behavioral health program for family caregivers of children admitted to a transitional chronic ventilator unit. Borschuk, AP; Williams, SE; McClure, JM; Kendall, M; Mack, L; Coleman, M; Gurbani, N; Benscoter, D; Amin, R; Stark, LJ. Pediatric Pulmonology. 2021; 56:1635-1643.

Four innovations: A robust integrated behavioral health program in pediatric primary care. Herbst, RB; McClure, JM; Ammerman, RT; Stark, LJ; Kahn, RS; Mansour, ME; Burkhardt, MC. Families, Systems, and Health. 2020; 38:450-463.

Early-life determinants of excess weight in children born heavy. Goetz, AR; Rybak, TM; Peugh, JL; Stark, LJ. Pediatric Obesity. 2020; 15:e12580.

Changes in diet quality and home food environment in preschool children following weight management. Robson, SM; Ziegler, ML; McCullough, MB; Stough, CO; Zion, C; Simon, SL; Ittenbach, RF; Stark, LJ. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 2019; 16:16.

From the Blog

Reimagining How We Think About Our Brains
Mind Brain Behavior

Reimagining How We Think About Our Brains

Lori J. Stark, PhD, ABPP, Tracy A. Glauser, MD7/3/2019

Teaming Up to Solve a Headache About Headaches
Mind Brain Behavior

Teaming Up to Solve a Headache About Headaches

Lori J. Stark, PhD, ABPP, Scott W. Powers, PhD, ABPP, FAHS ...7/3/2019

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