Clinical Implementation Research As a practicing clinical psychologist, I engaged in clinical research within my practice at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta to examine the implementation and effectiveness of evidence-based treatments for patients, including the following projects:
Implementation of a group intervention in the inpatient hospital setting for chronic pain in pediatric sickle cell disease
Academic Grant-funded Research In addition to clinical research, I was involved in a number of grant-funded research studies within pediatric and young adult oncology..
The AYA-RISE Intervention: Risk Information and Screening Education for Adolescent and Young Adults with Cancer Predisposition Syndromes Study aims to examine the use and effectiveness of digital communication of genetic risk for cancer with adolescents and young adults. Collaborator-PI: Jennifer Mack, MD, MPH, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Harvard Medical School National Institutes of Health – National Cancer Institute. Awarded and involvement was discontinued due to transitioning to new position at Evidation Health.
Predicting Childhood Cancer Survivors’ Transition Readiness & Transfer Outcomes Study goal was to determine the subpopulations of survivors at risk for nonadherence. Funding Agency: Emory-Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta–Georgia Tech Pediatric Research Alliance PI: Jordan Gilleland Marchak, PhD
Evaluating Patient Engagement and Family Functioning, Cognitive Late Effects, and Knowledge of Late Effects Risks in Survivor-focused Healthcare After Childhood Cancer Treatment Study aimed to identify family-level factors related to initial engagement in survivor care following the completion of active treatment for pediatric cancer. Agency: CURE Childhood Cancer, Inc. PI: Jordan Gilleland Marchak, PhD
Barriers to Continued Care among Young Adult Cancer Survivors Study examined barriers to engagement in survivor care after the transition to adult care. Agency: Rally Foundation PI: Natia Esiashvili, MD
Assessing Physical Activity & Quality of Life among Pediatric Cancer Study aimed to determine the feasibility and acceptability of using technology and community-based exercise programs to assess physical activity among pediatric cancer survivors Agency: CURE Childhood Cancer, Inc. PI: Jordan Gilleland Marchak, PhD
Evaluating SurvivorLink Use Among Pediatric Cancer Survivors to Promote LTFU Care & Health Self-Management Study aimed to determine the feasibility of utilizing an electronic personal health record and patient engagement tool. Agency: CURE Childhood Cancer, Inc. PI: Jordan Gilleland Marchak, PhD
Graduate Work
As a graduate student at the University of Georgia, my program of research focused on assessing the relationships between psychological factors, behavior, and medical outcomes in children with chronic illnesses. My primary doctoral work examined pre- and post-transplant functioning among pediatric solid organ transplant recipients. The project aimed to longitudinally predict medication adherence, medical outcomes, family functioning, and psychosocial outcomes in children being evaluated for solid organ transplantation until 3 years post-transplant, additional examining adolescent personality factors. I was awarded 3 separate grants during this time to complete my research. My dissertation examined parent personality factors (neuroticism, extraversion, and conscientiousness) as predictors of medication knowledge and adherence in children who were being evaluated for solid organ transplantation. Results were published in Health Psychology.
Emotional, Physiological, and Medical Functioning in Youth with Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Adherence in Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease: The Role of Child and Family Factors
Skills-Based Group Intervention for Adolescent Girls with Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Assessment of Transition Readiness Among Survivors of Childhood Cancer
During my pediatric psychology residency/internship, I worked with Dr. Anha Pai at Cincinnati Children's on an NIH-NCI funded R01 entitled Nonadherence: Undermining health outcomes in pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant? The study, with preliminary results published in Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantationdemonstrated that poor adherence to medications was associated with a greater number of infections following hematopoietic stem cell transplant. During my time at Cincinnati Children's, I also completed a meta-analysis examining medication adherence in pediatric sickle cell disease.