C. S. Mott Children's Hospital
Child Behavioral Health: Research
Jennifer Butcher, Ph.D. (jennbutch@umich.edu)
Dr. Butcher's research interests include family functioning in pediatric chronic illness, adherence to medical regimens, developmental transition of responsibility over medical regimen tasks, cystic fibrosis, and sickle cell disease.
Barbara T. Felt, M.D. (truefelt@umich.edu)
Dr. Felt is a subspecialty board certified, developmental-behavioral pediatrician whose research focuses on characterizing the behavioral effects of early iron deficiency anemia during early brain development using the rodent model, and exploring the immediate and long-term effects of early iron deficiency anemia during infancy with a focus on prolactin and cortisol response to stress. In collaboration with other faculty, research efforts also include exploring the influence of early experience sleep disruption and/of injury on brain, neuroendocrine, behavioral outcomes (rodent and human), sleep disorders and agression in young children, and the influence of culture on behavior, motor and neuroendocrine outcomes using a dynamic systems approach.
Emily Fredericks, Ph.D. (emfred@umich.edu)
Dr. Fredericks is a pediatric psychologist whose research focuses on improving health outcomes among pediatric transplant recipients. Currently, Dr. Fredericks has research funding from the Division of Child Behavioral Health to investigate the relationships between health-related quality of life (HRQOL), family functioning and regimen adherence among pediatric liver transplant recipients with the goal of developing a comprehensive assessment strategy to objectively define adherence, and to identify patients and families at risk for poor adherence. Dr. Fredericks is also interested in examining the transition from pediatric to adult-oriented transplant care with the goal of improving long-term health outcomes for pediatric transplant recipients. The ultimate aim of her research program is to develop empirically-supported randomized controlled studies of the efficacy of clinical interventions to improve post-transplant management of pediatric transplant recipients.
Dr. Fredericks also has secondary research interests in the area of pediatric sleep disorders and type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). She is interested in investigating sleep disturbances in children with chronic illness, particularly chronic liver disease, and is involved in projects investigating HRQOL and regimen adherence among children and families with T1DM.
Sheila Gahagan, M.D. (sgahagan@umich.edu)
Dr. Gahagan is a subspecialty board certified, developmental-behavioral pediatrician and an epidemiologist whose research focuses on understanding health disparities in child growth and development. She is funded by NIH to study early psychosocial and socioeconomic risks for the development of obesity. Dr. Gahagan collaborates with fellow faculty on the impact of iron deficiency anemia on brain development and behavior; the importance of environmental risk factors and early infant regulations problems in determining later behavioral health problems; the role of breast feeding, home visiting, and day care in modifying and moderating risk for obesity and other common health problems. Another active collaboration focuses on the role of stress hormones in children born to mothers with depression. With expertise in cultural factors and their role in health behavior, Dr. Gahagan has also studied how culture influences physician-patient communication. Her work has involved Hispanic, Native American and African American patient populations. Other on-going research projects include developmentally appropriate feeding of infants, and early childhood risk factors in the development of type II diabetes in American infants.
Betsy Lozoff, M.D., M.S. (blozoff@umich.edu)
Dr. Lozoff is a developmental-behavioral pediatrician whose research focuses on the effects of iron deficiency anemia on infant behavior and development. Iron deficiency is the most common single nutrient disorder in the world. Dr. Lozoff heads a multiuniversity cross-species program project grant on brain and behavior in early iron deficiency. She also directs a large project on iron deficiency in Chile, continues follow-up studies of Costa Rican children who had iron deficiency in infancy, and is part of another large study of micronutrient supplementation in India. The results of research by Dr. Lozoff and others indicate that there are long-lasting developmental disadvantages among children who had iron deficiency as infants.
Julie C. Lumeng, M.D. (jlumeng@umich.edu)
Dr. Lumeng is a board certified, developmental-behavioral pediatrician who studies how social influences on eating behavior and children’s cognitions around food may alter dietary composition and overweight risk, particularly in preschool-aged children and younger. Peers are well-documented to influence choice of food in social settings, but how these influences operate in children of diverse ethnicity and socioeconomic status is less well-understood. She researches children’s eating behavior in Head Start settings, both through the direct observation of behavior during a natural meal and through the presentation of unique behavioral tasks to children that test their cognitions around food. Dr. Lumeng also examines the influences on young children’s overweight risk through the analysis of large data sets, with a particular focus on child care experience and quality, and neighborhood characteristics. Other projects include the evaluation of mother-child interactions around eating, and how maternal behavior affects a child’s eating behavior, both in preschoolers and infants.
Eileen Mollen, Ph.D. (eileen@med.umich.edu)
Dr. Mollen is a pediatric psychologist whose current research interest is the psychosocial functioning of children with cancer, specifically children and adolescents with melanoma. She is also involved in ongoing research projects in a variety of medical disciplines, including cardiology (children born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome), neonatology (neonatal follow-up studies); and surgery (psychological functioning of young adults who were born with ambiguous genitalia).
Susana R. Patton, Ph.D. (susanap@umich.edu)
Dr. Patton is a pediatric psychologist whose research focuses on the promotion of health and the prevention of disease-related complications through diet and nutrition. In the United States, adequate and appropriate nutrition for children has become a major focus of public health and public policy. Dr. Patton’s past research experiences include a study examining behavioral and environmental barriers to dietary adherence in infants and toddlers with cystic fibrosis and a behavioral-based intervention to improve treatment adherence among minority women with gestational diabetes. In addition, through grant support provided by NIDDK/NIH, Dr. Patton conducted a patient-oriented research project investigating the association between mealtime behaviors, dietary adherence, and glycemic control in young children (ages 2-8 years) with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Her research has resulted in numerous publications that demonstrate the impact of behavioral and family-child interactions on children’s dietary adherence and subsequent health outcomes.
Currently, Dr. Patton has research funding from the University of Michigan Office of the Vice President for Research to examine the impact of delayed insulin administration on young children’s post-prandial blood glucose in children with type 1 diabetes who are managed via continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (e.g., insulin pump). She also has received funding from the Division of Child Behavioral Health to examine the knowledge and attitudes of pediatric residents towards the treatment of childhood overweight in a primary care setting. Dr. Patton’s future diabetes research will focus on clarifying the association between parent-child mealtime interactions and children’s blood glucose control as well as designing and disseminating behavioral interventions to improve mealtime functioning, health-related quality of life, and health outcomes in families of young children with type 1 diabetes.
Catherine Peterson, Ph.D. (catpeter@umich.edu)
Dr. Peterson's research interests include neuropsychological late effects in childhood cancer survivors; school issues in childhood cancer survivors; family burden in pediatric oncology; and long-term health outcomes in childhood cancer survivors.
David S. Rosen, M.D., M.P.H. (rosends@umich.edu)
Teenage and Young Adult Health
Dr. Rosen's principal research interests within the Section of Teenage and Young Adult Health include eating disorders, primary care management of mental illness, and the comprehensive care of adolescents and young adults with chronic health conditions, particularly as they transition from pediatric to adult health care. His focus is on clinically relevant outcomes and on improving the delivery of health services. Current projects include a descriptive analysis of children and young adolescents with eating disorders and qualitative research to better understand the experience of adolescents with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.
Bethany J. Sallinen, Ph.D. (bsalline@umich.edu)
Dr. Sallinen's research interests include development and evaluation of pediatric weight management programs, and family functioning in pediatric obesity.
David E. Sandberg, Ph.D. (dsandber@umich.edu)
Dr. Sandberg's research activities are closely linked to his clinical service to children with a variety of endocrine-based disorders, and their families. Research activities include the study of psychosocial aspects of short stature and the psychosocial care of individuals born with disorders of sex development (DSD) and families. He recently served as co-investigator of an (NICHD-sponsored) interdisciplinary research network concerned with biological and socialization factors in sexual differentiation; is developing a psychoeducational treatment manual for clinicians caring for newborns with congenital adrenal hyperplasia identified by newborn screen; and designing health-related quality of life measures for individuals with DSD and their families.
