Current and Recent Projects
Executive Control and Adolescent Health. Project examining the impact of early executive control development on key health behaviors (e.g., diet, sleep) and risk for chronic health conditions (e.g., obesity). Collaboration with the UNL Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory.
Pediatric Sleep, Stress Reactivity and Immunology. Project exploring the effects of poor child sleep on stress reactivity and immune functioning using actigraphy and salivary bioscience.
Athlete Sleep and Performance Study. Pilot study focusing on intercollegiate student-athlete sleep and performance using actigraphy and salivary bioscience. Collaboration with Nebraska Athletic Performance Laboratory.
Pediatric Health Technology and Telehealth. Project developing and evaluating novel technology applications and telehealth intervention for pediatric health problems (e.g., chronic migraine, congenital heart disease). Collaborations with Emory School of Medicine and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital faculty.
Pediatric Sleep and Psychopathology Project. Project exploring relationships between children’s sleep and mental health symptoms. Specific studies include daily-level investigations of bidirectional effects between sleep and psychopathology, sleep intervention development, and evaluation of a brief sleep protocol for children presenting with disruptive behavior problems. Collaboration with Boys Town.
Stress, Sleep, and Minority Health Disparities. Project focusing on the effect of stress on critical health behaviors (e.g., sleep) and, ultimately, health outcomes among racial/ethnic minority families. Collaboration with Sociology faculty at UNL.
Pediatric Obesity Treatment Outcomes. Project focusing on predictors of treatment outcomes in an interdisciplinary pediatric obesity clinic. Collaboration with Children’s Hospital Omaha.
Pediatric Dentistry Project. Project examining the role of pediatric dentists in healthy weight promotion of 3-5 year olds. Also focuses on explicating longitudinal relationships between temperament, parental feeding styles, and child weight outcomes. Collaboration with Lincoln Pediatric Dentistry.