Research Themes

BRAIN IMAGING

Advanced neuroimaging has unlocked secrets of how brain structures develop and how those structures influence neurodevelopmental functions. Developmental and cognitive neuroscientists in the division study these issues in children who are typically developing and children who are experiencing clinical problems like dyslexia and prematurity. Some studies are recruiting participants. Investigators welcome trainees to work on these projects.


LANGUAGE AND LEARNING

In the 21st century, language skills have become linked to long-term academic, occupational, financial, and social success. The roots of language skills are established in the preschool period, and delays in language development are associated with disorders of reading, spelling, and writing, and with mental health problems. Because of life-long implications, monitoring children’s language development through surveillance and screening in the preschool period is fundamental to health supervision.


MEDICAL EDUCATION

Medical education has changed as the amount of information has increased and we recognize that learners absorb information in different ways. Our faculty and fellows approach medical education with self-reflection and curiosity. We want to understand which methods of teaching are effective at increasing learners’ knowledge and often also changing their attitudes and skills.


HEALTH SERVICES

The American Academy of Pediatrics has encouraged primary care pediatricians to take a major role in caring for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and other neurodevelopmental conditions. Health services research is a multidisciplinary field that investigates access, use, quality, and outcomes of health care services. We’re interested in how primary care clinicians deliver developmental-behavioral care to children, with an ultimate goal of improving care and outcomes.


DEVELOPMENTAL OUTCOMES

In the care of children with severe and chronic illness such as congenital heart disease, mortality rates have dropped in the last decade. A sensitive measure of the quality of medical care is long-term developmental outcomes. Members of the DBP team collaborate with clinicians in other divisions and departments to understand the neuro-developmental outcomes of children with severe and chronic illness. 


CLINICAL TRIALS AND INTERVENTIONS

We seek to investigate novel approaches to the treatment of a wide range of developmental and behavioral conditions.