Current Research

We conduct interdisciplinary research that aligns with the clinical goals of the program – namely, to promote optimal long-term developmental, behavioral, and medical outcomes of the baby and to address the challenges that parents face when having a baby with medical complications.

The populations that our research focuses on include women with high-risk pregnancies who have an unborn baby with (or at high risk of being born with) medical complications, parents of newborn babies with medical complications including babies with a prolonged stay in the NICU, parents coping with the loss of a baby, and babies as well as young children born with medical complications. 

3-D Model to Explain Twin-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS)
PI: Dr. Allison Dempsey
Twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) is a complication in which twins receive a disproportionate blood supply resulting in one twin having too much and the other too little. Because parents often have difficulty understanding TTTS, anatomically accurate 3-D models could be an effective education tool to assist health care providers in explaining TTTS. Currently, our research team is testing the effectiveness of this intervention in improving patient understanding.   

C-Section Desensitization 
PI: Dr. Allison Dempsey
Women with high-risk pregnancies are more likely to experience stress and anxiety in anticipation of a c-section. In order to address this, our research team is conducting a clinical trial on the use of a brief, single-session behavioral exposure intervention (c-section walk-through) to test whether it improves the birth experience and reduces stress and anxiety among women with fetal anomalies. 

Counseling Tool Families with Fetal Anomalies
PI: Dr. Allison Dempsey
Families who have an infant born with a high-risk medical condition need special support. This study tests the feasibility, acceptability, and limited efficacy of a counseling tool to promote conversations about coping and quality of life among these families.

For questions about our research, please send an email to Allison Dempsey, PhD, at allison.dempsey@cuanschutz.edu.

Selected Recent Publications from Team Members

2020/In Press

Arnold, C., Tyson, J.E., Pedroza, C., Carlo, W.F., Stevenson, D.K., Wong, R., Dempsey, A., Khan, A., Fonseca, R., Wyckoff, M. & Moreira, A. (2020). Cycled phototherapy dose-finding study for extremely low-birth-weight infants: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Pediatrics, Online First. DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.0559

Dempsey, A. G., Chavis, L., Willis, T., Zuk, J., & Cole, J.C.M. (2020). Addressing perinatal mental health risk within a fetal care center. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings. DOI:  10.1007/s10880-020-09728-2

Dempsey, A. G., Goode, R. H., Coloron, M. T., Holubeck, P., Nsier, H., Zopatti, K. & Needelman, H. (2020). Variations in criteria for eligibility determination for early intervention services with a focus on eligibility for children with neonatal complications. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. In Press.

Dempsey, A. G. & Keller-Margulis, M. A. (2020). Developmental and medical factors associated with parenting stress in mothers of toddlers born very preterm in a neonatal follow-up clinic. Infant Mental Health Journal. In Press.

Dempsey, A.G. & Saxton, S.N. (2020). Mental health in pregnancy and child development: implications for mental health service delivery. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Online First.

Givrad, S., St. John-Larkin, C., Paul, J. J., Whitmann, C., & Nadal-Vincens, M. (2020). Parent-infant relationships in the perinatal setting: Basics of assessment and treatment for the perinatal psychiatrist. In L. A. Hutner, L. Catapano, S. Nagle-Yang, K. E. Williams, & L. M. Osborne (Eds). Textbook of Women’s Reproductive Mental Health. American Psychiatric Association Publishing. In Press

Keller-Margulis, M. A., & Dempsey, A. G. (2020). Children born preterm at preschool age: performance on measures of early academic skills performance and cognitive functioning. Early Childhood Education Journal 48(2), 203-211. DOI:  10.1007/s10643-019-00998-6

2019

Dempsey, A. G. (Ed.). (2019). Pediatric health conditions in schools: a clinician's guide for working with children, families, and educators. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Dempsey, J., Barton, A., Dempsey, A.G. & Chapman, S. (2019). Neurodevelopmental disorders presenting in early childhood. In A. G. Dempsey (Ed.), Pediatric health conditions in schools: a clinician’s guide for working with children, families, and educators. (pp. 245-260).  New York, NY: Oxford University Press. DOI: 10.1093/med-psych/9780190687281.003.0014

Duncan, A. F., Bann, C. M., Dempsey, A.G., Peralta-Carcelen, M., & Hintz, S. (2019). Behavioral deficits at 18-22 months of age are associated with early cerebellar injury and cognitive and language performance in extremely preterm children. The Journal of Pediatrics, 204(4), 148-56. 

Duncan, A. F., Bann, C. M., Dempsey, A. G., Adams-Chapman, I., Heyne, R., & Hintz,S. (2019). Neuroimaging and Bayley-III correlates of early hand function in extremely preterm children. Journal of Perinatology, 39(3), 488-96. DOI: 10.1038/s41372-019-0314-0

Stotts, A. L., Villarreal, Y. R., Klawans, M. R., Suchting, R., Dindo, L., Dempsey, A., Spellman, M., Green, C., & Northrup, T. F. (2019). Psychological flexibility and depression in new mothers of medically vulnerable infants: a mediational analysis. Maternal and Child Health Journal 23(6), 821-9. DOI:  10.1007/s10995-018-02699-9

Hatters Friedman, S, Prakash C, Nagle-Yang S. (2019).  “Postpartum Psychosis:  Protecting mother and infant.”  Current Psychiatry, 18(4), 12-21.

Saxton, S. N., Dempsey, A. G., Willis, T., Baughcum, A. E., Chavis, L, Hoffman, C. & Steinberg, Z. (2019). Essential knowledge and competencies for psychologists working in Neonatal Intensive Care Units. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings 1-12. Retrieved from: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10880-019-09682-8

2018

Dempsey, A.G.,  Barton, A. & Duncan, A. F. (2018). Differences in performance on developmental tasks in young children across digital and paper-based modalities: a feasibility trial. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 39(9), 726-35.

Serrano, V.J., Hasbrouck, S., Alfonso, A. M., Ashby, B., Paul, J. J. (co-anchor), & Buchholz, M. (2018). Focusing on Fathers: Recognizing the role of paternal mental health in family well-being during the postpartum period. Zero to Three Journal, 38(6), 13-19.

Albaugh, A. S., Friedman, S. H., Nagle-Yang, S, & Rosenthal, M. (2018). Attendance at Mental Health Appointments by Women Who Were Referred During Pregnancy or the Postpartum Period. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing, 47(1), 3-11.

2017

Bekman, S., St. John-Larkin, C., Paul, J.J., Millar, A. & Frankel, K. (2017). Update on Screening, Referring and Treating the Behavioral, Social, and Mental Health Problems of Very Young Children. Current Treatment Options in Pediatrics, 3(1), 15-31. DOI:10.1007/s40746-017-0076

Osborne, L. M., MacLean, J. V., Barzilay, E. M., Meltzer-Brody, S., Miller, L., & Nagle-Yang, S.  (2017). Reproductive Psychiatry Residency Training: A Survey of Psychiatric Residency Program Directors. Academic Psychiatry, 1-5.

Nagle-Yang, S., Miller, L., & Osborne, L. M. (2017). Reproductive Psychiatry Fellowship Training: Identification and Characterization of Current Programs. Academic Psychiatry, 1-5.