Health Care Delivery Science
The Center for Health Care Delivery Science (CHDS) is an innovative and unique community of 18 investigators that uses diverse methods from family and learning health systems science, behavioral science, implementation science, informatics, health policy and behavioral economics with a goal to build a strong base of scientific evidence about how health care can best be delivered, equitably, to foster the healthiest generation of children. Health care delivery is optimized when conceptualized as integrating aspects of health outcomes, health behavior, care delivery and health policy. CHDS spans the Vlog Children's enterprise with locations in Wilmington, Delaware and Jacksonville and Orlando in Florida. We offer a two-year intensive research fellowship program to professionals from a variety of backgrounds (e.g., psychology, nursing, medicine, public health) who aspire to academic research careers.
- About Us
- Research Projects
- Fellowship Program
- Innovation/Outcomes/Impact
- Awards & Recognition
Focus Areas
- Improving delivery of care to children with medical conditions and their families
- We use diverse research methodologies to improve the delivery of care to families of children with a range of medical conditions.
- Focusing on health equity and underserved populations
- Health disparities and inequities in care are well known. Our research provides data to promote the delivery of equitable care that is inclusive of underserved populations.
- Identifying and addressing key psychosocial and behavioral factors that impact health
- Our team includes experts in many behavioral and psychosocial factors that impact the outcomes of pediatric care.
- Addressing the diverse needs of youth, families and pediatric health care providers
- We conduct research across settings focused on the integration and implementation of evidence-based care across the trajectory of illnesses and development.
- Developing and evaluating technology-enhanced interventions
- We are leaders in the integration of technology-enhanced interventions to improve pediatric health care.
Facts
- More than 50 million dollars in research funding since 2013
- More than 23 million dollars in active NIH funding in 2023 (4 R01s, 2 K awards, 1 P award, 1 R01 subaward)
- More than 3 million dollars in active funding from national foundations in 2023
- More than 75 papers published in 2022
- More than 100 poster and professional presentations given in 2022
- 18 investigators conducting research
Our People
Research Leadership
Anne E. Kazak, PhD, ABPP Enterprise Director
Melissa Alderfer, PhD Center Director Delaware Valley
Susana Patton, PhD, ABPP Center Director Florida
Jessica Pierce, Ph.D. Director, Fellowship Training
Dana Berger, MPH Research Program Administrator
Alison Taggi-Pinto, MEd Clinical Research Manager
Research Team
Directors
Anne E. Kazak, PhD, ABPP (DV) Enterprise Director
Melissa Alderfer, PhD (DV) Center Director Delaware Valley
Susana Patton, PhD, ABPP (FL) Center Director Florida
Investigators
Kimberly Canter, PhD (DV) Senior Research Scientist/Clinical Psychologist
J.J. Cutuli, PhD (DV) Senior Research Scientist
Paul Enlow, PhD (DV) Research Scientist/Clinical Psychologist
Danielle Hatchimonji, PhD (DV) Assistant Research Scientist
Aimee Hildenbrand, PhD (DV) Research Scientist/Clinical Psychologist
Alexandra Monzon, PhD (FL) Assistnt Research Scientist/Clinical Psychologist
Shreela Palit, PhD (FL) Assistant Research Scientist/Clinical Psychologist
Emily Peraseau, PhD (DV) Assitant Research Scientist/Clinical Psychologist
Jessica Pierce, PhD (FL) Senior Research Scientist/Clinical Psychologist
Julia Price, PhD (DV) Research Scientist
Thao-Ly Phan, MD, MPH (DV) Physician
Corinna Schultz, MD (DV) Physician
Erica Sood, PhD (DV) Psychologist
Steven Reader, PhD (DV) Psychologist
Abbas Zaidi, MD (DV) Physician
Sarah Wawrzynski, PhD, CCRN (DV) Research Postdoctoral Fellow
Data Management and Biostatistics
Kamyar Arasteh, PhD (DV) Senior Biostatistician
Rachel Skocypec, PhD (DV) Biostatistician
Amanda Lewis, MPH (DV) Senior Data Analyst
Research Staff
Benjamin Bear, MSW (DV) Clinical Research Coordinator II
Asia coleman, MS, MPH (DV) Clinical Research Coordinator
Tony Collins, BS (DV) Program Coordinator
Diego De La Cruz, MS (FL) Clinical Research Coordinator
Michelle Goodreau, MPH Clinical Research Coordinator II
Kelsey Higgins, BS (DV) Clinical Research Coordinator
Cristle Ike, BA (DV) Clinical Research Coordinator
Joanne Jung, BS (DV) Clinical Research Coordinator
Lissette Lopez Lopez BS (DV) Clinical Research Coordinator
Mikaela Miller, BA (FL) Clinical Research Coordinator
Kristen Morga, MS (FL) Clinical Research Coordinator
Nicole Morales, BS (FL) Clinical Research Coordinator
Amy Milkes, MA (FL) Senior Clinical Research Coordinator
Mikaela Miller, BA (FL) Clinical Research Coordinator
Angel Munoz-Osorio, BA (DV) Clinical Research Coordinator
Zumana Noor, MS (DV) Clinical Research Coordinator
Alejandra Perez Ramirez, BA (DV) Clinical Research Coordinator II
Diana Sanroman-Espinosa, BA (DV) Clinical Research Coordinator
Michele Scialla, RN, MSN (DV) Clinical Research Nurse
Courtney Thomas, MA (DV) Clinical Research Coordinator II
Gabriela Vega, MS (DV) Program Coordinator
Chia-Lun Yang, PhD (DV) Clinical Research Coordinator II
Fellows
MaryJane Campbell, PhD (FL) Research Postdoctoral Fellow
Mallory Garnett, PhD (DE) Research Postdoctoral Fellow
Emily "Isa" Granados, PhD (FL) Research Postdoctoral Fellow
Nicole Ruppe, PhD (DE) Research Postdoctoral Fellow
Program Management
Dana Berger, MPH (DV) Research Program Administrator
Alison Taggi-Pinto, MEd (DV) Clinical Research Manager
Priscilla Jones , BS (FL) Research Program Manager
Administrative Support
Alyssa Decino, BA (DV) Administrative Coordinator
Mary McElwain (DV) Administrative Coordinator
Partnerships and Affiliations
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- : A Pediatric Learning Health System ()
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Research Themes
- Improving the Delivery of Pediatric Care
- Health Equity and Disparities
- Technology in interventions: Digital Health/mHealth/eHealth
- Implementation Science
- Family Adaptation (including siblings) and Psychosocial Risk Screening
- Community and stakeholder engagement
- Transition from pediatric to adult health care
- Developing and testing interventions and models of care
- Medical Traumatic Stress and Trauma-Informed Care
- Risk and resilience in pediatric medical conditions
- Research related to COVID-19 pandemic
- Risk-taking
Clinical Trials
- Testing eSCCIP: An eHealth Psychosocial Intervention for English and Spanish Speaking Parents of Children With Cancer (PI: Kimberly Canter, PhD)
- Experiences and Decision-Making for CFTR Modulators: A Qualitative Analysis (nemours.org) (PI: Kimberly Canter, PhD)
- Implementation of Family Psychosocial Risk Assessment in Pediatric Cancer (PAT) (PI: Anne Kazak, PhD)
- Home Video-based Telemedicine to Reduce Hypoglycemia Fear in Parents of Young Children (REDCHiP) (PI: Susana Patton, PhD)
- Coin2Dose: Behavioral Economics to Promote Insulin BOLUS Activity and Improve HbA1c in Teens (Coin2Dose) (PI: Susana Patton, PhD)
- Remedy to Diabetes Distress (R2D2): A Scalable Screen to Treat Program for School-age Families (PI: Susana Patton, PhD)
- Study of Healthy Adaptation and Resilience to Pain in Emerging Adulthood (SHARPE) (PI: Shreela Palit, PhD) (nemours.org)
- A Crowdsourced Social Media Portal for Parents of Very Young Children With Type 1 Diabetes (PI: Jessica Pierce, PhD)
- Feasibility Trial of the iAmHealthy Intervention for Healthy Weight in Rural Children (Milford, Del.) (nemours.org) (PI: Thao-Ly Phan, PhD)
- Mobile Integrated Care for Childhood Obesity (PI: Thao-Ly Phan, PhD)
- HEARTPrep: A Virtually-delivered Psychosocial Intervention for Mothers Expecting a Baby With Congenital Heart Disease (HEARTPrep) (PI: Erica Sood, PhD)
Major Grants
- Anne Kazak & Melissa Alderfer, NIGMS COBRE. Research Expanding Access to Child Health. $10,929,735. 2022-2027
- Susana Patton, NIDDK R01. Coin2Dose: Behavioral economics to promote insulin bolus activity and improve HbA1c in teens. $900,000 2021-2026
- Susana Patton, NIDDK R01. Remedy to Diabetes Distress (R2D2): A Scalable Screen to Treat Program for School-Age Families. $3,200,000 2020-2025
- Susana Patton, NIDDK R01. Home-based video telemedicine to reduce parental fear of hypoglycemia in young kids with T1D. $2,246,623. 2019-2024
- Kimberly Canter, NCI R01, A randomized controlled trial of eSCCIP: An eHealth psychosocial intervention for English and Spanish speaking parents of children with cancer $3,745,635. 2022-2027
- Aimee Hildenbrand (Site PI), NINR R01, A socio-ecological approach for improving self-management in adolescents with SCD. 2023-2028
- Julia Price, NIDDK K23. Uptake of Evidence-Based Behavioral Intervention for Pediatric Type 1 Diabetes. $724,869 2020-2025
- Shreela Palit, NICHD K23, Study of Healthy Adaptation and Resilience to Pain in Emerging Adulthood (SHARPE) $835,000 2022-2027.
- Anne Kazak, American Cancer Society. Cross Cultural Psychosocial Risk Screening in Pediatric Cancer. 2020-2025 $1,834,913
- Jessica Pierce, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Transdisciplinary Care for Young Adults with Type 1 Diabetes Transitioning to Adult Healthcare. 2023-2026 $628,819
- Rachel Wasserman, American Diabetes Association. Piloting a Novel Intervention for helping Teens Manage Everyday Emotional Burdens of Living with Type 1 Diabetes: The TRAC-D Pilot Study. 2023-2025 $276,001
- J.J. Cutuli, Institute of Education Services. Developing a Coordinated System to Identify and Support Students Experiencing Homelessness. $1,998,599. 2024-2028.
- Alexandra Monzon. NIDDK. Adapting Single Sessions Interventions for Type 1 Diabetes (ASSIsTeD): Integrated Pediatric Care to Reduce Depression and HbA1c. 2024-2029.
- Sarah Wawrzynski. AHRQ PedsNet K12. Identifying and Addressing Social Risk in Congenital Heart Disease Using a Stakeholder Engaged Approach. $305,169. 2024-2026.
- David Fedele, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (subaward). TIDES 2.0: Prevalence and Longitudinal Course of Depression, Anxiety, and Behavior Problems in Children with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) under 12 Years of Age. $258,822. 2024-2028.
- J.J. Cutuli, Institute of Education Services. Developing a Coordinated System to Identify and Support Students Experiencing Homelessness. $1,998,599. 2024-2028.
- Alexandra Monzon. NIDDK. Adapting Single Sessions Interventions for Type 1 Diabetes (ASSIsTeD): Integrated Pediatric Care to Reduce Depression and HbA1c. 2024-2029.
- Sarah Wawrzynski. AHRQ PedsNet K12. Identifying and Addressing Social Risk in Congenital Heart Disease Using a Stakeholder Engaged Approach. $305,169. 2024-2026.
- David Fedele, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (subaward). TIDES 2.0: Prevalence and Longitudinal Course of Depression, Anxiety, and Behavior Problems in Children with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) under 12 Years of Age. $258,822. 2024-2028.
Interested in a clinical and academic research career? We’re currently seeking individuals for our CHDS Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program.
Fellows have the opportunity to:
- Work with a mentor to develop an area of research focus within the scope of CHDS, based on interest and experience.
- Write and submit mentored grant applications (e.g., internal fellowship grants, NIH K23), with the goal of launching their own line of research.
- Participate in all aspects of clinical research, including project planning, recruitment and data collection, data management and analyses, and manuscript preparation.
- Attend biomedical research presentations, pediatric grand rounds, CHDS-based research meetings and didactics, and other educational sessions.
- Become part of a cohort of postdoctoral fellows across Vlog.
CHDS Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program Details
- CHDS fellowships are two-year programs, running summer 2025 to summer 2027.
- We have two fellowship positions, one in Wilmington, Delaware and one in Jacksonville or Orlando in Florida.
- Fellows are paired with a primary research faculty mentor within CHDS and may collaborate with other Vlog faculty.
- These are primarily research positions; if applicable, up to 20% of supervised clinical time is allotted to accrue hours for licensure.
Salary and Benefits
- $64,302 (2025-2026 academic year)
- Eligible for a merit increase at the start of second year
- Professional development allowance
- Competitive benefits package
How to Apply
- CV
- Cover letter
- Three letters of recommendation.
Rather than highlighting specific research mentors in your cover letter, we ask that you emphasize your area(s) of interest and career goals and how they align with CHDS focus areas.
Applications will be reviewed immediately and interviews will be held virtually in January 2025.
Please send your application materials to: Dr. Jessica Pierce, Director of Research Fellowship Training at jessica.pierce@nemours.org.
Current CHDS Fellows and Recent Graduates
Current Fellows
- Emily “Isa” Granados, PhD, 2024-2026 (Jacksonville, FL): Dr. Granados is a population health scientist interested in research on pediatric obesity. She’s being mentored by Drs. Susana Patton and David Fedele.
- MaryJane Campbell, PhD, 2023-2025 (Orlando, FL): Dr. Campbell is a psychologist interested in research on family adaptation to pediatric food allergies. She’s being mentored by Drs. Susana Patton and Jessica Pierce, and has two grant proposals under scientific merit review.
- Mallory Garnett, PhD, 2023-2025 (Wilmington, DE): Dr. Garnett is a psychologist interested in research on parenting in economically disadvantaged families. She’s being mentored by Dr. JJ Cutuli and has one grant proposal under scientific merit review.
- Nicole Enlow, PhD, 2023-2025 (Wilmington, DE): Dr. Enlow is a psychologist who received a Vlog Biomedical Research Fellows Award on psychosocial risk in cerebral palsy in February 2024. She’s being mentored by Dr. Anne Kazak.
Recent Graduates
- Alexandra Monzon, PhD, 2022-2024: Dr. Monzon is currently an attending psychologist and assistant research scientist at Vlog Children’s Hospital, Florida. She was awarded an NIH/NIDDK K23 on single session design interventions in pediatric diabetes during her fellowship training. Her mentors were Drs. Susana Patton, Jessca Pierce, and Rachel Wasserman.
- Emily Pariseau, PhD, 2022-2024: Dr. Pariseau is currently an attending psychologist and assistant research scientist at Vlog Children’s Hospital, Delaware. She was awarded a Vlog Biomedical Research Fellows Award on adolescents’ sexual health discussions in primary care during her fellowship training. Her mentor was Dr. Anne Kazak.
- Sarah Wawrzynski, PhD, CCRN 2022-2024: Dr. Wawrzynski is currently a nurse scientist and the director of nursing research at Vlog Children’s Hospital, Delaware. She was awarded a Vlog Biomedical Research Fellows Award and PEDSNet P30 Scholar Fellowship during her fellowship training on family experiences around preparation for pediatric cardiac surgery. Her mentor was Dr. Melissa Alderfer.
Questions? Contact Dr. Jessica Pierce, Director of Research Fellowship Training at jessica.pierce@nemours.org.
- Leaders and collaborators on international practice guideline development
- Psychosocial Standards of Care in Pediatric Cancer ()
- Pediatric Trauma Society
- Editorial positions
- Highly cited publications
- Participants on NIH study sections
- REACH Center of Biomedical Research Excellence:
- Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress Category II Treatment Development Center, National Child — Traumatic Stress Network:
- Psychosocial Assessment Tool (PAT)
- Surviving Cancer Competently Intervention Program (several versions of SCCIP)
- Assessment of exposure and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and families
- Leaders in community based participatory research
- Sibling Partnership for Advocacy, Research and Care (SPARC): an international community-academic partnership to bring siblings into family-centered care,
- Anne Kazak — 2023 Research Excellence Award, Vlog Children’s Health, Delaware. Medical staff physician recognition award.
- Anne Kazak— 2023 R. Bob Smith III, Ph.D. Excellence in Psychological Assessment Award, Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology (SCAAP), Division 53 of the American Psychological Association
- Melissa Alderfer— SPP Michael Roberts Mentorship Award 2022
- Shreela Palit— North American Pain School 2022
- Rachel Wasserman— Medical Staff Excellence in Research Award, Vlog 2022
- Kim Canter, Alejandra Perez Ramirez, Gaby Vega, Aimee Hildenbrand, Anne Kazak— Honorable Mention: Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology Manuscript of the Year in 2022 Award
- Alexandra Monzon— Student Poster Award. Society of Pediatric Psychology Annual Conference 2022
- Erica Sood — 2021 Newburger-Bellinger Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Award, Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Outcome Collaborative Invited to join American Psychological Association Fellows Committee 2022–2024
- Danielle Hatchimonji — Inaugural Cohort of CASEL Weissberg Scholars. 2021
- Melissa Alderfer— 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award, Child & Family Health SIG, Society of Behavioral Medicine.
- Anne Kazak and Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress— 2020 Compassionate Champion Award, presented to CPTS by the State of Delaware for outstanding achievement in providing trauma-informed services.
- Danielle Hatchimonji— NIH Proposal Academy, University of Delaware (2020-2021). Selected to participate in mentorship and training to prepare an NIH grant for submission in June 2021.