The major focus of my research program is long term outcomes of young kidney transplant recipients. My studies using large American databases determined that 17-24 year-olds have the highest risk of allograft failure of any age group, regardless of the age at transplant. Additional work determined that pediatric kidney transplant recipients who are transferred from a pediatric to an adult-oriented facility at an age less than 21 years have a 58% higher risk of graft failure than individuals of the same age who were transferred at greater than 21 years. Non-adherence to medications is the most likely mechanism underlying the relationships between graft failure and both of age and age at transfer. Therefore, studies targeting non-adherence are a natural extension of prior work, and provide perhaps the most important opportunity to improve graft outcomes for young kidney transplant recipients.

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I have over 35 years of clinical experience in the management of persons with chronic pulmonary conditions and hold licensure and certification as an APRN (ACNS-BC). Since beginning my academic research career in 1998, the themes of my work encompass: 1) the application of user-centered design to the development of interactive health technologies; 2) the design and evaluation of theory-driven, technology-based interventions to promote patient engagement, adherence and other self-management behaviors; 3) health-related quality of life in the setting of organ transplantation; 4) symptom management, palliative care and advanced care planning in the setting of lung transplantation; 5) expertise in qualitative and mixed-methods research techniques, including mixed-method techniques for empirical measurement of usability.

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