Child Health and Education Lab
Allison King, MD, MPH, PhD
Allison King, MD, PhD, directs the Child Health and Education Laboratory, which focuses on children with chronic illness, specifically those with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) or brain tumors. In addition, King currently directs the Heartland and Southwest Sickle Cell Disease Network, a partnership with SCD care providers and community organizations to improve overall care and quality of life in patients with SCD in an eight-state region that includes Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma.
Current research projects include:
- Environmental impact on children with chronic illness
- Studying the relationship between maternal mental health and child development among children with SCD
- Development and/or validation of assessments of participation and quality of life of infants and toddlers 0-48 months old
- Development and implementation of a transition program for adolescents with SCD
- Qualitative analysis of focus group sessions to better understand the needs of patients with SCD
- Assessing the effects of SCD on cognition, functional task performance, and health literacy in adolescents and adults
- Dissemination and implementation of standardized cognitive assessments for adolescents and young adults with SCD
- Investigating the consequences of hearing loss on cognitive late effects in brain tumor survivors
Student activities
Students are expected to complete at least one hypothesis-driven project focusing on either children or adults with SCD or children with brain tumors. Projects could be a retrospective study or a cross-sectional, prospective study. The results will focus on educational and functional outcomes. OTD students may publish a manuscript by the end of the final year. Most of the research will be completed at St. Louis Children’s Hospital or at the Program in Occupational Therapy building. Students may occasionally need to drive if their project involves home interviews or community education programs. Some studies may involve evening or weekend research.
Project examples
- Evaluate the effects of home environment and parental stress on developmental outcomes of children with SCD
- Develop relationships with community associations to address educational attainment for children with chronic diseases
- Assess effectiveness of an educational video about SCD
- Educate adolescents with chronic illnesses to improve independent living skills and facilitate transition from pediatric to adult health care and independent living
- Validate an activity card sort for infants and toddlers, 0-48 months old
- Assess cognition, functional task performance, and health literacy in adolescents and adults with SCD utilizing the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Toolbox, Weschler Abbreviated Scales of Intelligence (WASI-II), Executive Function Performance Test (EFPT) and Weekly Calendar Planning Activity (WCPA)
- Qualitative analysis of focus group interviews with patients and families dealing with SCD
Allison King, MD, MPH, PhD
Professor of Pediatrics, Hematology & Oncology
Researcher, Patient Oriented Research Unit
Professor, Education
Professor, Hematology
Professor, Occupational Therapy
Professor, Surgery
Director, Sickle Cell Disease Transition Program
Recent publications
- Symptom Screening Linked to Care Pathways for Pediatric Patients With Cancer: A Randomized Clinical TrialDupuis, L. L., Vettese, E., Grimes, A. C., Beauchemin, M. P., Waller, L., Baggott, C., Demedis, J., Aftandilian, C., Freyer, D. R., Crellin-Parsons, N., Orgel, E., Dickens, D., Kelly, K. M., Kyono, W., Walsh, A., Sherani, F., Cannone, D., Orsey, A. D., King, A. A. & Yu, L. & 9 others, Woods-Swafford, W., Bradfield, S. M., Roth, M. E., Esbenshade, A. J., Caywood, E. H., Agarwal, V., Nagasubramanian, R., Tomlinson, G. A. & Sung, L., Dec 17 2024, In: JAMA. 332, 23, p. 1981-1991 11 p.Research […]
- Cerebral Oxygen Metabolic Stress in Children and Adults With Large Vessel Vasculopathy Due to Sickle Cell DiseaseWang, Y., Fellah, S., Reis, M., Guilliams, K. P., Fields, M. E., Steger-May, K., Mirro, A. E., Lewis, J. B., Ying, C., Cohen, R. A., Hulbert, M. L., King, A. A., Chen, Y., Lee, J. M., An, H. & Ford, A. L., Dec 10 2024, In: Neurology. 103, 11, p. e210032Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- Social determinants of health and treatment center affiliation: analysis from the sickle cell disease implementation consortium registryMendez, G. G., Nocek, J. M., Brambilla, D. J., Jacobs, S., Cole, O., Kanter, J., Glassberg, J., Saving, K. L., Melvin, C. L., Gibson, R. W., Treadwell, M., Jackson, G. L., King, A. A., Gordeuk, V. R., Kroner, B. & Hsu, L. L., Dec 2024, In: BMC health services research. 24, 1, 291.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- Barriers and facilitators to a task-shifted stroke prevention program for children with sickle cell anemia in a community hospital: a qualitative studyBello-Manga, H., Haliru, L., Ahmed, K., Ige, S., Musa, H., Muhammad-Idris, Z. K., Monday, B., Sani, A. M., Bonnet, K., Schlundt, D. G., Varughese, T., Tabari, A. M., DeBaun, M. R., Baumann, A. A. & King, A. A., Dec 2024, In: Implementation Science Communications. 5, 1, 10.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- “I was very scared when I found out my son had sickle cell”: Caregiver knowledge and attitudes toward early intervention for young children with sickle cell disease: Implications for policy and practice from a multi-site studyHoyt, C., MacArthur, E., Leaver, H., Wilson, A. L., Davis, K., Harris, K., Damiano, R., Moore, H., Housten, A. J., Britts, R., Hankins, J. S., King, A. & Heitzer, A. M., Nov 2024, In: Pediatric Blood and Cancer. 71, 11, e31308.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- Opioid-related emergency admissions in people with opioid dependence/use disorder with and without sickle cell disease: An analysis of multi-state insurance claimsLiu, S. A., Brown, T. R., King, A. A., Lin, L. A., Rehman, S. S., Grucza, R. A. & Xu, K. Y., Nov 1 2024, In: General Hospital Psychiatry. 91, p. 83-88 6 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- Impact of an individualized pain plan to treat sickle cell disease vaso-occlusive episodes in the emergency departmentfor the Sickle Cell Disease Implementation Consortium, Oct 22 2024, In: Blood Advances. 8, 20, p. 5330-5338 9 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- Hydroxyurea to prevent brain injury in children with sickle cell disease (HU Prevent)—A randomized, placebo-controlled phase II feasibility/pilot studyCasella, J. F., Furstenau, D. K., Adams, R. J., Brambilla, D. J., Lebensburger, J. D., Fehr, J., Jordan, L. C., King, A. A., Ichord, R. N., McKinstry, R., Kraut, M. A., Shaw, D. W., White, D. A., Whyte-Stewart, D. A., Avadhani, R., Barron-Casella, E. A., Cannon, A. D., Eaton, C. K., Riekert, K. A. & Shay, J. E. & 9 others, Smith-Seidel, C. A., Weiss, D. C., Ostapkovich, N. D., Vermillion, K., Treine, K. E., Kingsbury, C. E., Strouse, J. J., Thompson, […]
- Intracranial aneurysms in sickle cell disease are associated with hemodynamic stress and anemiaWang, Y., Garland, J. S., Fellah, S., Reis, M. N., Parsons, M. S., Guilliams, K. P., Fields, M. E., Mirro, A. E., Lewis, J. B., Ying, C., Cohen, R. A., Hulbert, M. L., King, A. A., Chen, Y., Lee, J. M., An, H. & Ford, A. L., Sep 24 2024, In: Blood Advances. 8, 18, p. 4823-4831 9 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- Evaluating the impact of a year-long external mentorship pilot program in classical hematologyQureshy, Z., Nair, P., Vesely, S. K., King, A. A., Lee, A. I., Connell, N. T., von Drygalski, A., Wong-Sefidan, I., Murphy, M. C., Mistry, R. H., Zon, R. L., Reid, E. G., Fritz, J. & Park, S. J., Sep 24 2024, In: Blood Advances. 8, 18, p. 4833-4844 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review