Faculty
Dr. Mullins is currently the Vaughn Vennerberg II Chair of Psychology and Regents Professor at Oklahoma State University. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1983 and interned at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center with his primary placement in Pediatric Psychology. Dr. Mullins' primary professional identity is as a Pediatric Psychologist, and he has spent the past 30 years focusing both his research and clinical practice in the area of chronic health conditions in children.
Larry L. Mullins, Ph.D.
Director and Vaughn Vennerberg II Chair of Psychology and Regents Professor
Dr. Chaney is currently Regents Professor and Director of the Center for American Indian Studies at OSU. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1991. Dr. Chaney's primary area of research addresses psychosocial adjustment challenges in youth with a variety of pediatric chronic illnesses. Currently, Dr. Chaney and his lab are initiating a collaborative investigation with faculty at the OU Health Sciences Center that examines adjustment outcomes in youth with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Dr. Clawson is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Oklahoma State University. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Memphis in 2014, with specialization in pediatric psychology. Her research is focused on health promotion and disease prevention, minority health and health disparities, adolescent and young adult health, and pediatric asthma. Specifically, Dr. Clawson's current research examines the correlates and health effects of environmental and active nicotine and marijuana exposure among youth, with a specific focus youth with asthma and underserved families.
John M. Chaney, Ph.D.
Regents Professor
Ashley (Hum) Clawson, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Affiliate Faculty
Amanda Baraldi, Ph.D.
Misty Hawkins, Ph.D.
Thad Leffingwell, Ph.D.
Dr. Baraldi is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology whose expertise is in quantitative psychology. Dr. Baraldi's research focuses on evaluating and applying advanced statistical methods to psychological, prevention, and health research. Her current research interests include missing data analyses, methods for assessing mediation, longitudinal growth modeling, and health and prevention research. Dr. Baraldi will provide much needed statistical support for the Center.
Dr. Hawkins is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology, and is a clinical psychologist and researcher with expertise in health psychology, specifically obesity and other chronic health conditions. As an Affiliate member of the Center for Pediatric Psychology, she hopes to empower parents and children to meet their goals for healthy weight management.
Amy Wisniewski, Ph.D.
Dr. Leffingwell is a clinical health psychologist and Professor and Head in the Department of Psychology at Oklahoma State University. Dr. Leffingwell is a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) and a founding member of the Motivational Interviewing Community of Practice in Oklahoma. Dr. Leffingwell’s research interests include brief motivational interventions for health behavior change and motivational predictors of self-directed and assisted behavior change.
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
Amy Wisniewski received her BA in Neuroscience from Oberlin College in 1994 and her PhD in Experimental Psychology from The Johns Hopkins University in 1999. She completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Behavioral Endocrinology in 2002 from The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Amy’s research examines behavioral, medical and surgical outcomes of children and adults affected by disorders of sex development (DSD).
Alayna P. Tackett, Ph.D.
Dr. Tackett is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and the Oklahoma Tobacco Research Center (OTRC) at the Stephenson Cancer Center/University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC). Her research primarily focuses on tobacco regulatory science. Current projects examine the longitudinal respiratory effects of e-cigarette use among youth and young adults (K01 HL148907). Dr. Tackett also conducts research identifying methods to reduce children's exposure to secondhand aerosol from non-combustible tobacco products. Her secondary research examines how psychosocial and socioeconomic variables impact the management of pediatric food allergy. Current projects examine perceptions of food allergen risk, difficulties in obtaining allergen free foods, and general management of food allergies with the ultimate goal of developing clinically effective methods for reducing allergen exposure. Dr. Tackett hopes to provide training opportunities and mentorship to trainees of Center for Pediatric Psychology as well as enhance collaborative efforts to improve child and adolescent health.
Ted Wagener, Ph.D.
Dr. Wagener is a licensed clinical psychologist and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and also serves as the Associate Director of Training at the Oklahoma Tobacco Research Center of the Stephenson Cancer Center. Dr. Wagener conducts research developing and testing novel methods to reduce children's exposure to secondhand smoke, including motivational and harm reduction strategies.
Advisory Board
David Elkin, Ph.D.
Dr. Elkin is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior and Executive Director of the Center for Advancement of Youth (CAY) at the University of Mississippi Medical Center
David Janicke, Ph.D., ABPP
Dr. Janicke is a Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology in the College of Public Health and Health Professions at the University of Florida.
Bernard Fuemmeler, Ph.D., MPH
Dr. Fuemmeler is a Professor and Gordon D. Ginder, MD Endowed Chair in Cancer Research and Associate Director of Cancer Prevention and Control at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Massey Cancer Center. Dr. Fuemmeler holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Oklahoma State University and an MPH from Harvard University in epidemiology.
Ahna L. H. Pai, Ph.D.
Dr. Pai is the Director of the Patient and Family Wellness Center in the Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute and a Professor of Pediatrics in Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Child Psychology from Oklahoma State University.
Kevin Hommel, Ph.D.
Dr. Hommel is a tenured Professor of Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. A graduate of Oklahoma State University, he is currently the Director of the Center for Health Technology Research at CCHMC, and his research focuses on the use of technology to improve self-management in pediatric chronic conditions.
Eugene Walker, Ph.D.
Dr. Walker is currently Professor Emeritus at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. For the majority of his later career (1974-1998), he served as Professor and Director of Pediatric Psychology Training, University of Oklahoma Medical School and Co-Chief of Mental Health Services, Oklahoma Children's Hospital, Oklahoma City. Dr. Walker is considered to be one of the founding fathers of the field of Pediatric Psychology and a pioneer in conducting research with children with chronic health issues.
Stephen Gillaspy, Ph.D.
Dr. Gillaspy is the Senior Director, Health Care Financing Practice Directorate at the American Psychological Association. He was formerly an Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center since 2005. His research is in the areas of pediatric obesity, tobacco control, mental health screening, health disparities, and medical education.
Institutional & Community Partnerships
Our in-state partners include Pediatric Psychology Faculty and Pediatricians at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City as well as the JD McCarty Center for Children with Developmental Disabilities in Norman, OK. Out-of-state partners that we have worked with in the past or currently work with on research projects include the Intramural Branch of NIH, University of Mississippi Medical Center, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago, Cornell University Medical Center, University of San Francisco Medical Center, Washington University Medical Center, Cincinnati Children’s Medical Hospital Center, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Cook Children’s Hospital of Fort Worth, and Denver Children’s Hospital.