Our lab engages in many different research projects. Read about our current work and collaborations below. Click here to learn about our completed projects.
Firearm Safety and Injury Prevention During Early Childhood: A Parent Engagement Approach
After teens, young children are the largest age group impacted by unintentional shootings. Parents are essential protectors of their young children and can play a key role in firearm injury prevention. Yet, their views have not been well incorporated into messaging from injury prevention experts. Our Supporting All Families through Education and Responsible Management and Storage (SAFE ARMS) study assesses parents’ and experts’ perceptions of firearm injury risk for young children using a mental models approach. We seek to engage parents who own firearms or are considering owning firearms and who have children up to 5 years old in a community-based approach to develop and pilot an intervention to inform prevention of unintentional firearm injury and death in early childhood. In addition to Dr. Miller, the SAFE ARMS team includes Dr. Hsing-Fang Hsieh, Dr. Daniel Lee, Dr. Rebeccah Sokol, Dr. Cynthia Ewell Foster, Dr. Marc Zimmerman, Dr. Justin Heinze, Dr. Andrew Hashikawa, and Dr. Brian Zikmund-Fisher. This study is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC R01- CE003592) and is affiliated with UM’s Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention.
To learn more, Dr. Miller was interviewed about firearm injury prevention for young children.
Autism Services & Support Implemented in a Sensible Timeframe (ASSIST)
The process of diagnosing and receiving treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is lengthy and can be costly for families. The ASSIST Michigan Families study aims to understand families’ experiences with autism diagnosis, evaluation, and receipt of treatment services in the State of Michigan. In partnership with the Michigan Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (MIAAP) and the Autism Alliance of Michigan (AAOM), Dr. Alison Miller and colleagues at the University of Michigan School of Public Health hope to learn more about barriers involved with children receiving care for ASD and any inequities related to timely receipt of services. Through a mixed-methods design of surveys and interviews with caregivers, pediatric providers, and autism evaluators, we hope to receive a well-rounded picture of the diagnostic process of ASD in the State of Michigan.
To learn more, see the ASSIST report for An Overview of Caregiver and Provider Perspectives on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Services in Michigan.
A Place-Based Approach to Healthy Ypsi
Driven by racism and historical disinvestment, families living in Ypsilanti, Michigan are disproportionately impacted by negative social determinants of health (SDOH), such as poverty, food insecurity, and limited housing. Building on the idea that healthy cities support healthy families and in partnership with the Ypsilanti Health Center (YHC), the Healthy Ypsi project seeks to identify best practices for connecting families to care in the context of urban pediatric medical homes.
Aims are to 1) identify pressing social needs and barriers to child and family well-being, 2) map community resources for families and assess clinic- and community-based provider viewpoints on facilitating connections to care, 3) identify optimal data sources to assess child and family needs, and 4) work with YHC staff to support integration of social needs screening into clinic workflows. In addition to Dr. Miller, the Healthy Ypsi team includes Dr. Jenny Radesky, Dr. Lauren O’Connell, and Dr. Layla Mohammed from UM Department of Pediatrics, Dr. Sara Stein and Dr. Olivia Halabicky from UM School of Public Health and Dr. Rebeccah Sokol from UM School of Social Work. This work is funded by the SPH IDEAS Healthy and Equitable Cities Initiative.
To learn more, see Dr. Miller’s presentation at UM’s The Exchange Event, The Future of Healthy Cities: Critical Conversations with Michigan Public Health. Also see our Commentary on how to scale the integration of social care into health care.
Screening for Social Determinants of Health
This study examined social determinants of health (SDOH) screening in pediatric healthcare settings. We interviewed pediatric providers in Michigan and California about their perspectives on SDOH screening, potential barriers, and how SDOH knowledge is integrated into patient care. We also evaluated family uptake of services after SDOH screening. The goal of this line of research is to identify knowledge gaps and address barriers in practice such that more streamlined, research-based policies and practices can be applied to SDOH screening and address child and family needs. The SDOH study team includes Dr. Rebeccah Sokol, UM School of Social Work, Dr. Layla Mohammed, UM Department of Pediatrics, and Dr. Sara Stein, UM School of Public Health. This research was funded by UM’s Childhood Obesity Research Core (P30 DK08950).
To learn more, see our papers on Provider Perspectives and When Families Do Not Request Help, and Integrating Social and Health Care, plus work from the lab featured on the UM SPH blog the Pursuit and on the American Academy of Pediatrics blog.
Zero To Thrive Translational Network
Zero to Thrive is an initiative to promote family health and resilience from pregnancy through early childhood through research, education, partnership, and service. Goals are to engage university and community stakeholders to connect systems of care to enhance health and well-being for young children in Michigan facing early life stress and adversity (e.g., growing up in poverty; experiencing trauma). Dr. Miller is Steering Committee Chair of the Zero to Thrive Translational Network, which brings together individuals across the University of Michigan (Public Health, Psychiatry, Nursing, Social Work, Education, Public Policy, Law School, Pediatrics, OB/GYN) who conduct translational work focused on pregnancy, infancy, and/or early childhood. Zero to Thrive Psychiatry leads are Dr. Katherine Rosenblum and Dr. Maria Muzik.
To learn more, see our paper on Relational Health in the Child-Serving Ecosystem and work from the lab featured on the UM SPH blog the Pursuit. Click here to explore Rapid Response Talks sponsored by the Zero to Thrive Translational Network.
Trauma-Informed Programs and Practices in Schools – Early Childhood Settings (TIPPS-EC)
TIPPS-EC is based on the TIPPS framework and is designed to support Early Childhood (EC) professionals as essential partners in mitigating the negative impacts of exposure(s) to chronic stress and trauma on early childhood development. EC settings and EC educators play a vital role in shaping the health and well-being of young children, yet are overburdened and lack trauma-informed professional development opportunities, particularly any that are systems-focused. The goal of TIPPS-EC is to develop and deliver materials for EC community partners who have requested such training, focusing on use of systemic approaches to mitigate the impacts of trauma exposure for young children. TIPPS-EC is led by Dr. Miller, Dr. Todd Herrenkohl, and Dr. Daicia Price in the School of Social Work, in partnership with the Detroit-based Development Centers. Initial development of TIPPS-EC was funded by Engage Detroit Workshops.
To learn more, see our paper describing TIPPS-EC in a Special Issue on “Stress, Burnout, and Trauma in Schools: Coping Strategies for Teachers, Staff, and Students.”
Trauma-Informed Programs and Practices in Schools (TIPPS)
TIPPS is based in the School of Social Work and uses a collaborative, multi-stakeholder approach to co-developing, refining, and scaling a flexible curriculum to support implementation of trauma-informed programs and practices in schools throughout the state of Michigan. The 10 TIPPS pillars are based in research on adversity and resilience. The TIPPS framework seeks to address concerns about the ubiquitous nature of trauma and its impacts on children by helping to create safe, nurturing, and inclusive learning environments for all students, and by applying transformative strategies that strengthen relationships, provide opportunities for children to learn skills for resilience and positive coping and reducing experiences that “re-traumatize” children whose prior experiences place them at risk for health and mental health problems. The TIPPS study team includes Dr. Todd Herrenkohl (PI, UM School of Social Work), and Co-Investigators Dr. Alison Miller, Dr. Andria Eisman, and Dr. Elizabeth Davis. This research is funded by the Michigan Health Endowment Fund.
To learn more, check out this video on TIPPS. Visit the TIPPS website to learn more about our resources such as the Certificate in Trauma-Informed Programs and Practices for Schools.
Child Environmental Health: Parenting and Lead Mitigation At Home
In partnership with the Healthy Homes Coalition of West Michigan we developed Lead 101, a parent-led, peer-delivered program to mitigate child lead exposure at home. Lead 101 shared information about lead poisoning, lead screening, potential sources of lead in the home, and methods to mitigate lead exposure. This work was led by Dr. Miller and funded by the Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research (MICHR), 2UL1TR000443. Our project Parenting and Lead Mitigation at Home: Community-Based Education for Parents of Young Children expanded on Lead 101 by developing support for peer educators and staff. This work was funded through UM’s MCUBED initiative and conducted in collaboration with Dr. Simone Charles in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at UM School of Public Health and Dr. Julie Ribaudo at UM School of Social Work.
To learn more, see our papers on Parenting and Lead Mitigation at Home and Environmental Contaminants and Child Development and work from the lab featured on the UM SPH blog the Pursuit. This work was also featured by NIEHS Partnerships for Environmental Public Health.
Adolescent Interventions to Manage Self-Regulation: AIMS Parents and AIMS Kids
AIMS Parents and AIMS Kids are observational studies examining associations between child and parent self-regulation and family processes known to support youth Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) management in two samples, one of youth ages 11-17 years old in Michigan who have T1D (AIMS Parents) and one in in a national sample of parents of children ages 5-9 years old who have T1D (AIMS Kids). In a separate study, Tackling T1D Together (Triple-T; K. Bauer, PI), we are examining parents’ views on how their own self-regulation may impact their capacity to support their child in managing T1D. In addition to Dr. Miller, the AIMS Parents and AIMS Kids teams include Dr. Emily Fredericks, UM Department of Pediatrics, (Multiple PI with Dr. Miller), Kate Bauer, UM School of Public Health, Joyce Lee, Dana Albright, Niko Kaciroti, UM Department of Pediatrics, and Marisa Hilliard, Baylor College of Medicine. AIMS-Parents and AIMS-Kids are funded through the NIH Common Fund/Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research/Science of Behavior Change Initiative and NICHD (UH3HD087979-04S1).
To learn more, see our paper on Parent SR and Youth T1D.
Adolescent Interventions to Manage Self-Regulation of T1D (AIMS T1D)
AIMS T1D is a clinical trial (NCT03688919) testing bundled self-regulation-based interventions among adolescents ages 13-17 years old with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Self-regulation skills include Executive Function, Emotion Regulation and Future Orientation. T1D-related outcomes of interest are medical regimen adherence and HbA1c. The AIMS T1D team includes Dr. Emily Fredericks, UM Department of Pediatrics (Multiple PI with Dr. Miller), Joyce Lee and Dana Albright, UM Department of Pediatrics, and Niko Kaciroti, UM Department of Pediatrics. AIMS T1D is funded through the NIH Common Fund/Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research/Science of Behavior Change Initiative and NICHD (UH3HD087979).
To learn more, see our paper on SR as a Protective Factor for Youth with T1D During COVID-19 Pandemic. The AIMS-T1D study team also created a coronavirus tip sheet on coping with the coronavirus pandemic. To learn more about the study, see the AIMS Newsletter.
ABC Brain Games
ABC Brain Games was a clinical trial testing the impact of self-regulation-focused interventions on eating behavior among children growing up in poverty. Childhood obesity is an ongoing public health problem, with almost 25% of children overweight by age 4 years and 35% by adolescence. Once established, childhood obesity is difficult to treat and tracks into adulthood. Unfortunately obesity prevention and treatment programs have had limited efficacy. ABC Brain Games and related work examined whether one reason for this may be limited attention to basic mechanisms of health behavior change in children, and tested self-regulation as one such process. This research is a collaboration with Dr. Julie Lumeng, Dr. Ashley Gearhardt, Dr Emily Fredericks and Dr. Rich Gonzales and was funded through the NIH Common Fund/Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research/Science of Behavior Change Initiative and NICHD (UH2HD087979).
To learn more, see our papers on Targeting Self-Regulation to Promote Health Behaviors in Children and Developmentally Informed Behavior Change Techniques to Enhance Self-Regulation in a Health Promotion Context.