Christina R. Studts

101 Medical Behavioral Science Building
Lexington, KY 40536-0086
Phone: 859.323.1788
Fax: 859.323.5350
Email: tina.studts@uky.edu

Research Description

Dr. Studts’ research interests include psychosocial issues in pediatric primary care, health disparities, measurement, and the application of biostatistical methods to social work research. In the Department of Behavioral Science, she will be contributing to two large randomized, community-based intervention studies addressing health disparities in Appalachia. Her ongoing research involves the application of item response theory (IRT) methods to the evaluation and improvement of measures used in pediatric primary care psychosocial screening. Previously, Dr. Studts investigated predictors of health care access problems in Appalachia; multilevel predictors of changes in health status over time among women affected by welfare reform; and cognitive, affective, and behavioral factors in a lung cancer screening RCT.

2008 Accomplishments

Dr. Christina Studts joined the Behavioral Science faculty in July, 2008 as Co-Investigator on two NIH-funded intervention studies addressing health disparities in Appalachia. In addition, she is working with faculty and students from Behavioral Science and other departments on projects ranging from scale development and psychometric investigations to analyses of existing data regarding a variety of health behaviors. Dr. Studts is also continuing ongoing collaborative projects with colleagues at other institutions, with a focus on advanced measurement theory and psychosocial issues in pediatric primary care. With regard to research productivity since joining the department, Dr. Studts has two first-author manuscripts and four co-authored manuscripts either submitted or near submission for peer review. She has presented one first-author poster and one first-author paper at national conferences, and she has two upcoming first-author poster presentations at a national conference this spring. This year, Dr. Studts was nominated for two Outstanding Dissertation awards from national societies, and she served as an abstract reviewer for submissions to one national conference. Finally, Dr. Studts is in candidacy status for a Master’s degree in Biostatistics, with plans to defend her thesis in 2009.

Research Funding

Current
R01 DK081324-01 (NIH/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
An Intergenerational Intervention to Reduce Appalachian Health Disparities
Role:  Co-Investigator (Schoenberg, PI)

R24 MD002757 (NIH/National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities)
Faith Moves Mountains: A CBPR Appalachian Wellness & Cancer Prevention Program
Role:  Co-Investigator (Schoenberg, PI)

Awarded but declined due to early study completion
1 R36 HS016940-01 (Dissertation Grant, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ))
Improving Screening for Externalizing Behavior Problems in Very Young Children: Applications of Item Response Theory to Evaluate Instruments in Pediatric Primary Care
Role: Principal Investigator

Representative Publications

Studts, C. R., Stone, R., & Barber, G. M. (2006). Predictors of access to health-care services among groups of TANF recipients in Kentucky. Social Service Review, 80(3), 527-548.

Studts, J. L., Ghate, S. R., Gill, J. L., Studts, C. R., Barnes, C. N., LaJoie, A. J., Andrykowski, M. A., & LaRocca, R. V. (2006). Validity of self-reported smoking status among participants in a lung cancer screening trial. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, 15(10), 1825-1828.