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- Melissa A. Alderfer, PhD
Melissa A. Alderfer, PhD
Principal Research Scientist
Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware
1600 Rockland Road
Wilmington,
DE
19803
Biography
I am a Principal Research Scientist at Nemours, an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University and a licensed Clinical Psychologist with nearly 20 years of experience as a behavioral researcher. My program of research focuses on how childhood chronic illness impacts families, how families adapt and learn to manage illness and the healthcare system, and how we can intervene to improve the experience. Much of my past research has focused upon understanding and improving family adjustment to cancer, genetic predispositions to cancer, and cancer treatments including bone marrow transplant. I have successfully secured funding as PI or co-I for grant-funded studies focused upon family-centered processes within families of children with cancer, ranging from descriptive studies of adjustment to longitudinal investigations of randomized controlled trials of family-based interventions, with funding from the National Cancer Institute, American Cancer Society (ACS), Department of Defense, Lance Armstrong (LIVESTRONG) Foundation, Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation, and Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. I have a specific interest in the adjustment of siblings of children with cancer and have established myself as a leader in this field. I am currently explanding my research into the field of cardiology, palliative care, and neuromuscular disorders. I have over 100 peer-reviewed publications and chapters and have won various research and career awards for my work.
Education & Training
Medical/Dental School
- BA - University of Pennsylvania (Penn), Biological Bases of Behavior, 1989
- MSEd - Penn Graduate School of Education, Psych. Services in Educ., 1990
- MS - University of Utah, Clinical Psychology, 1994
- PhD - University of Utah, Clinical Psychology, 2001
- Behavioral Pediatrics
- Cardiology
- Child and Family Studies
- Healthcare Delivery/Implementation
- Oncology
- Pediatrics
- Psychology, Developmental and Child
- Public Health/Population Health/Public Policy
- Brosnan, P., Davis, K. A., Mazzenga, M., Oberoi, A. R., Sharkey, C. M., Buchbinder, D., & Long, K. A. (2022). Psychosocial care providers' perspectives: Barriers to implementing services for siblings of children with cancer. Pediatric Blood and Cancer, 69(2). doi:10.1002/pbc.29418
View Full Publication - Wawrzynski, S. E., Alderfer, M. A., Kvistad, W., Linder, L., Reblin, M., Guo, J.-W., & Cloyes, K. G. (2022). The Social Networks and Social Support of Siblings of Children with Cancer. Children, 9(1). doi:10.3390/children9010113
- Brosnan, P., Davis, K. A., Mazzenga, M., Oberoi, A. R., Sharkey, C. M., Buchbinder, D., & Long, K. A. (2022). Psychosocial care providers' perspectives: Barriers to implementing services for siblings of children with cancer. Pediatric Blood and Cancer, 69(2). doi:10.1002/pbc.29418
View Full Publication - Schultz, C. L., McCahan, S. M., Lewis, A. M., Bunnell, H. T., & Alderfer, M. A. (2021). Online patient portal use by caregivers in pediatric oncology: Are we widening sociodemographic disparities? Pediatric Blood and Cancer, 68(12). doi:10.1002/pbc.29373
View Full Publication - Hildenbrand, A. K., Amaro, C. M., Gramszlo, C., Alderfer, M. A., Levy, C., Ragsdale, L., & Marsac, M. L. (2021). Psychologists in pediatric palliative care: Clinical care models within the United States. Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology, 9(3), 229-241. doi:10.1037/cpp0000402
- Palermo, T. M., Alderfer, M. A., Boerner, K. E., Hilliard, M. E., Hood, A. M., Modi, A. C., & Wu, Y. P. (2021). Editorial: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Reporting Race and Ethnicity in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 46(7), 731-733. doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsab063
View Full Publication - Hildenbrand, A. K., Van Schoors, M., & Alderfer, M. A. (2021). Survey Research With Families in the Context of Pediatric Chronic Health Conditions: Key Considerations and Future Directions. Journal of Family Nursing, 27(3), 175-190. doi:10.1177/10748407211014866
View Full Publication - Wawrzynski, S. E., Schaefer, M. R., Schvaneveldt, N., & Alderfer, M. A. (2021). Social support and siblings of children with cancer: A scoping review. Psycho-Oncology, 30(8), 1232-1245. doi:10.1002/pon.5689
View Full Publication - Kazak, A. E., Alderfer, M., Enlow, P. T., Lewis, A. M., Vega, G., Barakat, L., & Phan, T.-L. (2021). COVID-19 Exposure and Family Impact Scales: Factor Structure and Initial Psychometrics. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 46(5), 504-513. doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsab026
View Full Publication - Long, K. A., Patterson, P., Fainsilber Katz, L., Amaro, C. M., & Alderfer, M. A. (2021). Creating a Pathway for Psychosocial Support in Siblings of Youth with a Chronic Illness: Findings from an International Summit. Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics: JDBP, 42(4), 331-339. doi:10.1097/DBP.0000000000000902
View Full Publication - Tomatsu, S. C., Stanley, C., Conroy, R., & Alderfer, M. A. (2021). Method Matters: Comparing Cancer-Related Adjustment of Siblings to Norms and Well-matched Peers. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 46(3), 324-331. doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsaa110
View Full Publication - McWhorter, L. G., Christofferson, J., Neely, T., Hildenbrand, A. K., Alderfer, M. A., Randall, A., & Sood, E. (2021). Parental post-traumatic stress, overprotective parenting, and emotional and behavioural problems for children with critical congenital heart disease. Cardiology in the Young. doi:10.1017/S1047951121002912
- Morales, S., Salehabadi, S. M., Srivastava, D., Gibson, T. M., Leisenring, W. M., Alderfer, M. A., & Buchbinder, D. (2021). Health-related and cancer risk concerns among siblings of childhood cancer survivors: a report from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS). Journal of Cancer Survivorship. doi:10.1007/s11764-021-01056-0
- DeMuth, M., Taggi-Pinto, A., Miller, E. G., & Alderfer, M. A. (2020). Bereavement Accommodations in the Classroom: Experiences and Opinions of School Staff. Journal of School Health, 90(3), 165-171. doi:10.1111/josh.12870
View Full Publication - Alderfer, M. A., Logan, B. A., DiDonato, S., Jackson, L., Hayes, M. J., & Sigmon, S. T. (2020). Change Across Time in Cancer-Related Traumatic Stress Symptoms of Siblings of Children with Cancer: A Preliminary Investigation. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, 27(1), 48-53. doi:10.1007/s10880-019-09618-2
View Full Publication - Oberoi, A. R., Towry, L., Eilenberg, J. S., Lun, P., Lerro, G., Alderfer, M. A., & Long, K. A. (2019). Improving support to siblings of children with cancer through a community-academic partnership. Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology, 7(4), 371-382. doi:10.1037/cpp0000280
- Stenman, K., Christofferson, J., Alderfer, M. A., Pierce, J., Kelly, C., Schifano, E., & Kazak, A. E. (2019). Integrating play in trauma-informed care: Multidisciplinary pediatric healthcare provider perspectives. Psychological Services, 16(1), 7-15. doi:10.1037/ser0000294
View Full Publication - Cutuli, J. J., Alderfer, M. A., & Marsac, M. L. (2019). Introduction to the special issue: Trauma-informed care for children and families. Psychological Services, 16(1), 1-6. doi:10.1037/ser0000330
View Full Publication - Stegenga, K., Pentz, R. D., Alderfer, M. A., Pelletier, W., Fairclough, D., & Hinds, P. S. (2019). Child and Parent Access to Transplant Information and Involvement in Treatment Decision Making. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 41(4), 576-591. doi:10.1177/0193945918770440
View Full Publication - Lohani, M., Hendershot, K. A., Pelletier, W., Stegenga, K., Dixon, M., Hinds, P., & Pentz, R. D. (2018). Potential benefits to families, children, and adolescents, enrolled in longitudinal qualitative research. IRB Ethics and Human Research, 40(4), 1-7. doi:10.1002/eahr.404001
View Full Publication - Schultz, C. L., Alderfer, M. A., Lindell, R. B., McClain, Z., Zelley, K., Nichols, K. E., & Ford, C. A. (2018). The Influence of Adolescence on Parents' Perspectives of Testing and Discussing Inherited Cancer Predisposition. Journal of Genetic Counseling, 27(6), 1395-1404. doi:10.1007/s10897-018-0267-z
- Schultz, C. L., & Alderfer, M. A. (2018). Are on-line patient portals meeting test result preferences of caregivers of children with cancer? A qualitative exploration. Pediatric Blood and Cancer, 65(11). doi:10.1002/pbc.27306
View Full Publication - Valdez, J. M., Walker, B., Ogg, S., Gattuso, J., Alderfer, M. A., Zelley, K., & Nichols, K. E. (2018). Parent-child communication surrounding genetic testing for Li-Fraumeni syndrome: Living under the cloud of cancer. Pediatric Blood and Cancer, 65(11). doi:10.1002/pbc.27350
View Full Publication - Long, K. A., Pariseau, E. M., Muriel, A. C., Chu, A., Kazak, A. E., & Alderfer, M. A. (2018). Development of a psychosocial risk screener for siblings of children with cancer: Incorporating the perspectives of parents. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 43(6), 693-701. doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsy021
View Full Publication - Miller, E. G., Hildenbrand, A. K., Taggi-Pinto, A., & Alderfer, M. A. (2018). Let's Work Together: Collaborative Research Is Needed to Overcome Difficulty Enrolling Families for Bereaved Sibling Research. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 56(1), e3-e4. doi:10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2018.03.015
View Full Publication - Long, K. A., Lehmann, V., Gerhardt, C. A., Carpenter, A. L., Marsland, A. L., & Alderfer, M. A. (2018). Psychosocial functioning and risk factors among siblings of children with cancer: An updated systematic review. Psycho-Oncology, 27(6), 1467-1479. doi:10.1002/pon.4669
View Full Publication - Viola, A., Taggi-Pinto, A., Sahler, O. J. Z., Alderfer, M. A., & Devine, K. A. (2018). Problem-solving skills, parent-adolescent communication, dyadic functioning, and distress among adolescents with cancer. Pediatric Blood and Cancer, 65(5). doi:10.1002/pbc.26951
View Full Publication - Rohan, J. M., Fukuda, T., Alderfer, M. A., Donewar, C. W., Ewing, L., Katz, E. R., & Drotar, D. (2017). Measuring medication adherence in pediatric cancer: An approach to validation. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 42(2), 232-244. doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsw039
View Full Publication - Alderfer, M. A. (2017b). Introduction to special issue: Improving clinical practices in pediatric psychology through qualitative research. Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology, 5(4), 299-302. doi:10.1037/cpp0000222
- Long, K. A., Pariseau, E. M., Muriel, A. C., Chu, A., Kazak, A. E., Leon, M., & Alderfer, M. A. (2017). Psychosocial screening for siblings of children with cancer: Barriers and preferences. Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology, 5(4), 364-375. doi:10.1037/cpp0000219
- Alderfer, M. A., Lindell, R. B., Viadro, C. I., Zelley, K., Valdez, J., Mandrell, B., & Nichols, K. E. (2017). Should Genetic Testing be Offered for Children? The Perspectives of Adolescents and Emerging Adults in Families with Li-Fraumeni Syndrome. Journal of Genetic Counseling, 26(5), 1106-1115. doi:10.1007/s10897-017-0091-x
View Full Publication - Pierce, L., Hocking, M. C., Schwartz, L. A., Alderfer, M. A., Kazak, A. E., & Barakat, L. P. (2017). Caregiver distress and patient health-related quality of life: psychosocial screening during pediatric cancer treatment. Psycho-Oncology, 26(10), 1555-1561. doi:10.1002/pon.4171
View Full Publication - Van Schoors, M., Caes, L., Knoble, N. B., Goubert, L., Verhofstadt, L. L., & Alderfer, M. A. (2017). Systematic review: Associations between family functioning and child adjustment after pediatric cancer diagnosis: A meta-analysis. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 42(1), 6-18. doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsw070
View Full Publication - Alderfer, M. A. (2017a). Commentary: Family processes and outcomes: Research advances and future directions. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 42(1), 125-129. doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsw100
View Full Publication - Van Schoors, M., Caes, L., Alderfer, M. A., Goubert, L., & Verhofstadt, L. (2017). Couple functioning after pediatric cancer diagnosis: a systematic review. Psycho-Oncology, 26(5), 608-616. doi:10.1002/pon.4204
View Full Publication - Price, J., Kassam-Adams, N., Alderfer, M. A., Christofferson, J., & Kazak, A. E. (2016). Systematic Review: A Reevaluation and Update of the Integrative (Trajectory) Model of Pediatric Medical Traumatic Stress. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 41(1), 86-97. doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsv074
View Full Publication - Alderfer, M. A., & Sood, E. (2016). Using qualitative research methods to improve clinical care in pediatric psychology. Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology, 4(4), 358-361. doi:10.1037/cpp0000164
- Samson, K., Rourke, M. T., & Alderfer, M. A. (2016). A qualitative analysis of the impact of childhood cancer on the lives of siblings at school, in extracurricular activities, and with friends. Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology, 4(4), 362-372. doi:10.1037/cpp0000161
- Buchbinder, D., Oeffinger, K., Franco-Villalobos, C., Yasui, Y., Alderfer, M. A., Armstrong, G. T., & Lown, E. A. (2016). Tobacco Use Among Siblings of Childhood Cancer Survivors: A Report From the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study. Pediatric Blood and Cancer, 63(2), 326-333. doi:10.1002/pbc.25719
View Full Publication - Knoble, N. B., Alderfer, M. A., & Hossain, M. J. (2016). Socioeconomic status (SES) and childhood acute myeloid leukemia (AML) mortality risk: Analysis of SEER data. Cancer Epidemiology, 44, 101-108. doi:10.1016/j.canep.2016.07.007
View Full Publication - Santos, S., Crespo, C., Canavarro, M. C., Alderfer, M. A., & Kazak, A. E. (2016). Family rituals, financial burden, and mothers' adjustment in ediatric cancer. Journal of Family Psychology, 30(8), 1008-1013. doi:10.1037/fam0000246
View Full Publication - Long, K. A., Goldish, M., Anne Lown, E., Ostrowski, N. L., Alderfer, M. A., Marsland, A. L., & Ewing, L. J. (2015). Major lessons learned from a nationally-based community-academic partnership: Addressing sibling adjustment to childhood cancer. Families, Systems and Health, 33(1), 61-67. doi:10.1037/fsh0000084
View Full Publication - Gerhardt, C. A., Lehmann, V., Long, K. A., & Alderfer, M. A. (2015). Supporting Siblings as a Standard of Care in Pediatric Oncology. Pediatric Blood and Cancer, 62, S678-S732. doi:10.1002/pbc.25821
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