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Adrianna Amari, Ph.D.

Adrianna Amari
Adrianna Amari
Training and Research Coordinator, Pediatric Psychology Consultation Service

Kennedy Krieger Institute
707 N. Broadway
Baltimore, MD 21205
Phone: (443) 923-2824
Email: amari@kennedykrieger.org

Dr. Adrianna Amari is the training and research coordinator for the Pediatric Psychology Consultation Service in the Department of Behavioral Psychology at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. Dr. Amari is also an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Biographical Sketch:

Dr. Amari received her doctoral degree in 2005 from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). While pursuing her advanced degree, she held positions in the Department of Behavioral Psychology at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, including roles as a clinical specialist and program specialist on the Neurobehavioral Unit, and research project coordinator and case manager for the Pediatric Psychology Consultation Service, for which she also recently served as inpatient consultation coordinator. She is a licensed psychologist, and currently provides training and supervision to pre-doctoral interns and post-doctoral fellows in pediatric psychology.

Research Summary:

Dr. Amari's research interests focus on the development and evaluation of interventions to promote child coping and adjustment to acute and chronic medical conditions and associated medical and rehabilitation treatment. She has a special interest in the application of behavior analysis methods, such as functional and stimulus preference assessment and use of differential reinforcement and shaping, to facilitate optimal mental and physical health outcomes in children and adolescents with a wide array of conditions, including chronic pain and functional disability, spinal cord injury, and disorders of consciousness after brain injury. She recently conducted a study that assessed food preferences compatible with the ketogenic diet in children with seizure disorders, and is currently examining if such preferences predict diet efficacy.

LINK: SciVal Experts Research Profile for Adrianna Amari

Research Publications

Maynard, C. S., Amari A., Wieczorek B., Christensen J. R., & Slifer K. J. (2010).  Interdisciplinary behavioral rehabilitation of pediatric pain-associated disability: retrospective review of an inpatient treatment protocol.. Journal of pediatric psychology. 35(2), 128-37. Abstract
Maynard, C. S., Amari A., Wieczorek B., Christensen J. R., & Slifer K. J. (2010).  Response to the commentary: A worldwide call for multimodal inpatient treatment for children and adolescents suffering from chronic pain and pain-related disability.. Journal of pediatric psychology. 35(2), 141-3.
Slifer, K. J., & Amari A. (2009).  Behavior management for children and adolescents with acquired brain injury.. Developmental disabilities research reviews. 15(2), 144-51. Abstract
Amari, A., Dahlquist L., Kossoff E. H., Vining E. P. G., Trescher W. H., & Slifer K. J. (2007).  Children with seizures exhibit preferences for foods compatible with the ketogenic diet.. Epilepsy & behavior : E&B. 11(1), 98-104. Abstract
Slifer, K. J., Kruglak D., Benore E., Bellipanni K., Falk L., Halbower A. C., et al. (2007).  Behavioral training for increasing preschool children's adherence with positive airway pressure: a preliminary study.. Behavioral sleep medicine. 5(2), 147-75. Abstract
Slifer, K. J., Pulbrook V., Amari A., Vona-Messersmith N., Cohn J. F., Ambadar Z., et al. (2006).  Social acceptance and facial behavior in children with oral clefts.. The Cleft palate-craniofacial journal : official publication of the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association. 43(2), 226-36. Abstract
Gorski, J. A., Slifer K. J., Townsend V., Kelly-Suttka J., & Amari A. (2005).  Behavioural treatment of non-compliance in adolescents with newly acquired spinal cord injuries.. Pediatric rehabilitation. 8(3), 187-98. Abstract
Slifer, K. J., Amari A., Diver T., Hilley L., Beck M., Kane A., et al. (2004).  Social interaction patterns of children and adolescents with and without oral clefts during a videotaped analogue social encounter.. The Cleft palate-craniofacial journal : official publication of the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association. 41(2), 175-84. Abstract
Slifer, K. J., Diver T., Amari A., Cohn J. F., Hilley L., Beck M., et al. (2003).  Assessment of facial emotion encoding and decoding skills in children with and without oral clefts.. Journal of cranio-maxillo-facial surgery : official publication of the European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery. 31(5), 304-15. Abstract

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