Christopher C. Cushing, Ph.D.

Christopher Cushing
  • Director of Clinical Training
  • Professor
  • Senior Scientist

Contact Info

Office Phone:
785-864-0713
Dole Human Development Center, 2011
1000 Sunnyside Avenue
Lawrence, KS 66045

Personal Links

Biography —

Dr. Cushing will be reviewing applications for Fall 2027 admissions.

I am a behavioral scientist and licensed clinical psychologist whose work focuses on using technology to study and support human behavior. Although I am trained in psychotherapy, I believe psychological science is most useful when its principles reach beyond any single mode of delivery. Human behavior is remarkably complex, and its unpredictability is, to me, what makes it most interesting. My research tries to honor that complexity while rigorously developing and testing interventions that help people. I also try to hold our field's findings with humility. I expect future generations will look back on today's science with the same mix of appreciation and amusement that we feel toward the work of earlier eras.

I see the Clinical Child Psychology Program (CCPP) as a launching pad for high-impact careers in clinical child and adolescent psychology. Students I have mentored in the CCPP have gone on to outstanding careers at leading institutions in behavioral medicine and pediatric psychology. I am enormously proud of what they have accomplished, and their paths show what is possible for students who choose to train with me at Kansas.

 

Education —

Behavioral Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 2012, Cincinnati, OH

Research —

My goals are to leverage digital technology to 1) identify when youth are vulnerable to poor health decision-making and 2) support youth to make positive changes in their health behavior. My long-term vision is that every patient will receive the right treatment, at the right time, and in the right context. Variables of interest include physical activity, sedentary patterns, dietary behavior and hedonic appetite, chronic abdominal pain, and adherence to medical regimen.

Research interests:

  • Health Behavior
  • eHealth/mHealth
  • Pediatric Psychology

Teaching —

Teaching interests:

  • Child Development
  • Behavioral Assessment
  • Pediatric Psychology
  • Social Development

Selected Publications —

Cushing, C. C., Monzon, A., Ortega, A., Bejarano, C. M., & Carlson, J. A. (2019). Commentary: Identifying opportunities for pediatric eHealth and mHealth studies: Physical activity as a case example [Other]. In Journal of Pediatric Psychology (Vol. 44, pp. 269–274). https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsz005
Cushing, C. C., Fedele, D. A., & Riley, W. T. (2019). Introduction to the coordinated special issue on eHealth/mHealth in pediatric psychology [Other]. In Journal of Pediatric Psychology (Vol. 44, pp. 259–262). https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsz010
Cushing, C. C., Fedele, D. A., Patton, S. R., McQuaid, E. L., Smyth, J. M., Prabhakaran, S., Gierer, S., Koskela-Staples, N., Ortega, A., Fleming, K. K., & Nezu, A. M. (2019). Responsive asthma care for teens (ReACT): development protocol for an adaptive mobile health intervention for adolescents with asthma [Journal Articles]. BMJ Open, 9, e030029. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-030029
Cushing, C. C., Mitchell, T. B., Bejarano, C. M., Walters, R. W., Crick, C. J., & Noser, A. E. (2017). Bidirectional associations between psychological states and physical activity in adolescents: A mHealth pilot study [Journal Articles]. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 42, 559–568. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsw099
Cushing, C. C. (2017). eHealth applications in pediatric psychology [Book Chapters]. In M. C. Roberts & R. G. Steele (Eds.), Handbook of Pediatric Psychology 5th ed. (pp. 201–211).
Fedele, D. A., Cushing, C. C., Fritz, A., Amaro, C. M., & Ortega, A. (2017). Mobile health interventions for improving health outcomes in youth: A meta-analysis [Journal Articles]. JAMA Pediatrics, 171, 461–469. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2017.0042
Brannon, E. E., Cushing, C. C., Crick, C. J., & Mitchell, T. B. (2016). The promise of wearable sensors and ecological momentary assessment measures for dynamical systems modeling in adolescents: A feasibility and acceptability study [Journal Articles]. Translational Behavioral Medicine, 6(4), 558–565. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13142-016-0442-4
Brannon, E. E., & Cushing, C. C. (2015). A systematic review: Is there an app for that? Translational science of pediatric behavior change for physical activity and dietary interventions [Journal Articles]. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 40. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsu108
Cushing, C. C., Walters, R. W., & Hoffman, L. (2014). Aggregated N-of-1 randomized controlled trials: Modern data analytics applied to a clinically valid method of intervention effectiveness [Journal Articles]. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 39, 138–150. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jst083

Awards & Honors —

Routh Early Career Award in Pediatric Psychology
Society of Pediatric Psychology
2017

Grants & Other Funded Activity —

Pathophysiology and Treatment of Pediatric Functional Abdominal Pain. Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics. $89440.00. (2/1/2015 - 7/31/2021). Not-for-Profit (not Foundation). Status: Funded
ReACT an Adaptive Mobile Health Intervention for Adolescent Asthma. 1R56HL141394-01A1. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; National Institutes of Health. $775827.00. (9/1/2018 - 8/31/2021). Federal. Status: Funded
Computerized Adaptive Test (CAT) Within A Mobile App for Clinician Feedback. National Eating Disorders Association. $50000.00. (1/1/2017 - 12/31/2019). Foundation. Status: Funded