Faculty Bibliography

Early childhood is a critical period for overall development and well-being, yet children from low-income and low-resourced families, such as Chinese American immigrant families, often have unmet mental health needs as they face additional barriers like limited English proficiency and health literacy. Cultural and linguistic adaptation is essential for equitable access to resources and care. Despite the need, early childhood mental health among Chinese American families remains significantly understudied. A digital mental health solution may pose greater access and convenience to address the mental health needs of this community. Thus, this study aims to collaboratively develop a web-based app called OurChild, which provides culturally and linguistically adapted early childhood mental health and development resources for Chinese American immigrant families in New York City. Using the Participatory Cultural Adaptation Framework for Implementation Research (PCAFIR), the project involves a multiphased participatory co-design process: 1. understanding community needs through formative research and engagement; 2. building a digital library with evidence-based and culturally tailored content; 3. designing a culturally tailored web-based app using a participatory approach; and 4. refining and validating the design through user testing. Informed by formative data from existing studies and programs; focus groups and interviews with community experts (n = 6) and parents (n = 11); user testing with parents (n = 11), and through an iterative re-design process, the app was designed to be user-friendly, culturally relevant, and evidence-based. This study described the co-design process and highlighted the lessons learned in developing culturally tailored digital health tools to promote digital health equity for underserved communities.

Iron plays a vital role in early brain development, supporting critical processes such as myelination, dendritogenesis, and neurotransmitter synthesis. The perinatal period marks a crucial transition from the intrauterine to the extrauterine environment, requiring significant brain adaptation to new stimuli and metabolic demands. However, tight spatiotemporal resolution capturing the timing and sequence of brain iron changes surrounding this critical transition has yet to be achieved. Leveraging a longitudinal perinatal cohort with 147 multi-echo MRI scans spanning from 25 to 60 post-conceptual gestational weeks, we mapped brain iron growth trajectories with R2* estimation across fetal, newborn and neonatal periods. We also examined whether sex, gestational age at birth, and birth weight influence R2* developmental trajectories. We found that parietal and superior temporal regions predominately show linear growth trajectories throughout the perinatal period across birth, while the occipital cortex, the temporal pole, inferior temporal regions and a subset of frontal regions exhibit non-linear trends. For most of the non-linear trajectories, growth rates peak around 40 weeks, highlighting the critical window of birth transition for brain R2* change. These results provide the first longitudinal insights into R2* development across birth, uncovering distinct regional growth patterns that may align with different phases of neurodevelopment.

BACKGROUND:Adolescents in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) face significant mental health challenges, yet their perspectives are often underrepresented in the design of preventive strategies. Co-design approaches, such as human-centered design (HCD), offer a promising way to tailor interventions and implementation strategies to adolescents’ needs and local context. In LMICs, these methods require careful adaptation to address resource constraints, limited design literacy, and cultural norms. This study documents how HCD was adapted to engage adolescents in northern Ghana as co-designers of school-based mental health preventive strategies. METHODS:Guided by the first two phases of HCD, we conducted two workshops with 24 students from 12 public senior high schools in Tamale, Ghana. Workshop 1 (Inspiration) used structured, case-based discussions informed by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to explore adolescents’ perspectives on mental health. Workshop 2 (Ideation) used interactive choice-based activities to elicit youth-generated strategies. To align with cognitive and sociocultural factors, we incorporated scaffolded facilitation, hands-on activities, and peer-led engagement. Qualitative data from facilitator notes, artifacts, and audio-confirmed summaries were synthesized using structured rapid qualitative analysis. RESULTS:Adolescents identified key mental health concerns, including stigma, peer and family influences, and fears about confidentiality. Gender-specific discussions revealed culturally rooted concerns, such as peer pressure and substance use among boys and limited support-seeking among girls. Adolescents prioritized five school strategies: teacher training, curricular integration, mentorship programs, activities that promote positive thinking and mindfulness, and entertainment-based mental health education. Youth demonstrated a conceptual shift from viewing mental health as an individual problem to a shared responsibility across schools and communities. Formation of an Adolescent Advisory Board reflected youth interest in sustained leadership and co-design. CONCLUSIONS:Contextualized co-design methods can meaningfully engage adolescents in LMIC settings and support the development of culturally grounded, feasible, and youth-prioritized mental health strategies. Structured facilitation enhances both the inclusivity and authenticity of adolescent engagement. This study contributes to implementation science by presenting a replicable co-design framework with policy relevance and providing a foundation for multilevel intervention development in resource-constrained educational systems. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-025-25012-0.

BACKGROUND/UNASSIGNED:Sleep deprivation among young adults is a pervasive problem driven by high levels of stress, excessive screen time, disruptive school and living environments, irregular sleep habits, high academic demands, early school start times, and low rates of physical activity. Difficulties with emotion regulation, high rates of anxiety and depression, and poor academic performance are only a few of the struggles faced by sleep deprived young adults. Although sleep apps and wearables are increasingly popular, knowledge of positive sleep health without the proper tools to motivate and instill behavior change can contribute to anxiety and negative cognitions about sleep, which only further fuel the problem. METHODS/UNASSIGNED:In this report we describe a series of undergraduate university curricula, housed within a unique undergraduate department, designed to enhance not only knowledge of sleep, but also associated behavior changes that have been demonstrated to improve sleep, mood, and anxiety among university students. RESULTS/UNASSIGNED:Numerous courses within the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies (CAMS) department at New York University address sleep directly, teaching students about the science of sleep and how they can improve their own sleep to enhance overall wellbeing. Our work to date demonstrates that students find these courses desirable and impactful. CONCLUSION/UNASSIGNED:College courses present a unique opportunity to improve the health and wellbeing of young adults by teaching about sleep health. Undergraduate campuses may represent an underutilized locale from which to address population health.

INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND:Children with septo-optic-pituitary dysplasia (SOD) may experience a range of visual impairments and hormonal dysfunctions beyond developmental delay/intellectual disability. The literature describes sleep fragmentation, circadian rhythm disruptions and reduced sleep efficiency. These manifestations are believed to be closely linked to both structural and functional abnormalities associated with SOD, potentially disrupting the natural circadian rhythm. Both anomalies in midline brain structures and decreased visual input could potentially impact melatonin secretion, although a distinct melatonin profile for SOD patients has yet to be identified. Furthermore, the specific contribution of these factors to sleep disturbances in SOD remains unexplored. The aim of this study is to evaluate the quality of sleep and its characteristics, along with the melatonin profile, among paediatric patients diagnosed with SOD. A comparison will be made between these findings and those of children with isolated bilateral visual impairment, as well as patients with agenesis of the corpus callosum. METHODS AND ANALYSIS/METHODS:Participants aged between 3 and 18 years previously diagnosed with SOD will be recruited prospectively. Each participant will be assessed at baseline and at each follow-up visit scheduled to evaluate the clinical course. Sleep quality and daytime sleepiness changes will be tracked using actigraphic assessment, standardised sleep questionnaires and a sleep EEG. Additionally, plasma and salivary melatonin profiles will be assessed for each participant. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION/BACKGROUND:This study has been approved by local Ethics Committee (N°0049187/23). The study findings will be shared through publication in an international peer-reviewed journal and presented at both national and international conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER/BACKGROUND:NCT06262152.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE:Cerebellar heterotopia (CH) is a neuroradiologic abnormality that is poorly reported and investigated in the literature. It can be observed as an isolated finding, but it has been mainly reported in the context of cerebellar dysgenesis and syndromic conditions. This study aims to provide a comprehensive neuroradiologic, clinical, and genetic characterization of a cohort of pediatric patients with CH. MATERIALS AND METHODS/METHODS:Patients with a diagnosis of CH were systematically selected from the neuroimaging databases of the 4 Italian centers participating in this retrospective study. For each patient, information regarding demographic, clinical, genetic, and neuroradiologic data was collected. RESULTS:= 14). Isolated CH consistently showed a peripheral subcortical localization in the inferior portion of cerebellar hemispheres, with either unilateral or bilateral distribution. Ten patients belonging to the second group had a diagnosis of CHARGE syndrome, and their nodules of CH were mainly but not exclusively bilateral, symmetric, located in the peripheral subcortical zone and the inferior portion of the cerebellar hemispheres. The remaining 4 patients of the second group showed either bilateral or unilateral CH, located in both the peripheral cortex and deep white matter and the superior and inferior portions of cerebellum. Patients with isolated CH showed a high prevalence of language development delay; neurodevelopmental disorders were the most represented clinical diagnoses. Recurring features were behavioral problems and motor difficulties. A conclusive genetic diagnosis was found in 18/32 patients. CONCLUSIONS:We found distinctive neuroradiologic patterns of CH. Genetic results raise the possibility of a correlation between cerebellar morphologic and functional developmental disruption, underscoring the importance of CH detection and reporting to orient the diagnostic path.

Cerebellar dysfunction affects socio-affective abilities beyond motor control. Recent studies suggest that non-invasive cerebellar neurostimulation can modulate social cognition networks, offering potential therapeutic benefits for children with autism, ADHD, and mood disorders. However, its application in pediatrics remains largely unexplored. This review summarizes emerging pediatric research on cerebellar transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). We discuss their mechanisms, potential benefits, and safety considerations, highlighting preliminary findings that suggest feasibility and effectiveness. Ethical concerns and technical challenges related to pediatric neuroanatomy and stimulation parameters are also addressed. While early results are promising, further clinical trials and neurophysiological studies are essential to optimize protocols and confirm long-term efficacy. Advancing our understanding of cerebellar involvement in socio-affective functions could lead to innovative rehabilitation strategies for neurodevelopmental disorders.