Kristin Lee Berg

Using rigorous methods that are conceptually grounded in the social model of disability, my scholarship develops evidence to improve the health and independent living outcomes of youth with ASD and other development disabilities. I initially focused on the role of violence and adversity in the health and wellbeing of children with ASD including, but not limited to, my role as PI on a federally funded project (Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA); Family Adversity and Health Disparities for Young Children with Autism. Building upon this work, I have expanded my focus to include the development and evaluation of strategies and approaches to address behavioral health disparities among youth with disabilities. I was recently awarded a grant from the Patient Centered Outcome Research Institute (PCORI) [BEhavioral Health Stratified Treatment (BEST) to Optimize Transition to Adulthood for Youth with I/DD) to investigate the efficacy of integrated behavioral health care coordination on health and transition readiness outcomes for youth with disabilities across Illinois.. As I consider my future work and long-term impact on the field, I plan to push the field towards an integrated behavioral health care approach which prioritizes cost-effective interventions to facilitate optimal health trajectories for youth with I/DD.