Nikita Rodrigues, PhD

Nikita Rodrigues is a graduate student in Clinical Psychology at Georgia State University, and she is currently completing her internship year at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Nikita received a Bachelor of Science from Vanderbilt University, earning a High Honors appointment in Child Studies. Prior to starting graduate school, Nikita worked as a research assistant for the Child Development Lab at University of Maryland and the National Institutes of Mental Health, under the supervision of Drs. Nathan Fox and Daniel Pine. During this time, Nikita helped manage complex longitudinal studies that explored multiple facets of socio-emotional development from infancy into adulthood.

Under the direction of Dr. Lindsey Cohen, Nikita has been transitioning from a background in developmental psychology to the world of pediatrics. Thus far, Nikita has worked on a range of projects including her thesis, which used multiple research methodologies to examine the phenomenon of burnout in nurses who work with pediatric patients with chronic abdominal pain. Nikita has specific interests in using eHealth interventions with pediatric populations and has worked with Dr. Cohen in the development of a virtual reality preparation game for children undergoing radiation therapy and a cognitive-training interactive video-game for children with congenital heart defects and executive functioning deficits. Nikita’s dissertation project arose out of the desire to develop an evidenced-based treatment for pica in Sickle Cell Disease (SCD). She is currently conducting an exploratory study based in biopsychosocial theory to examine pica in children with SCD so that we can better target our treatment development to meet this identified clinical need. Nikita has been an international trainee member of Pain in Child Health (PICH), a Strategic Training Initiative in Health Research through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, since 2014.

For Nikita’s full CV, click here.

Representative Work

Peer-Reviewed Articles

Rodrigues, N.P., & Cohen, L.L. (2018). Nurse burnout in pediatric pain management: A model and pilot intervention. Practical Pain Management, 18(3).

 Rodrigues, N.P., Cohen, L.L., Crowell McQuarrie, S., & Reed-Knight, B. (2018). Burnout in nurses working with youth with chronic pain: A pilot intervention. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 43(4), 382-391.

Rodrigues, N.P., Cohen, L.L., Swartout, K.M., Trotochaud, K., & Murray, E. (2017). Burnout in nurses working with youth with chronic pain: A mixed-methods analysis. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 43(4), 369-381.

Cohen, L.L., Rodrigues, N.P., Bishop, M., Griffin, A., & Sil, S. (2015). Predoctoral pediatric psychology specialization at Georgia State University: Evaluation of training with the SPP competencies. Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology, 3(3), 205-211.

Cohen, L.L., Rodrigues, N.P., Lim, C.L., Bearden, D.J., Welkom, J.S., Joffe, N.E., McGrath, P.J., & Cousins, L.A., (2015). Automated parent-training for preschooler immunization pain relief: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 40(5), 526-534.

Noland, J.S. & Rodrigues, N.P. (2012). Direct touches to clear barriers: Developmental sensitivity of a new measure of the production of ineffective responses in infancy. Child Neuropsychology, 18(5), 506-511.

 

Invited Presentations

Rodrigues, N.P., Cohen, L.L., Swartout, K.M., Griffin, A., & McCarthy, K. (March 2017). Engaging stakeholders in the development of a preparation program for pediatric radiation therapy. In J. Chorney (Chair), Engaging stakeholders in research: Partnering with patients, healthcare providers, and communities to determine directions. Oral symposium presented at the National Conference in Pediatric Psychology, Portland, OR.

Rodrigues, N.P., & Cohen, L.L. (November 2016). Embedded mixed-methodology for the development and implementation of a nurse burnout intervention. Keynote address presented at Georgia State University Clinical Program’s Annual Research Day, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA.

Rodrigues, N.P., Cohen, L.L., Brennan, C.L., & Swartout, K.M. (April 2016). Two-phase embedded mixed methodology for the development of an intervention for nurse burnout. In L. Cohen (Chair), Illustrations of state-of-the-science methodology in pediatric psychology clinical settings. Oral symposium presented at the National Conference in Pediatric Psychology, Atlanta, GA.

Rodrigues, N.P., Tone, E., & Gaitonde, S. (December 2015) Clinical case presentation: The advantages and challenges of seeking professional consultation: Assessing child psychotic symptoms. Clinical Case Conference presented at a Georgia State University Clinical Program Meeting, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA.