The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has named Department of Child and Family Studies (CFS) Professor Marilyn Stern, PhD, CRC as a new fellow. She is recognized for her distinguished contributions to the field of psychology, particularly for development of parent-involved interventions for obese children and adolescents, pediatric cancer survivors, and at-risk youth.
In addition to her role as professor in CFS, Dr. Stern holds affiliate appointments in the Department of Psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Pediatrics in the Morsani College of Medicine. She is a pediatric health psychologist whose research has focused on psychosocial oncology in children and adolescents dealing with obesity and cancer, especially youth from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds. She advanced understanding of the complexities these youth face when navigating post-recovery, long-term health, and transition to survivorship. She also developed the notable intervention programs NOURISH-T, designed specifically for pediatric cancer survivors and their parents, and ADAPT, to assist Latino families dealing with obesity.