Research

Division investigator Devon J. Hensel, PhD, has a decade-long collaboration with the community organization, Health Care Education and Prevention, Inc. in evaluating teen pregnancy prevention programs. Using mixed methods, Ott and Hensel examine the implementation of evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention program in diverse Indiana communities. Projects target system-involved youth, rural youth, and early adolescents, and provide insights into the adaptation and development of innovative pregnancy programs for youth.

Expanding contraceptive access is the single most effective way to prevent adolescent pregnancy. In collaboration with investigators in Children’s Health Services Research (Tracey Wilkinson, MD) and the Purdue College of Pharmacy (Ashley Meredith, PharmD). A Society for Family Planning grant provided data suggesting that minors are able to self-screen and consent for hormonal contraception in pharmacy settings. Follow-up work includes a pilot study examining the implementation of a pharmacist contraceptive prescribing program at Purdue University.

The overall goal of the research program in gender health is to improve evidence-based understanding of gender affirming care for adolescents and young adults. The research program has four main areas: 1) improving clinical experiences and decisions making for patients and parents; 2) projects related to bio-psychological changes associated with gender affirming hormone therapies; 3) school wellbeing among adolescent and young adult trans and gender nonbinary people; and, 4) projects related to improving primary care experiences of sexual and gender minoritized people. The projects involve several faculty and staff members of the Division of Adolescent Medicine, in collaboration with faculty from Pediatric Endocrinology, the Eskenazi Gender Health Program, the School of Social Work, Pediatric Cardiology, the Division of Public Health at Purdue University, and the School of Public Health at Indiana University-Bloomington.

Learning to manage sexuality, sexual behavior and relationships is a key developmental task of adolescence, and positive sexual health experiences in this time frame support lifelong well-being. Many Division faculty investigate adolescent sexual health. Devon Hensel, PhD, links aspects of adolescent romantic/sexual relationships – such as relationship quality and support – to sexual behavior and condom/contraceptive decision making. Hensel also engages innovative technology (e.g. cell phones, tablets, photography or functional magnetic resonance imaging) to better understand the context of adolescent sexual health. Dennis Fortenberry, MD, has conducted research associated with sexually transmitted disease transmission in adolescents and adults.