The Research Team
Dr. Amanda Staiano
Assistant Professor
Pediatric Obesity and Health Behavior Lab
Amanda E. Staiano, Ph.D., M.P.P. studies the best ways to target children and adolescents who are most at-risk for obesity and chronic disease, tailoring physical activity interventions to help these children and adolescents achieve a healthy weight. With a doctorate in developmental psychology and training in population health, Dr. Staiano takes an interdisciplinary approach to investigate behavioral factors that contribute to pediatric obesity and chronic disease. Her behavioral interventions use activity-promoting video games (“exergames”) as physical activity and weight loss tools for obese adolescents, particularly for low-income and African American youth. She also uses electronic medical records to examine the detection and diagnosis of pediatric obesity and its related health risks in the clinical setting.
This work enables health care providers to more accurately identify children who are most susceptible to becoming obese and developing type 2 diabetes. With a Master of Public Policy, Dr. Staiano participates actively in local, state, and national policy and advocacy efforts to promote healthy behaviors and environments for our children and adolescents. Dr. Staiano is a proud graduate of Louisiana State University, the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University, and the Department of Psychology at Georgetown University.
