VCU Health & Development Lab

College of Humanities and Sciences

Research

A student sitting on the grass, using a smartphone

The research conducted by the Health and Development Lab is primarily focused on pain, sleep, and other health outcomes in two populations: (1) Sickle Cell Disease and (2) Youth and Young Adults.

Sickle Cell Disease

SCD is the most common inherited red blood cell disorder in the world, affecting approximately 100,000 Americans and millions worldwide. Individuals with SCD can face a host of medical complications, such as pain, poor sleep, fatigue, and organ damage. Our work sheds light on the daily lives and experiences of people living with SCD, with a focus on documenting both risk and resilience factors and processes within the population. We are also focused on testing and improving the implementation and dissemination of interventions for this population.  Current projects in this area include:

  • Characterizing the sleep experiences of people living with SCD.
  • Exploring biopsychosocial factors and processes that influence SCD pain presentation, progression, and impact across the lifespan.
  • Investigating pain and sleep interventions for people living with SCD, with a focus on factors impacting implementation and dissemination  

Youth and Young Adults Pain Experiences

Pain, both acute and chronic, is a common problem experienced for youth and young adults. Our team is focused on addressing gaps in our understanding of the pain experiences of youth and young adults as well as developing, implementing, and disseminating interventions to address pain problems for these populations. In addition, research indicates that poor sleep plays a key role promoting poor pain outcomes; thus, a strong focus of our work is on the relationship between sleep and pain. Our projects in this area include:

  • Characterizing chronic pain and pain management strategies used by young adults 
  • Examining the role of disrupted sleep and other biobehavioral factors as important mechanisms influencing pain experiences of youth and young adults
  • Investigating pain interventions for youth and young adults suffering from recurrent and chronic pain.