HELP Lab
The Healing Emotions iLlness Pain (HELP) lab focuses on developing and testing tailored approaches to improve psychological care for youth with chronic painful health conditions and co-occurring psychological symptoms and increasing access to such care.
We are finishing up a study exploring the neural mechanisms underlying the effect of a tailored cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) developed by Dr. Cunningham, called the Aim to Decrease Pain and Anxiety Treatment (ADAPT), which targets pain and anxiety in youth with functional abdominal pain disorders. We also recently completed a multi-site randomized control trial to test the feasibility and effect of a remotely delivered CBT called the Treatment and Education Approach for Childhood-onset Lupus (TEACH) to improve fatigue, depressive symptoms, and pain in adolescents and young adults with childhood-onset lupus. See Recently Completed Projects below for more details.
Current projects include a large, multi-site, multi-national project to implement TEACH directly into rheumatology clinics across the US and Canada. Another current project will explore the prevalence and impact of adverse childhood experiences on youth with lupus and develop a tailored psychological approach to care for youth with trauma. See Ongoing Projects below for more details.
Natoshia Cunningham, PhD, Principal Investigator
Thea Senger- Carpenter, PhD, APRN, PPCNP-BC, Research Associate
Jocelyn Zuckerman, Research Assistant
Elise Cheney-Makens, Medical Student
Elliane Siebert, Medical Student
Ivana Khreizat, Medical Student
Lucy Nguyen, Medical Student
Samuel Vyortkin, Medical Student
Apoorva Ojha, Medical Student
Elizabeth Ross, Medical Student
Manasi Kulkarni, Undergraduate Research Assistant
Taylor Abounader, Doctoral Student of Psychology (Wright State University)
Corewell Health/Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital Research Collaborators:
- Khalid Abulaban, Elizabeth Kessler, Pediatric Rheumatology, Spectrum Health/Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital
- Brittany Barber Garcia, Pediatric Psychology, Spectrum Health/Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital
- Ryan Cox, Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Mark DeLano, Radiology
- Todd Mulderink, Radiology
- Yong Zhou, Radiology
Our lab is committed to inclusive and equitable science. We seek to recruit and support trainees from diverse backgrounds. We seek to foster a supportive and collaborative scientific environment that celebrates a diversity of backgrounds, perspectives, and ideas.
If you are part of a group that is underrepresented in science and are interested in working in our lab, please contact the PI, Natoshia@msu.edu
Ongoing Projects:
Transforming behavioral healthcare to improve the quality of life for individuals with childhood-onset lupus (Cunningham & Knight, PIs)
The primary goal of this study funded by the Department of Defense is to determine the effectiveness of a cognitive behavioral coping skills program called TEACH (the Treatment and Education Approach for Childhood-onset Lupus). TEACH is designed to improve psychological/functional- and disease- related outcomes in youth with cSLE. We will also investigate longitudinal trajectories of depressive symptoms in recipients and explore implementation outcomes. MSU will serve as the data coordinating center for this multi-site trial. Participating rheumatology sites include Toronto Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto, Canada), Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital (MI), Seattle Children’s Hospital (WA), Montefiore Medical Center (NY), Cincinnati Children’s Hospital (OH), University of Alabama, Birmingham (AL), and Children’s Hospital New Orleans (LA).
Enhancing understanding and care for youth with cSLE experiencing Adverse Childhood Events
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are traumatic experiences of neglect, abuse, violence, and household dysfunction, and important examples of major life adversity for youth. ACEs are strongly associated with poor mental health outcomes in children and adults. ACEs are also associated with increased risk for developing systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The goal of this project, funded by the Lupus and Allied Diseases Association in collaboration with CARRA, is to understand the prevalence of ACEs among youth with childhood-onset SLE, and how they may impact mental and physical health related outcomes. Then, we will develop and test a trauma-based psychological approach to care addressing the unique needs of youth with cSLE who have been exposed to ACEs.
Neural Mechanisms of response to ADAPT for youth with FAPD (Cunningham, PI)
This NIH-funded study (K23 AT009458) investigates the neural mechanisms of response to the Aim to Decrease Pain and Anxiety Treatment (ADAPT), a tailored cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) Dr. Cunningham developed (F32 HD078049) to manage pain and anxiety in youth with functional abdominal pain disorders (FAPD). Dr. Cunningham is working in partnership with researchers at MSU, and with colleagues in pain psychology, gastroenterology, and radiology at Spectrum Health and Helen Devos Children’s Hospital to conduct this research.
Engaging School Providers to Manage Student Pain in Michigan Schools (Cunningham, PI)
The goal of the HELP Pain training program is to engage school professionals (school nurses and mental health workers) to manage student pain in Michigan communities. The program will train school providers in cognitive behavioral therapy techniques to help address pain and related symptoms in school children. The study is funded by the Michigan Health Endowment Fund and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of Michigan. Collaborators include representatives from the Michigan Association of School Nurses, the Health Department of Northwest Michigan, Ellsworth Community Schools, Concord Academy of Petoskey, and Alanson Public Schools.
Recently Completed Projects
Telehealth CBT for Adolescents and Young Adults With Childhood-onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (cSLE)
We recently completed a CARRA funded randomized clinical trial testing feasibility and effect of a remotely delivered CBT called the Treatment and Education Approach for Childhood-onset Lupus (TEACH) to improve fatigue, depressive symptoms, and pain in adolescents and young adults with childhood-onset lupus. We are actively collecting long-term follow-up data. The study involved 6 sites across the US and Canada and recruitment is now closed. Data analysis is underway.
Additional Collaborative Projects:
- ACE’s (adverse childhood experiences) in JIA (juvenile idiopathic arthritis) *Rubinstein/Bullock, Co-PIs
- Cognitive function in pediatric lupus patients *Ogbu, PI
MSU Press Coverage
https://humanmedicine.msu.edu/news/2022-cunningham-abdominal-pain-children.html
