Bobbi Pineda, Ph.D. OTR/L

Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy and Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine

 

Defining the type and timing of optimal sensory exposures for pre-term infants hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit and assessing the impact on infants and their families

Bobbi Pineda, Ph.D. OTR/L
 

Research Description

Defining the type and timing of optimal sensory exposures for pre-term infants hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit and assessing the impact on infants and their families.

Research Impact

Infants born prematurely who are placed in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) not only experience the pain of separation from their parents, but also exposure to repetitive, painful stimuli. Additionally, these infants often do not receive positive, timed sensory exposures typical of what they would have received if not born early. Furthermore, parents often do not know when and how to engage with their infant in the NICU. Through this project, Dr. Pineda and her team will 1) define the type and timing of optimal sensory exposures for very pre-term infants hospitalized in the NICU and evaluate the implementation of an intentional sensory exposure plan and 2) assess the effects of the parent-delivered, sensory-based intervention in the NICU on infant and family outcomes.

 
 

related links

Special Projects in Patient Care Washington University in St. Louis, Office of Sponsored Research Services Back

Education

Ph.D., philosophy in rehabilitation science, University of Florida, 2006
M.H.S., occupational therapy, University of Florida, 1994
B.H.S., occupational therapy, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, 1992

Papers

  • Crapnell T, Woodward L, Rogers C, Inder T, Pineda R. Neurodevelopmental profile of children born prematurely with feeding problems. Submitted to Journal of Pediatrics (2015).
  • McPherson C, Haslam M, Pineda R, Rogers C, Neil J, Inder T. Early fentanyl use and relationships with adverse outcome. Submitted to Annals of Pharmacotherapy (2015).
  • Pineda R, Seefeldt K, Reynolds L, Hilton C, Rogers C, Inder T. Head lag in infancy: what is it telling us? In press, American Journal of Occupational Therapy (2015).
  • Pineda R, Melchior K, Oberle S, Inder T, Rogers C. Assessment of autism symptoms during the neonatal period: is there early evidence of autism risk? In press, American Journal of Occupational Therapy (2015).
  • McPherson C, Neil J, Tjoeng H, Pineda R, Inder T. (2015) A pilot randomized trial of high-dose caffeine therapy in preterm infants. Pediatric Research, April 9. Doi 10.1038/pr.2015.72. [epub ahead of print].