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Alexis Deavenport-Saman, DrPH, MPH is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. As the Assistant Director of the USC University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, she works to promote the well-being of individuals with developmental disabilities through research and evaluation, community services, training, and technical assistance. She is also Research Scientist and who specializes in maternal and child health, public health sciences, and social and behavioral sciences. Some of her work has focused on clinical trials and the translation of evidence-based interventions into clinical practice. She researches maternal and child health disparities and health outcomes in vulnerable populations, including at the population-level, such as children with developmental disabilities (e.g. autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder), children involved with the child welfare system, and children with obesity. She has also served a PI, Co-investigator or Director on NIH, CTSI, ACL, HRSA, and MCHB-funded grants. As the Audiology Program Director for the CA-Leadership in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Program, she focuses on enhancing the interdisciplinary training of pediatric audiologists to promote positive health outcomes children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. She also mentors Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics fellows, pediatric residents, public health graduate students, and trainees from a range of other health-related disciplines. She has authored or co-authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, reviews, and book chapters. She is a member of the Society for Pediatric Research.
Education
Graduate School, MPH: Maternal and Child Health/Health Education, Loma Linda
Graduate School, DrPH: Health Education/Epidemiology Cognate, Loma Linda University
Postdoctoral Fellowship, Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
Accomplishments
Certified in Public Health
Master Certified Health Education Specialist
Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health: Kappa Chapter
Deavenport-Saman A, Yang L, Smith K, Yin L. Do children with autism overutilize the emergency department? Examining visit urgency and subsequent hospital admissions. Matern Child Health J. 20:306-314, 2016. PMID: 26520161.
Deavenport-Saman A, Piridzhanyan A, Solomon O, Phillips Z, Kuo T, Yin L. Early childhood obesity among underserved families: A multilevel community-academic partnership. Am J Public Health. 2019;109(4), 593-596. PMID:30789762.
Schifsky K, Deavenport-Saman A, Mamey MR, Sheth N, Mirzaian C, Schrager S, Vanderbilt D. Risk factors for parenting stress in parents of children treated with laser surgery for twin-twin transfusion syndrome two years postpartum. Am J Perinatol. 2020 Jan; PMID: 31986541.
Angell A, Deavenport-Saman A, Yin L, Zou B, Chen A, Varma DS, Elder J, Norton JA, Solomon O. Sex Differences in Co-occurring Conditions among Autistic Children and Youth in Florida: Retrospective Cohort Study (2012-2019). J Autism Dev Disord. 2021Oct;51(10):3759-3765. PMID: 33394250.
Harstad E, Shults J, Barbaresi W, Bax A, Cacia J, Deavenport-Saman A, Friedman S, Angel Friedman S, LaRosa A, Loe I, Mittal S, Tulio S, Vanderbilt D, Blum N. α2-Adrenergic Agonists or Stimulants for Preschool-Age Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. JAMA. 2021 May 25; 325(20):2067-2075. PMID: 33946100.
Maternal and child health disparities; translational research; children with developmental disabilities: autism spectrum disorders or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders; childhood obesity and vulnerable populations; children involved in the child welfare system; and health care quality, access, and use.