Co - Principal Investigators

As a pediatric anesthesiologist, my clinical experiences place me in a unique position to inform research and interventions on surgical patients. Through my clinical observations, I became interested in understanding factors that contribute to poor pediatric oral health outcomes, particularly in children who require anesthesia to treat their caries. My work in oral health services research outlines the limitations of health systems (e.g. emergency departments) and interventions that focus on health care (increased access to preventive dental care) to improve a population’s oral health status. Pediatric dental surgeries represent great financial burden to Medicaid programs with estimated expenditures approximately $450 million per year. My research has demonstrated that caregiver parenting styles serve as a factor in changing a child’s oral health behaviors and that caregiver psychosocial stressors can inhibit the ability to maintain changes in oral health behavior. My research interests include: the impact of policy on utilization of tertiary oral health services, such as emergency departments and general anesthesia; testing interventions in the perioperative period to improve oral health outcomes; and understanding factors that contribute to dental sedation safety.

Dr. Joanna Buscemi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Associate Dean for Clinical Education and Health Initiatives at DePaul University's College of Science and Health. Her research is primarily focused on addressing health inequities by engaging communities in the research process and expanding access to evidence-based interventions for those who need them most. Dr. Buscemi primarily specializes in health behavior-related inequities and has worked across disease presentations (e.g., cancer, diabetes, substance use disorders). Dr. Buscemi has expertise in technology-delivered interventions, dissemination and implementation science, and community-engaged research and uses these skills across her research projects. She serves as MPI with Dr. Lee on the PROTECT grant.