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Kathryn E. Gustafson

Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Psychiatry, Child & Family Mental Health & Community Psychiatry
DUMC Box 3527, Durham, NC 27710
2608 Erwin Rd; Suite 300, DUMC Box 3527, Durham, NC 27710

Overview


My scholarly interests and expertise are in pediatric neurodevelopmental outcomes assessment and research as well as child and parent coping with chronic childhood illness. In the 1990s, I collaborated with Dr. Robert Thompson in investigating the transactional biopsychosocial model of adaptation to pediatric conditions in children and families. Our research program was funded by the NIH and culminated in the publication of our book, Adaptation to Chronic Childhood Illness.   Since that time, I have worked closely with the Division of Neonatology and the Duke Neonatal-Perinatal Research Unit on neurodevelopmental outcomes research with high-risk infants, toddlers, and school-age children. I am a gold standard psychology consultant to the Neonatal Research Network (NRN) of the NIH/NICHD, train and certify psychologists nationally and internationally in infant and toddler developmental assessment for numerous research groups, and serve as consultant for protocol development.  In addition, I collaborate with colleagues in Pediatric Ophthalmology to investigate preterm optic nerve anatomy assessed via optical coherence tomography imaging and the association with neurodevelopment. I am also involved in investigations of umbilical cord blood stem cell transplant for young children with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, cerebral palsy, and inborn errors of metabolism, such as Krabbe disease, with colleagues in the Pediatric Transplant and Cellular Therapy program.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences · 2021 - Present Psychiatry, Child & Family Mental Health & Community Psychiatry, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Professor in the Department of Pediatrics · 2020 - Present Pediatrics, Neonatology, Pediatrics

Recent Publications


Trends in sex differences in neurodevelopmental outcomes among extremely preterm infants.

Journal Article Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed · April 17, 2025 OBJECTIVE: To examine whether changes in survival without moderate or severe neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) at 18-26 months' corrected age from 1999 to 2018 differed between male and female infants. DESIGN: This retrospective cohort study used data fr ... Full text Link to item Cite

Association of a Count of Inpatient Morbidities with 2-Year Outcomes among Infants Born Extremely Preterm.

Journal Article J Pediatr · March 2025 OBJECTIVE: To determine if number of neonatal morbidities is associated with death or severe neurodevelopmental impairment (sNDI) among infants born extremely preterm who survived to 36 weeks' postmenstrual age (PMA). STUDY DESIGN: This is a retrospective ... Full text Link to item Cite

Surgical Necrotizing Enterocolitis and Spontaneous Intestinal Perforation Lead to Severe Growth Failure in Infants.

Journal Article Ann Surg · September 1, 2024 OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine the incidence of growth failure in infants with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) or spontaneous intestinal perforation (SIP) and whether initial laparotomy versus peritoneal drainage (PD) impacted the likelihood of growth fa ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


North Carolina Clinical Center for the Eunice Kennedy Shiver NICHD Cooperative Multicenter Neonatal Research Network

ResearchCollaborating Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2001 - 2030

The Darbepoetin Kindergarten Development Study (Darbe-KIDS)

ResearchPsychologist · Awarded by Research Triangle Institute International · 2023 - 2028

Analyzing retinal microanatomy in retinopathy of prematurity to improve care

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Eye Institute · 2021 - 2026

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Education, Training & Certifications


Ohio State University · 1988 Ph.D.
Ohio State University · 1985 M.S.