Dr. Everhart's Department of Psychology faculty page

Dr. Everhart’s program of research is focused on understanding childhood chronic disease management from a family systems perspective, particularly within the context of urban and cultural stressors. A common theme throughout her research is the importance of families in promoting positive child health behaviors. Dr. Everhart has conducted community-based research that has progressed from identifying factors that may contribute to and sustain pediatric asthma disparities to the development and implementation of an asthma care program, RVA Breathes, for the Richmond community to reduce asthma disparities.

In addition to studying pediatric asthma, Dr. Everhart has pursued a secondary line of research related to treatment adherence in families of children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis (CF). She currently serves in a grant-funded position as the mental health coordinator of the CF Clinic at the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU.

Finally, Dr. Everhart has broadened her research focus in the last few years to consider strategies to improve resilience and adaptability within low-income, urban families (of children with and without chronic conditions). This has included examining daily stress, risk, adaptability and inflammatory markers in children at high risk for poor health outcomes.