CORE researchers study bariatric surgery, behavioral health, children and adolescents, and women and minorities.
Current projects
Study 1
Researchers at Temple University are conducting a research study to learn more about how improving children’s sleep and other health behaviors affects their weight status and overall health.
To be eligible, your child must:
- Be 6-11 years old
- Sleep 9.5 hours or less each night
All families will learn how to improve their child's sleep. Some families will also learn strategies for improving eating and activity behaviors. Families who are eligible and enroll in the study will be compensated for their time.
Please call 215-707-5782 or visit https://is.gd/SleepforHealthStudy1 to see if you and your child qualify for our study.
Study 2
Researchers at Temple University are conducting a research study to learn more about how improving children's sleep affects their weight status and type 2 diabetes risk. We’d also like to hear your thoughts on how to help children get a good night’s sleep and improve their overall health.
To be eligible, your child must:
- Be 8-14 years old
- Sleep 9.5 hours or less each night
Families who are eligible and enroll in the study will be compensated for their time. Assessments can be scheduled at either:
- Temple University (3223 N. Broad Street) or
- The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP; 34th St and Civic Center Blvd)
Please call 215-707-8998 or visit https://is.gd/SleepforHealthStudy2 to see if you and your child qualify for our study.
Temple University is conducting an 18-month Weight Loss Research Study for moms who had babies less than 5 months ago. We are studying whether a healthy lifestyle program, that uses personal health-coaching and text messages, will help mothers #SnapBack to their pre-pregnancy weight.
We are looking for African American moms:
- At least 18 years old
- Own a cell phone with unlimited texting
- Have a baby less than 5 months old
- Able to attend 5 study-related visits
Compensation is provided. Call or text us at 267-209-0840 to learn more.
Researchers at Temple University are studying whether a healthy lifestyle program, that uses personal health-coaching and text messages, will help mothers improve their eating and activity during pregnancy.
We are looking for Latina or African American moms:
- At least 18 years old
- Own a cell phone with unlimited texting
- Are less than 4 months pregnant
Compensation is provided. Call or text us at 267-772-8966 to learn more.
Moms and their children (3-6 years) are needed for a research study. The goals of the 5-month research study being conducted at Temple University (3223 N. Broad Street) and Monell Center (3500 Market Street) are to learn how children grow to like new foods and have healthy smiles. We will compensate mothers for participation and travel costs at each study visit.
If interested or to learn more, please call 267-428-7883.
This purpose of this project is to determine whether diabetes alters the oral environment in patients with and without diabetes before and after bariatric surgery.
To be eligible, you must be:
- 25-65 years old
- Seeking bariatric surgery
- Willing to undergo an oral examination and provide oral samples at research visits before and after surgery
Compensation is provided. Call us at 215-707-8633 to learn more.
Past research
Psychosocial and Behavioral Predictors of Outcomes after Bariatric Surgery: This study is investigating the psychosocial and behavioral variables associated with outcomes of bariatric surgery. Funding source: NIH/NIDDK (Investigator(s) David B. Sarwer, …)
- Enhancing Sleep Duration: Effects on Children’s Eating and Activity Behaviors: The purpose of this study is to compare the relative efficacy of behavioral intervention to enhance sleep alone or combined with targeted eating and activity behaviors on excessive weight gain prevention in school-aged children. Funding source: NIH/NHLBI (Investigator(s) Chantelle Hart, …)
- Experimental Changes in Children’s Sleep Duration and Timing: Effect on Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes Risk: The purpose of this study is to determine how changing the timing and/or duration of African American children’s sleep affects glucose regulation. Funding source: American Diabetes Association (Investigator(s) Chantelle Hart, …)
- Mealtime Interactions and Risk of Obesity in Toddlers: This project aims to determine the role of maternal responsive feeding during toddlerhood on subsequent obesity risk. Funding Source: NIH/NIDDK (Investigator(s) Chantelle Hart, …)
- Reducing Solid Fat and Added Sugar Intakes in Low-Income Preschoolers through Environmental and Behavioral Portion Size Strategies: The primary objective research is to reducing excessive energy intakes among low-income preschoolers from foods high in saturated fats and added sugars through authoritative portion size strategies. Funding source: USDA AFRI (Investigator(s) Jennifer Fisher, …)
- Parenting Contributions to Child Self-Regulation, Energy Intake, and Weight: The primary objective research is to understand the influence of parenting on children’s general and eating specific self-regulatory skills and weight. Funding source: NIH/NICHD (Investigator(s) Jennifer Fisher, …)
- Breakfast Consumption and Childhood Obesity Among Low Income, Ethnically Diverse Youth: The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate the effects of a school breakfast policy initiative on the incidence of overweight and obesity as well as breakfast patterns among 4th-6th grade children in 16 K-8 schools over a 2-year period. Funding source: USDA AFRI (Investigator(s) Jennifer Fisher, …)
- Snacking in Young Children: Parental Definitions, Goals, and Feeding Practices: Focusing on low-income African American and Hispanic families with preschool-aged children, this study will: qualitatively describe parents' definitions of child snacking and their approaches to feeding children snacks; rigorously develop and test a quantitative measure of these constructs; and evaluate relationships with child eating and weight outcomes. Funding source: NIH/NICHD (Investigator(s) Jennifer Fisher, …)
- Developing an mHealth intervention to engage low-income parents in an obesity prevention program: The purpose of this study is to develop and test the acceptability of mobile health messaging for low-income parents of children 2-9 years of age. Messaging includes texts, pictures, videos and embedded content that targets weight-related behaviors and aims to reduce obesity risk in this population. This study is being conducted in partnership with a local primary care health clinic to develop a program that is engaging and scalable.
- Community-based obesity treatment in African American women after childbirth: The purpose of this randomized clinical trial is to implement and evaluate a novel community-based behavioral weight loss intervention in African American WIC participants during the first postpartum year. Funding source: NIH/NHLBI (Investigator(s) Sharon Herring, ….)
- Partnering with WIC to Prevent Excessive Weight Gain in Pregnancy: We propose a pragmatic trial design in which we will randomize 438 African American and Hispanic, Philadelphia County WIC program participants with obesity in early pregnancy to either standard WIC care or an antenatal obesity treatment arm. Funding source: NIH/NIDDK (Investigator(s) Sharon Herring, ….)
- North Philadelphia Perinatal Community Health Worker Program: Grounded in reproductive and racial justice frameworks, our Maternity Care Coalition-Temple partnership aims to prepare and produce a highly qualified workforce of Perinatal Community Health Workers to improve health for Black and Brown pregnant women and their families, while providing meaningful careers for un/underemployed mothers in North Philadelphia. Funding source: Lenfest North Philadelphia Workforce Initiative (Investigator(s) Sharon Herring,..)
- Mechanisms and Treatment Strategies to Counter Addiction Susceptibility Post TBI: The objectives of the study are to 1) determine if lifetime history of TBI is predictive of severity of substance use disorder, and 2) if history of TBI is predictive of increased risk for SUD/AUD in individuals with no prior history of substance or alcohol abuse. Funding source: Pennsylvania Department of Health (Investigator(s) David Sarwer,…)
- An Investigation of Mental Health Issues Among Military Veterans who are Potential Candidates for Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation (VCA): The overall goal of the study is to assess and describe the psychosocial burden experienced by military veterans whose service-related injuries have resulted in extreme disfigurement to the face/head and/or hands/arms and who may be candidates for a VCA procedure. Funding Source: Department of Defense (Investigator(s) David Sarwer,…).