Kari Struemph, PhD

Professional Background

Kari Struemph is the Associate Division Director of the Division of Developmental and Behavioral Sciences within the Department of Pediatrics and The University of Kansas Health System (TUKHS). She also holds a Clinical Assistant Professor appointment at the University of Kansas. Dr. Struemph received her PhD from Virginia Commonwealth University where her research and clinical work involved providing services and evaluating coping and adjustment in children and adolescents diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and their families.

During her clinical internship and fellowship, Dr. Struemph enhanced her skills as a pediatric psychologist by conducting pre-transplant evaluations for youths listed for kidney and heart transplants and providing ongoing care focused on adjustment and adherence for patients with various complex medical illnesses including diagnoses like cancer, CHD and ESRD.

After completing her clinical fellowship, Dr. Struemph was awarded a 2 year research fellowship through the Cancer Research Training Award program at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH). During her time at the NCI she led a research project to develop an electronic FDA approved patient reported outcome measure for the evaluation of pain and pain interference for patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). During this fellowship, she also provided clinical care to children, adolescents and young adults at the NCI participating in clinical trials for NF1, cancer and sickle cell disease. This clinical work led to an independent research project focused on coping, adjustment and disease management for adolescents and young adults (AYA) with NF1. Following fellowship, she served as adjunct clinical faculty at the NCI for two years before accepting her position at TUKHS.

Her current research and clinical interests continue to focus on adjustment and coping for children, adolescents and young adults with chronic illness. She currently provides inpatient consultation/liaison services to children and adolescents admitted to the hospital and provides outpatient clinical care to children with chronic illness, ADHD, anxiety and depression. She is working to expand services provided to AYA at TUKHS to support patients who are diagnosed during this pivotal time in their lives or are transitioning to TUKHS after receiving care in the pediatric setting.

• BA, Psychology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
• MS, Clinical Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
• PhD, Clinical Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
• Internship, Clinical Psychology, Nemours/Alfred I duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE
• Post Doctoral Fellowship, Clinical Psychology, Nemours/Alfred I duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE
• Post Doctoral Fellowship, Clinical Psychology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD

• Licensed Psychologist, State of Kansas

• Society of Pediatric Psychology, Member, 2007 - Present
• American Psychological Association, Member, 2006 - Present

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• The Development and Validation of Measures to Assess Pain in Individuals with NF1 and pNF, Neurofibromatosis Therapeutic Accelerations Program (NTAP)
• Pain Optimization for Kids' Experiences (POKE), Department of Pediatrics

• Rhodes, Amanda, Martin, Staci, Wolters, Pamela, Rodriguez, Yessica, Toledo-Tamula, Mary., Anne, Struemph, Kari, Fitzhugh, Courtney, Hsieh, Matt, Tisdale, John. 2020. Sleep disturbance in adults with sickle cell disease: relationships with executive and psychological functioning. Annals of Hematology, 99 (9), 2057-2064. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00277-020-04058-7
• Martin, Staci, Struemph, Kari., L., Poblete, Alyssa, Toledo-Tamula, Mary., Anne, Lockridge, Robin, Roderick, Marie., Claire, Wolters, Pamela. 2018. An Internet support group for parents of children with neurofibromatosis type 1: a qualitative analysis. JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY GENETICS, 9 (3), 327-334
• Allen, Taryn., M., Struemph, Kari., L., Toledo-Tamula, Mary., Anne, Wolters, Pamela., L., Baldwin, Andrea, Widemann, Brigitte, Martin, Staci. 2018. The Relationship Between Heart Rate Variability, Psychological Flexibility, and Pain in Neurofibromatosis Type 1. PAIN PRACTICE, 18 (8), 969-978
• Noeder, Maia., M., Logan, Beth., A., Struemph, Kari., L., Condon, Nancy, Mueller, Isabel, Sands, Barbara, Davies, Ryan., R., Sood, Erica. 2017. Developmental screening in children with CHD: Ages and Stages Questionnaires. CARDIOLOGY IN THE YOUNG, 27 (8), 1447-1454
• Struemph, Kari., L., Barhight, Lydia., R., Thacker, Deepika, Sood, Erica. 2016. Systematic psychosocial screening in a paediatric cardiology clinic: clinical utility of the Pediatric Symptom Checklist 17. CARDIOLOGY IN THE YOUNG, 26 (6), 1130-1136
• Martin, Staci, Allen, Taryn, Toledo-Tamula, Mary., Anne, Struemph, Kari, Reda, Stephanie, Wolters, Pamela., L., Baldwin, Andrea, Quinn, Mary, Widemann, Brigitte., C.. 2021. Acceptance and commitment therapy for adolescents and adults with neurofibromatosis type 1, plexiform neurofibromas, and chronic pain: Results of a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 22, 93-101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2021.10.003
• Struemph, Kari. 2021. Adolescents and young adults with neurofibromatosis type 1: A descriptive study of adaptive functioning. American Journal of Medical Genetics, 188 (2), 488-497. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ajmg.a.62544
• Struemph, Kari., L., Chen, Rusan, Powell, Priscilla., W., Maher, Kathryn, Robinson, Elizabeth, Kumar, Anil, Holmes, Clarissa., S.. 2010. Maternal Depressive Symptoms and Children with Type 1 Diabetes. DIABETES, 59, A522-A522
• Allen, Taryn., M., Struemph, Kari., L., Toledo-Tamula, Mary., Anne, Wolters, Pamela., L., Baldwin, Andrea, Widemann, Brigitte, Martin, Staci. 2018. The Relationship Between Heart Rate Variability, Psychological Flexibility, and Pain in Neurofibromatosis Type 1. PAIN PRACTICE, 18 (8), 969-978