Jodi Ford
Research Interests
Jodi Ford’s research focuses on the effects of adverse childhood experiences (e.g., violence, poverty, racism) on physiological stress, their linkages to youth mental health and potential social and structural avenues for intervention and prevention. Her professional life has centered on addressing inequities in health, particularly among children, adolescents and young adults. Through her program of research, she strives to promote optimal youth health and development. Ford has received external funding from the National Institutes of Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to conduct her research. As a faculty member in the College of Nursing, she teaches graduate level courses on the biopsychosocial determinants of health and secondary data analysis, and mentors students at all levels.
Ford started her career as a nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit, then worked as a pediatric nurse practitioner in primary care after completing her master’s degree. Her clinical experiences informed her program of research as she observed firsthand how exposure to adversity, including poverty, violence, racism and discrimination, negatively affected the health and well-being of children and their families. Ford earned her PhD in public health from the University of South Florida and her MS and BSN from the University of Florida.
Media Reports:
-
HEAL Prevention Cooperative Podcast Series: Women Leading Prevention Science: Engaging Youth Experiencing Homelessness.
heal.nih.gov/news/events/podcast-women-leading-prevention-science#youth
News
New data finds stress, anxiety and depression spike for those feeling the weight of a “culture of achievement”
Is the status of “perfect parent” attainable?
Researchers leading a national dialogue about parental burnout from The Ohio State University College of Nursing and the university’s Office of the Chief Wellness Officer say “no,” and a new study finds that pressure to try to be “perfect” leads to unhealthy impacts on both parents and their children.
Groundbreaking study provides a promising solution for preventing a major complication of pregnancy
According to the World Health Organization, more than 15 million babies are born preterm every year. More than one million of those babies lose their lives. Methods to predict risk for and prevent preterm birth are few and far between.
