Jennifer Freeman's research interests are in the area of child and adolescent anxiety disorders. Her particular interests include obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), cognitive behavioral family interventions, and developmental psychopathology. Her current research focuses on the development of family-based assessment and treatment methods for young children with OOCD as well as examining cognitive behavioral treatments in children who do not fully respond to OCD medications.

Institutions

RIH

Research Description

In collaboration with Henrietta Leonard and Abbe Garcia, Jennifer Freeman has been involved in a number of grant-funded projects focusing specifically on the assessment and treatment of child and adolescent OCD. She is currently co-invesigator (Brown Site) on a multi-site National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)-funded R01 (in conjunction with the University of Pennsylvania and Duke University) examining CBT augmentation of serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI) partial responders in pediatric OCD.

She recently completed her role as co-investigator on an NIMH-funded R21 grant that developed and piloted a family-based treatment for early childhood OCD. As part of this study she developed a family-based cognitive behavioral treatment program for young children (ages five to eight) with OCD and their parents. Using the promising data from this study, she recently submitted a multi-site R01 that proposes to examine the relative efficacy of family-based CBT vs. family-based relaxation treatment for young children with OCD in a larger sample than the previously completed R21 study.

In the recent past, Jennifer Freeman also served as co-investigator (H. Leonard, PI) on the Pediatric OCD treatment study. The results of this study, the first large scale combined treatment (CBT and SSRI) trial in pediatric OCD, were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (October, 2004). She was also awarded a Lifespan Developmental Research Grant to look at family processes, particularly parent-child interactions, in young children with OCD.

Awards

1996 Annual Student Research Award, Division 37 (Child, Youth, and Family Services), American Psychological Association (APA)
1998 Second Prize Psychology Intern Research Poster, Third Annual Research Symposium on Mental Health Sciences, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown Medical School

Affiliations

1994- Present American Psychological Association (APA)
1994- Present APA, Society of Child and Adolescent Psychology (Division 53)
1995- Present Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT; formerly known as Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy, AABT)

Funded Research

GRANTS AND RESEARCH

1. "Cognitive Interference for Trauma Cues in Sexually Abused Adolescents"
Mark Diamond Research Fund, State University of New York at Buffalo
Principal Investigator: Jennifer Freeman
Total Project Costs: $1100
Project Period: October 1996 to October 1997

2. "Treatment of Pediatric OCD"
(University of Pennsylvania, subcontract, funded)
Principal Investigator (Brown site): Henrietta Leonard, M.D.
Co-Investigator (Brown site): Jennifer Freeman, Ph.D.
Total Direct Costs: $25,000
Project Period: December 1, 2000 to June 1, 2002

3."A Randomized, Double-Blind Study of Atomoxetine Hydrochloride and Placebo in Pediatric Outpatients with ADHD and Comorbid Tic Disorders"
Eli Lilly and Company
Site Principal Investigator: Henrietta Leonard, M.D.
Co-Investigator: Jennifer Freeman, Ph.D.
Total Direct Costs: $149,331
Project Period: August 2001 to March 2003

4. "Long-Term, Open-Label, Safety Study of Atomoxetine Hydrochloride in Patients, 6 Years and Older with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder"
Eli Lilly and Company (B4Z-MC-LYAI/Site 218)
Principal Investigator: Henrietta Leonard, M.D.
Co-Investigator: Jennifer Freeman, Ph.D.
Total Project Costs: $146,623
February 1, 2002 to indefinite

5. "Family Based Treatment of Early Childhood OCD"
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) R21MH60669, funded
Principal Investigator: Henrietta Leonard, M.D.
Co-Investigator: Jennifer Freeman, Ph.D.
Total Direct Costs: $374,123
Project Period: March 2002 to February 2005 (No cost extension to February 2006)

6."Family Processes in Early Childhood OCD"
Lifespan Junior Faculty Research Grant, funded
Principal Investigator: Jennifer Freeman, Ph.D.
Total Direct Costs: $19,500
Project Period: April 2002 to April 2003

7."Treatment of Pediatric OCD: An Augmentation Study of Partial Responders"
NIMH Collaborative R01MH64188, funded
Principal Investigator (Brown site): Henrietta Leonard, M.D.
Co-Investigator: Jennifer Freeman, Ph.D.
Total Direct Costs: $1,062,500
Project Period: September 2003 to August 2008

8. "A Trial of Penicillin Prophylaxis for the PANDAS Subgroup"
(NIMH Intramural professional services contract, funded)
Principal Investigator: Henrietta L. Leonard, M.D.
Co-Investigator: Jennifer B. Freeman, Ph.D.
Total Project Costs: $150,000
Project Period: 10/1/03 - 9/30/04

9."Child Anxiety Disorders: Parenting & Temperament Effects"
(NIMH K23 MH071754-01, funded)
Principal Investigator: Abbe M. Garcia, Ph.D.
Research Psychologist: Jennifer B. Freeman, Ph.D.
Total Direct Costs: $ 656,909.

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