Karen Kavanaugh, PhD, RN

• Milwaukee Campus-Children's Wisconsin
  8915 W. Connell Court
  Milwaukee, WI 53226

Area of expertise: Palliative and end-of-life care for newborns and their families; decision making by families of extremely premature infants; pathways leading to preterm birth in African American women; qualitative and mixed methods research.

Dr. Kavanaugh’s program of scholarship and professional service focuses on palliative and end-of-life care for infants and their families. The results of her NIH funded studies have contributed to a broader understanding of parent’s grief after a perinatal loss, particularly the additional hardships of those who are of minority race, parent’s role in decision making, the importance of hope during counselling, and ways that providers can facilitate decision making and support parents in these devastating situations. Among her more recent findings is the link between decision quality and mental health outcomes in parents and the discovery of racial differences among parents in these responses. She has contributed her expertise in qualitative methods by serving as a co-investigator on other NIH funded research which investigates developmental interventions for premature infants (R01 HD098095-01), preterm birth in pregnant, African American women (R01MD011575-01A1), and reproductive decision making (R03 NR0103517). Dr. Kavanaugh also serves as a mentor to researchers who examine communication between parents and pediatric providers surrounding an initial cancer diagnosis and communication and decision making between adolescents and young adults, their parents, and providers surrounding their advanced cancer care. 

Bibliography

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/karen.kavanaugh.1/bibliography/public/

Education

• , University of Illinois - Chicago, PhD
• , Loyola University, MSN

Awards

Research

Completed NIH Funded Research

• Giurgescu, C (PI), Kavanaugh, K. (Co-I), Misra, D. (Co-I), Templin, T. (Co-I), & Zenk, S. (Co-I); Social stressors and Inflammation: A mixed methods approach to preterm birth. R01MD011575-01A1, NIH/NIMHD; January 2017 – December 2022.
• Edmonds, B. (PI), Kavanaugh, K. (Co-I). Exploring attitudes, perceptions, and coping from the perspective of families at risk of extremely preterm delivery. NIH/NICHD; R21 HD089032-01. September 2016- August 2018.
• Savage, T. (PI), Kavanaugh, K. (Co-I); End-of-Life Care for People with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities. Project within P30 NR010680, 2009 – 2012.
• Hershberger, P. (PI), Kavanaugh, K., (Co-I); Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis: Couples’ Decision Making at the Genetic and Reproductive Interface. NIH/NINR; R03 NR0103517, 2008 – 2011.
• Wilkie, D. (PI), Kavanaugh, K. (Co-I; Core Director); Center for End-of-Life Transition Research; National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Nursing Research; P30 NR010680; Co-I and Director of the Center and Director of the Mixed Methods Research Core; P30 NR010680, 2007 – 2012.
• Kavanaugh, K. (PI); Savage, T., Kilpatrick, S., Bhat, R., Kimura, R., Hussey, M., Strassner, H., Grobman, W., deRegnier, R.A. Life support decisions for extremely premature infants. National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Nursing Research; RO1 NR07904, 2004 – 2010. 

Data Based Articles

• Gralton, K. S., Malin, K., Sherburne, E., Smith, D., Wenner, S., Averbeck, J., Newman, A., Norton, A., Hornung, G., & Kavanaugh, K. (in press). The impact of COVID-19 during the first two years: Giving voice to pediatric nurses . Journal of Pediatric Nursing.
• Bell, C., Spruit, J., Deatrick, J. A., Weaver, M., Hinds, P., & Kavanaugh, K. (2024). Development and validation of a ready to talk measure for use in adolescents and young adults living with advanced cancer. Cancer nursing: An international journal for cancer care research. Jun 4. doi: 10.1097/NCC.0000000000001343. Online ahead of print.
• Bode, L.M., Jager, S.M, Panoch, J., Hoffman, S.M., Laitano, T., Kavanaugh, K., & Edmonds, B.T. (2023). Mode of delivery in the context of periviable birth: Informed deference and shared decision-making. Journal of Perinatology, 43, 23-28.
• Dove-Medows, Davis, J., McCracken, L., Lebo, L., Misra, D.P., Giurgescu, C., & Kavanaugh, K. (2022). A mixed methods study of experiences during pregnancy among Black women during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Perinatal and Neonatal Nursing. 36(2):161-172.
• Tucker Edmonds, B., McKenzie, F., O'Donnell, B., Panoch, J., Hoffman, S.M., Kavanaugh, K., Kuppermann, M. (2021) 'Expert advice' for developing decision support: A qualitative study of women who have experienced periviable birth. Patient Education and Counselling, Mar 9:S0738-3991(21)00173-7. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2021.03.003.
• Tucker Edmonds, B., Hoffman, S.M., Laitano, T., Jeffires, E., Jager, S., & Kavanaugh, K. (2020). Diverse perspectives on death, disability, and quality of life: an exploratory study of racial differences in periviable decision-making. Journal of Perinatology 34, 556-564.
• Jager, S., Kavanaugh, K., Hoffman, S., Laitano, T., Jeffires, E., & Tucker Edmonds, B. (2020). Parents’ descriptions of neonatal palliation as a treatment option prior to periviable delivery. Journal of Perinatal and Neonatal Nursing, 34, 2, 174-185.
• Tucker Edmonds B, Hoffman SM, Laitano T, Bhamidipalli, S.S., Jeffries, E., Fadel, W., & Kavanaugh, K. (2019). Values clarification: Eliciting the values that inform and influence parents' treatment decisions for periviable birth. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol, 2019 Oct 22. doi: 10.1111/ppe.12590. Online ahead of print.PMID: 31637742.
• Côté-Arsenault, D., Denney-Koelsch, E., McCoy, T.P., & Kavanaugh, K. (2019). African American and Latino bereaved parent health outcomes after receiving perinatal palliative care: A comparative mixed methods case study. Applied Nursing Research. Oct 25:151200. doi: 10.1016/j.apnr.2019.151200.
• Gold, K.J., Boggs, M.E, & Kavanaugh, K. (2019). MOMSonLINE: Lessons learned from a feasibility RCT of on-line support for mothers bereaved by perinatal loss. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying. Jul 10;:30222819861558. doi: 10.1177/0030222819861558. [Epub ahead of print]
• Tucker Edmonds, B., Laitano., T., Hoffman, S. M., Jeffries, E., Fadel. W., Bhamidipalli, S.S., & Kavanaugh, K. (2019). The impact of decision quality on mental health following periviable delivery. Journal of Perinatology Jun 17. doi 10.1038/s41372-019-0403-0. [Epub ahead of print]
• Tucker Edmonds, B., Savage, T., Kimura, R., Kilpatrick. S., Kuppermann, M., Grobman, W., & Kavanaugh K. (2019). Prospective parents’ perspectives on antenatal decision making for the anticipated birth of a periviable infant. Journal of Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine, 32, 820-825. 

Chapters

• Denney-Koelsch, E.M., Kobler, K., Kirch, R.A., Leuthner, S.R., Kavanaugh, K., & Côté-Arsenault, D. (2020). Advancing the field of perinatal palliative care: Needs and strategies. In Perinatal palliative care: A clinical guide. E.M. Denney-Koelsch & D. Côté-Arsenault (Eds.). pp. 405-427). Philadelphia: Springer.
• Kavanaugh, K., & Griffin+, T. (2018). Caregiving for extremely premature infants. In K. Pridham, R. Limbo, & M. Schroeder (Eds.), Guided participation in pediatric nursing practice: Relationship-based teaching and learning with parents, children, and adolescents (pp. 91-104). New York: Springer.
• Limbo+, R., Kavanaugh, K., & Kobler, K. (2017). Honoring relationships and hope, In K. Kobler, (Ed.). Conversations in perinatal, neonatal & pediatric palliative care (pp. 35-47). Hospice and Palliative Nurses’ Association.