David R.  DeMaso , MD

Dr. DeMaso is Psychiatrist-in-Chief, Chairman of Psychiatry,and Leon Eisenberg Chair in Psychiatry at Children's Hospital Boston (CHB). He completed a pediatric internship at Massachusetts General Hospital, general psychiatry training at Duke University Medical Center, child psychiatry training at Judge Baker Guidance Cenber/CHB, and a pediatric psychiatry consultation fellowship at CHB. He is Senior Associate in Psychiatry and Cardiology consulting to the Department for 30 years. He is also Director of the Office of Clinician Support, an innovative assistance program for employees and trainees who do clinical work with patients at Children's. To understand what facilitates or hinders an individual's ability to cope with adversity is the underlying essence of Dr. DeMaso's wok in the field of pediatric psychosomatic medicine. Children and families facing the stress of having physical illnesses have been at the center of his research. In the rush to care for the physical needs of ill youngsters, the impact of their illnesses on their emotional development, family supports, and even their caregivers is often forgotten. Given the nearly 20 million American children facing chronic physical illnesses, the promotion of successful coping in those families facing serious pediatric illnesses is of vital public health importance. The development of successful adaptation is dependent on empirical studies that integrate biological, psychological, and social constructs together to understand the full impact of physical illnesses on children and interventions that promote healthy development. His investigations into longitudinal impact of pediatric heart disease on children and parents, his study of a CBT intervention for children facing physical illnesses, and his development of the Experience Journals, a computer-based intervention for families facing emotional and physical illnesses (www.experiencejournal.com) form the foundation of his efforts to promote health and wellness in families facing pediatric illnesses.

www.childrenshospital.org/cfapps/research/data_admin/Site265/mainpageS265P0.html

• Children's Hospital Boston

  Department of Psychiatry, Hunnewell - 1
  300 Longwood Avenue

  Boston, MA  02115
  Phone: 617-355-6724
  Fax: 617-730-0428