Prior to coming to NYMC, Dr. Liberatos worked for several not-for-profit organizations in the fields of education and public health in New York City, including work with the NYC Department of Health. Her research interests are quite varied and can be grouped into five areas. The first is an interest in health behaviors that may lead to poor health outcomes in mothers, children and teens, especially within low-income population groups. In this area she has worked with breastfeeding promotion among pregnant/postpartum mothers, asthma management in children and teen pregnancy prevention in youth. A second area of interest is in health disparities especially among immigrants and those of low socio-economic status. For example, one study focused on assessing health disparities for recent immigrants to the Lower Hudson Valley region of New York State. A related area involves health communication in the patient-provider setting, including issues of health literacy, language interpretation and cultural competency. For example, a recent study used iPad technology to empower individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities to self-report on their health care experiences. A fourth area concentrates on health provider practice. Of particular interest are issues in identifying barriers to medical adherence, screening teens for risky behaviors and psychosocial health issues, and the impact on provider practice when parents refuse to vaccinate their children. The last area involves the impact of health conditions and procedures on health-related quality of life - specifically the assessment of quality of life among those with liver cancer, urinary incontinence, and cochlear implants. This has also included the psychometric assessment of these instruments.
