Identifying and addressing determinants of child developmental outcomes in the primary care setting can mitigate the potentially negative effects of these determinants and enhance outcomes across the life course. Suzy Tomopoulos, MD, focuses on three social contexts that influence child development.

First, Dr. Tomopoulos studies the effects of digital media exposure on the development of young children from low-income families, taking into account the influence of parenting and the home environment.

Second, in collaboration with Shonna (Hsiang) Yin, MD, MS, Dr. Tomopoulos investigates parent health literacy and child chronic disease, and ways to improve asthma management through the use of plain language and pictographic patient education tools while also working to incorporate a personalized, low-literacy, interactive, web-accessible asthma action plan.

Third, by screening for social determinants of health in primary care practice and assessing predictors of referral completion and health-related outcomes, Dr. Tomopoulos is investigating the effectiveness of these screening programs.