Research

The faculty of the Program in Nutrition are actively engaged in cutting-edge research. This research generates a variety of opportunities for M.S., M.Ed., and Ph.D. students who are encouraged to get involved in projects during their time at Teachers College.

Each of our research areas is described below followed by published papers and reports for each area.

Research Areas

Expanding School-based Food and Nutrition Education and Healthy School Meals

Diet-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some forms of cancer contribute to 85% of our healthcare costs. Additionally, our current food system is contributing to soil degradation, water pollution, and one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions. If we stay on the same path, both healthcare and environmental issues are projected to worsen. Primary prevention programs that reach children enabling them to develop eating habits that help to reduce disease risk and support more sustainable food systems can decrease healthcare costs and improve our ecosystem. School-based food and nutrition education and healthy school meals are part of the solution. We are conducting research that evaluates the impact of food and nutrition education programs and initiatives that improve school meals. Studies have included:

(1) Choice, Control & Change to develop and evaluate a middle school science curriculum that promotes energy balance-related behaviors and a related computer game, Creature 101. (Funded by National Institutes of Health, Science Education Partnership Award and a Small Business Innovation Research Award)

(2) Food, Health & Choices to develop and evaluate a curriculum and classroom wellness program that promotes eating more fruits and vegetables and engaging in more physical activity, while decreasing consumption of ultra-processed foods and recreational screentime. (Funded by United States Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture)

(3) Wellness in the School to evaluate if school menu changes that increase scratch cooking and fruits and vegetables and provide a coach at recess result in increased fruit and vegetable consumption at school lunch and physical activity at recess. (Funded by Wellness in the Schools)

(4) FoodCorps to develop the Healthy School Progress Report to measures school’s initiatives to promote fruit and vegetable and other healthy foods and the Fruit and Vegetable Recall Questionnaire, as survey to measure fruit and vegetable consumption at school lunch and to conduct studies to on the impact of FoodCorps programming. (Funded by FoodCorps)

(5) High School Cafeteria Redesigns to evaluate if a choice-based serving line and improved dining space change participation in school meals, consumption, and attitudes. (Funded by Healthy Eating Research a Program of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Joyce and Irving Goldman Family Foundation)

(6) Cooking Outside the Box to understand the successes and barriers of a two-school pilot program to transform New York City Public School kitchens to scratch cooking. (Funded by various foundations)

(7) Creating Resources Uplifting Nutrition, Culture, and Health at Lunch (CRUNCH Lunch) which is a current study funded by the National Institutes of Health Science Education Partnership Award to provide teachers with ongoing support to connect STEM to school lunch and evaluate the impact on both teachers and students. (Funded by National Institutes of Health, Science Education Partnership Award)

(8) Chef Council Initiative Evaluation to evaluate the impact of chefs working with school meal staff in New York City to expand culturally diverse, plant-based, and scratch-cooked items on the menus. (Funded by New York Health Foundation)

Our work is helping to understand and improve the effectiveness of school-based food and nutrition education and understand strategies that enhance students’ experience with and consumption of school meals.

Contact: Dr. Pam Koch pak14@tc.columbia.edu

Supporting Food Security and Equity through Policies and Programs

Students need food and nutrition security to learn well in school. Yet, there are inequities in programs that can support students in obtaining the nourishing foods they need. It is critical to understand the school, the reach of food and nutrition education programming in schools, and the impacts of programs that promote and expand families’ abilities to obtain school meals. Studies have included:

(1) A is for Apple to understand the characteristics and reach of organizations that provide food and nutrition education in New York City Public Schools—and if that reach is equitable across the schools with different levels of poverty and race/ethnicities of students—with data collected in the 2011–12, 2016–17, and 2022–23 school years to date. (Funded by New York Health Foundation)

(2) Grab-n-Go Meals During the COVID-19 Pandemic School Shutdowns to explore parents’ experiences with grab-n-go meals that were provided by New York City Office of Food and Nutrition Services while schools were closed for the pandemic, what were the benefits to these meals, and what the challenges were and obstacles families faced.  (Funded by New York Health Foundation and Goldberg Postdoctoral Funding for Food Trauma in Children)

(3) De-implementation of Universal Free School Meals in New York State to understand how families that had free meals during the COVID-19 school meals waivers have been impacted by the de-implementation of free school meals to provide justification for New York State to offer free school meals for all. (Funded by Healthy Eating Research a Program of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation)

Our work is helping to provide more just and equitable access to child nutrition programs and school meals.

Contact: Dr. Pam Koch pak14@tc.columbia.edu

Promoting Diet Adherence and Quality of Life in Children and Adults with Celiac Disease

The current and only treatment for celiac disease is a dietary one: a strict gluten-free diet for life. However, managing such a restrictive diet can be challenging and the treatment burden can be high. Individuals with celiac disease must learn what foods to eat, what foods to avoid, hidden sources of gluten, and how to navigate a complex food environment and a lifetime of social situations. In collaboration with the Celiac Disease Center at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center, we conduct studies in three main areas: (1) evaluating theory-based behavioral interventions that promote increased adherence to a gluten-free diet while, at the same time, taking care to maintain a high quality of life, (2) describing eating patterns, diet quality, and food relationships, (3) understanding how individuals and families navigate celiac disease and the gluten-free diet at various life transitions, and (4) developing new assessment and evaluation tools.  Studies have included:

(1) The Gluten Technology and Education for Celiac Health Study (GLUTECH), a large multicenter NIH-funded randomized controlled trial currently underway to examine remote dietitian follow-up, with and without gluten detection technologies, in the management of celiac disease. (Funded by National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Disease of the National Institutes of Health U01 Grant and U34 Planning Grant, as well as pilot study funding by the Columbia University Irving Center Clinical Trials Office (CTO) Pilot Award) 

(2) The Hypervigilance Study and Other Studies Related to Eating Patterns and Quality of Life to better understand factors that influence quality of life and diet quality in individuals with celiac disease. (Funded by a Teachers College Provost Investment Fund Grant)

(3) The Cooking Project to promote a cooking-based nutrition education intervention for gluten-free diet adherence and quality of life. 

(4) The Celiac Disease & Eating Disorders Study to determine the extent to which individuals on a restrictive gluten-free diet are at risk for disordered eating and eating disorders. (Funded by the Irving Institute CaMPR Phase 1 Planning Grant)

(5) The Family Study to examine the ‘ripple-effect’ on the household’s diet and quality of life when one member is diagnosed with celiac disease. (Funded by a Teachers College Provost Investment Fund Grant)

(6) Navigating Celiac Disease in China Study to understand how children and adults with celiac disease in China navigate managing their disease and a strict gluten free diet throughout 11 mainland China cities. 

Our work is advancing the field by providing critical insight into potential interventions that can be used to supplement the current standard of care for individuals with celiac disease, as well as better understanding ways to promote a gluten-free diet while maximizing quality of life at various stages throughout life. 

Contact: Dr. Randi Wolf wolf@tc.columbia.edu

Reducing Early Childhood Caries through Healthy Diet and Oral Hygiene

Early childhood caries is the most common chronic disease of young U.S. children and poses significant short- and long-term consequences, particularly among socially vulnerable children. We know that intake of certain foods and eating patterns are the primary cause of early childhood caries, along with poor oral hygiene. But what we do not know is how to best promote these behaviors or how to accurately identify children at high risk for early childhood caries to inform the kinds of changes necessary for effective primary and secondary prevention. For over a decade, our Program in Nutrition has been collaborating with the Program in Health Education and the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine to develop and evaluate behavioral interventions and develop a parent self-reported measure of children’s dietary behaviors relevant to early childhood caries. Studies have included:

(1) The Diet and ECC (DECC) Study evaluating an iPad app-based early childhood caries risk assessment and intervention tool. (Funded by an NIH Challenge Grant)

(2) The Pediatric Dental Study examining a national sample of pediatric dentists and their attitudes, beliefs, and practices related to diet and oral hygiene. (Funded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research of the National Institutes of Health U01 Grant)

(3) MySmileBuddy centered on the development of a family-centered program to promote healthy eating and oral hygiene habits to reduce tooth decay in young children. (Funded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research of the National Institutes of Health R34 Planning Grant)

Our long-term goal is to shift the paradigm away from the current “drill and fill” treatment model to one that focuses on the treatment of early childhood caries as a preventable oral disease.

Contact: Dr. Randi Wolf wolf@tc.columbia.edu

Published Papers, Reports, and Curriculum Related to Our Research

Expanding School-based Food and Nutrition Education and Healthy School Meals

(1) Choice, Control & Change 

• Contento IR, Koch PA, Lee H, Sauberli W, Calabrese-Barton A. Enhancing personal agency and competence in eating and moving: Formative evaluation of a middle school curriculum, Choice, Control, and Change. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 39(Supp 2): S179-S186, 2007. doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2007.02.006
  Contento IR, Koch PA, Lee, H, Calabrese-Barton A. Adolescents demonstrate improvement in obesity risk behaviors after completion of Choice, Control & Change (C3), a curriculum addressing personal agency and autonomous motivation. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 110:1830–1839, 2010.
• Contento IR, Koch P, Calabrese-Barton A. School-based Interventions for Overweight and Obesity Prevention. Book chapter in Akabas SR, Lederman SA, Moore BJ. (Eds.) Textbook of Obesity: Biological Psychological and Cultural Influences. Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell, 400–423, 2012.
• Mallya A, Mensah FM, Contento IR, Koch PA, Calabrese-Barton A. Extending science beyond the classroom door: Learning from students’ experiences with the Choice, Control & Change (C3) curriculum. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 49:244–269, 2012.
• Lee H, Contento IR, Koch PA. Process evaluation of a middle school obesity risk-reduction nutrition curriculum intervention: Choice, Control & Change. Journal of Nutrition Education & Behavior, 45:105–109, 2013.
• Majumdar D, Koch PA, Lee H, Contento IR, Islas-Ramos AL, Fu D. “Creature-101”: A Serious Game to Promote Energy Balance-Related Behaviors Among Middle School Adolescents. Games for Health Journal. 2(5):280-290, 2013.
• Majumdar D, Koch PA, Gray HL, Contento IR, Islas-Ramos AL, Fu D. Nutrition Science and Behavioral Theories Integrated in a Serious Game for Adolescents. Simulation & Gaming, 46: 68–97, 2015. doi: 10.1177/1046878115577163.
• Gray HL, Contento IR, Koch P. Linking implementation process to intervention outcomes in obesity risk-reduction nutrition curriculum intervention for middle school students: Choice, Control & Change. Health Education Research, 30(2)248-61, 2015. 
• Koch PA, Contento IR, Calabrese-Barton A. Choice, Control & Change: Linking Food and the Environment Curriculum Series. Burlington, VT: Gardener’s Supply Company, first edition, 2010. Second Edition Garden Supply Company, 2016.

(2) Food, Health & Choices

• Gray HL, Burgermaster M, Tipton E, Contento IR, Koch PA, Di Noia J. Intraclass Correlation Coefficients for Obesity Indicators and Energy Balance-Related Behaviors Among New York City Public Elementary Schools. Health Education and Behavior. 43(2):172–181, 2016. doi: 10.1177/1090198115598987.
• Gray HL, Koch PA, Contento IR, Bandelli LN, Ang IY, Di Noia J. Validity and Reliability of Behavior and Theory-Based Psychosocial Determinants Measures, Using Audience Response System Technology in Urban Upper-Elementary Schoolchildren. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. 48:437-452, 2016. doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2016.03.018.
• Gray HL, Ang IY, Contento I, Koch P, Di Noia J. Response to Validity and Reliability of Behavior and Theory-Based Psychosocial Determinants Measures, Using Audience Response System Technology in Urban Upper-Elementary Schoolchildren: Limitations of Pearson’s r and Percent Agreement. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. 48:757–758, 2016. doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2016.07.013.
• Gray HL, Contento IR, Koch PA, Di Noia J. Mediating mechanisms of theory-based psychosocial determinants on behavioral changes in a middle school obesity risk reduction curriculum intervention, Choice, Control, and Change. Childhood Obesity, 12: 348–359. 2016. doi: 10.1089/chi.2016.0003.
• Graziose MM, Koch PA, Wang YC, Gray HL, & Contento I. Cost-effectiveness of a nutrition education curriculum intervention in elementary schools. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 49:684-691, 2017 doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2016.10.006 [Best article of the year].
• Bandelli LN, Gray HL, Paul R, Contento IR, & Koch PA. Associations among measures of energy balance related behaviors and psychosocial determinants in urban upper elementary school children. Appetite, 108(1):171-182, 2017.
• Burgermaster M, Gray HL, Tipton E, Contento I, & Koch P. Testing an integrated model of program implementation: the Food, Health & Choices school-based childhood obesity prevention process evaluation. Preventive Science, 18:71–82, 2017.
• Burgermaster M, Koroly J, Contento I, Koch P, Gray HL. A mixed-methods comparison of classroom context during Food, Health & Choices, a childhood obesity prevention intervention. Journal of School Health. 87:811-822, 2017.
• Burgermaster M, Contento I, Koch P, Mamkina L. Behavior change is not one size fits all: psychosocial phenotypes of childhood obesity prevention intervention participants. Translational Behavioral Medicine, 8:799-807, 2018.  doi: 10.1093/tbm/ibx029.
• Koch PA, Contento IR, Gray HL, Burgermaster M, Bandelli L, Abrams E, Di Noia J. Food, Health, & Choices: Curriculum and Wellness Interventions to Decrease Childhood Obesity in Fifth-Graders. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. 51:440−455, 2019. doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2018.12.001 [Runner up for best article of the year]

(3) Wellness in the School

• Koch P, Trent R, Wolf R. Wellness in the School Evaluation: Final Report. Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education & Policy, Program in Nutrition at Teachers College, Columbia University. January, 2018.
• Ang IYH, Wolf RL, Koch PA, Gray HL, Trent R, Tipton E, Contento IR. School Lunch Environmental Factors Impacting Fruit and Vegetable Consumption. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. 51:68-79. 2019. doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2018.08.012. [open access].
• Khorana P, Koch PA, Trent R, Gray HL, Wolf RL, and Contento IR. The Effects of Wellness In The Schools (WITS) on Physical Activity During Recess in New York City Public Schools. Physical Activity and Health, 3(1):117–126, 2019.

(4) FoodCorps

• Koch P, Wolf R, Graziose M, Gray HL, Trent R, and Uno C. FoodCorps: Creating Healthy School Environments. Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education & Policy, Program in Nutrition, Teachers College, Columbia University. February, 2017.
• Graziose MM, Wolf RL, Koch P, Gray HL, Contento IR. Validation of a Questionnaire to Measure Fruits and Vegetables Selected and Consumed at School Lunch among Second- and Third-Grade Students. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 118:1700-1710.2018. e2. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2018.02.023.
• Graziose MM, Koch PA, Wolf R, Gray HL, Trent R, Contento IR. Cafeteria noise exposure and fruit and vegetable consumption at school lunch: A cross-sectional study of elementary students. Appetite. 136:130-136, 2019. doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2019.01.026.

(5) High School Cafeteria Redesigns

• Koch PA, Wolf RL, Trent RJ, Guerra LA. School Transformation After Redesign of 3 Cafeterias (STARCafé). Health Behavior and Policy Review, 7(4):345–357. 2020. doi:https://doi.org/10.14485/HBPR.7.4.7.

(6) Cooking Outside the Box

• Trent, R, Ijaz Ahmed, D, and Koch P. Cooking Outside the Box: How a Scratch Cooking Pilot in The Bronx is Reshaping Meals in New York City Schools. Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education & Policy, Program in Nutrition, Teachers College, Columbia University. December, 2019.
• Ijaz D, Trent R, Koch P. Creating the Scratch Cooked School Food Framework: Qualitative Data Analysis of a Scratch Cooking Pilot. Health Promotion Practice, 23(6): 963-972 2022 (Online September 22, 2021). https://doi.org/10.1177/15248399211038942

(7) Creating Resources Uplifting Nutrition, Culture, and Health at Lunch (CRUNCH Lunch)

• In progress, no papers yet. See our CRUNCH Lunch website and our project on the Science Education Partnership Award website.

(8) Chef Council Initiative Evaluation

• In progress, no papers yet.

Supporting Food Security and Equity through Policies and Programs

(1) A is for Apple

• Koch PA. Food, Learning, and Sustainability in the School Curriculum (Chapter 4). In Sumner, J. (Ed.) Food, Learning and Sustainability: Sites for Resistance and Change, Palgrave MacMillan, 2016. ISBN 978-1-137-53904-5.
• Koch PA, McCarthy JE, Uno C, Gray HL, Simatou G. A is for Apple: The State of Nutrition Education Programs in New York City Schools. Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education & Policy, Program in Nutrition at Teachers College, Columbia University. January, 2018.
• Porter K, Koch P, Contento I. Why and How Schools Make Nutrition Education Programs “Work”. Journal of School Health. 88:23-33, 2018.
• Koch P. McCarthy J, Raffel C, Gray HL, Guerra LA. Expanding and Enhancing Food and Nutrition Education in New York City Public Schools: An Examination of Program Characteristics and Distribution. Nutrients, 12:2423, 2020. doi:10.3390/nu12082423 [open access].
• Koch PA, Greaves-Peters N, Cadenhead JW. Nourishing Knowledge: Food Education Joins the Core Subjects in Schools. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. 55(9):621-622. (Editorial), 2023.

(2) Grab-n-Go Meals During the COVID-19 Pandemic School Shutdowns

• Cadenhead JW, McCarthy JE, Nguyen TT, Rodriguez M, Koch PA. Qualitative Study of Participation Facilitators and Barriers for Emergency School Meals and Pandemic Electronic Benefits (P-EBT) in an Urban Setting during COVID-19. Nutrients. 2022 Aug 16;14(16):3358.
• Cadenhead JW, Koch P. The NYC Department of Education (DOE) Office of Food and Nutrition Services (OFNS) Response to the COVID-19 Emergency. NY Food 2025: Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center, CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute, & Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food Education & Policy. October 2022. (Note: New York Food 2025 was previously New York Food 20/20)

(3) De-implementation of Universal Free School Meals in New York State 

• In progress, no papers yet.

Promoting Diet Adherence and Quality of Life in Children and Adults with Celiac Disease 

(1) The Gluten Technology and Education for Celiac Health Study (GLUTECH) 

• Wolf RL, Green PHR, Lee AR, Reilly NR, Zybert P, Lebwohl B. Benefits from and barriers to portable detection of gluten, based on a randomized pilot trial of patients with celiac disease. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2019; 17(12):2605-2607. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2019.03.011
• Wolf RL, Vipperman-Cohen A, Green PHR, Lee AR, Reilley NR, Zybert P, Lebwohl B.  Portable gluten sensors: Qualitative assessments by adults and teenagers with celiac disease. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. 2020; doi: 10.1111/jhn.12810. 

(2) The Hypervigilance Study and Other Studies Related to Eating Patterns and Quality of Life

• Lee AR, Wolf R, Contento I, Verdeli H, Green PHR.  Celiac disease: the association between quality of life and social support network participation. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics.  2016.  29(3): 383-90. doi:  10.1111/jhn.12319. 
• Wolf RL, Lebwohl B, Lee AR, Zybert P, Reilly NR, Cadenhead J, Amengual C, Green PHR.  Hypervigilance to a gluten-free diet and decreased quality of life in teenagers and adults with celiac disease. Digestive Diseases and Sciences. 2018; 64(6): 1438-1448.  doi: 10.1007/s10620-018-4936-4. 
•  Ludvigsson JF, Lebwohl B, Chen Q, Broms G, Wolf RL, Green PHR, Emilsson L.  Anxiety after Celiac Disease Diagnosis Predicts Mucosal Healing: a Population-Based Study. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2018; 48(10):1091-1098. doi: 10.1111/apt.14991
• Lee A, Wolf RL, Lebwohl B, Ciaccio EJ, Green PHR.  Persistent Economic Burden of the Gluten Free Diet. Nutrients. 2019; 11(2): 399. doi: 10.3390/nu11020399.
• Lebovits J, Lee AR, Ciaccio EJ, Wolf RL, Davies RH, Cerino C, Lebwohl B, Green PHR. Impact of celiac disease on dating.  Dig Dis Sci. 2022; 67(11): 5158-5167. doi: 10.1007/s10620-022-07548-y. 
• De Leon Morilla D, Ventoso M, Lebovits J, Lee A, Wolf R, Green PHR, Lebwohl B.  Patients’ risk tolerance for non-dietary therapies in celiac disease.  Clin Gastroeterol Hepatol. 2022. 20(11): 2647-2649.  doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2021.08.046. 
• Lee A, Longo R, Krause M, Zybert P, Green PHR, Wolf R. Association of physical and psychological factors with physical activity levels in adults with celiac disease. IJGLD. 2023, 3(1): 1 – 7. doi: 10.51626/ijgld.2023.02.00010.
• Cadenhead JW, Martinez-Steel E, Contento I, Kushi LH, Lee AR, Nguyen TT, Lebwohl B, Green PHR, Wolf RL.  Diet quality, ultra-processed food, and quality of life in adults and teens with celiac disease.  J Hum Nutr Diet 2023. doi: 10.1111/jhn.13137.

(3) The Cooking Project 

• Wolf RL, Morawetz M, Lee AR, Koch P, Contento IR, Zybert P, Green PH, Lebwohl B.  A cooking-based intervention promotes gluten-free diet adherence and quality of life for adults with celiac disease.  Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol.  2020; 18(11): 2625-2627. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2019.09.019

(4) The Celiac Disease & Eating Disorders Study 

• Cadenhead J, Wolf RL, Lebwohl B, Lee AR, Zybert P, Reilly NR, Schebendach J, Satherley R, Green PHR.  Diminished Quality of Life Among Adolescents with Celiac Disease Using Maladaptive Eating Behaviors to Manage a Gluten Free Diet: A Cross-sectional, Mixed-Methods Study.  J Hum Nutr Diet. 2019; 32(3): 311-320. doi.org/10.1111/jhn.12638 
• Lee AR, Lebwohl B, Lebovits J, Wolf RL, Ciaccio EJ, Green PHR. Factors associated with maladaptive eating behaviors, social anxiety, and quality of life in adults with celiac disease.  Nutrients. 2021 13(12):4494. doi: 10.3390/nu13124494.
• Gholmie Y, Lee AR, Satherley R, Schebendach J, Zybert P, Green PH, Lebwohl B, Wolf R.  Maladaptive food attitudes and behaviors in individuals with celiac disease and their association with quality of life.  Dig Dis Sci 2023. 68 (7): 2899-2907. doi: 10.1007/s10620-023-07912-6. 

(5) The Family Study

• Russo C, Wolf RL, Leichter HJ, Lee AR, Reilley NR, Zybert P, Green PHR, Lebwohl B.  Impact of a Child’s Celiac Disease Diagnosis and Management on the Family.  Dig Dis Sci  2020; 65, 2959-2969. DOI 10.1007/s10620-020-06316-0

(6) Navigating Celiac disease in China Study

• Zhang Q, Wolf RL, Lee AR, Catassi C, Zybert P, Green PHR, Lebwohl B.  Navigating Celiac Disease and the Gluten-free Diet in China.  Nutr Health. 2021; 27(4):395-403. doi: 10.1177/0260106021990254.      

Reducing Early Childhood Caries through Healthy Diet and Oral Hygiene 

(1) The Diet and ECC (DECC) Study 

• Custodio-Lumsden CL, Wolf RL, Contento IR, Basch CE, PhD, Zybert OA, Koch PA, Edelstein, BL. Validation of an early childhood caries risk assessment tool in a low‐income Hispanic population. Public Health Dentistry, 76(2):136–142, 2016. doi: 10.1111/jphd.12122.

(2) The Pediatric Dental Study

• In progress, no papers yet.

(3) MySmileBuddy 

• Lumsden C, Edelstein BL, Basch CE, Wolf R, Koch PA, McKeague I, Leu C-S, Andrews H. Protocol for a family-centered behavioral intervention to reduce early childhood caries: the MySmileBuddy program efficacy trial. BMC Oral Health 21, 246, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-021-01582-4
• Lumsden C, Wolf R, Contento I Basch C, Zybert P, Koch P, & Edelstein B. Feasibility, Acceptability, and Short-term Behavioral Impact of the MySmileBuddy Intervention for Early Childhood Caries. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 30:59-69, 2019. doi:10.1353/hpu.2019.0007.
• Levine J. Wolf RL, Chinn C, Edelstein BL.  MySmileBuddy: an iPad-based interactive program to assess dietary risk for early childhood caries.  J Acad Nutr Diet  2012; 10: 1539-42. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2012.06.010.