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Rachel Neff Greenley, PhD

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Rachel Neff Greenley, PhD

Professor and Chair
rachel.greenley@rosalindfranklin.edu
Psychology
College of Health Professions
847-578-8751
847-578-8765
Health Sciences Building, 2.690

Dr. Rachel Neff Greenley is an Professor of Psychology and serves as the Department Chair. Dr. Greenley obtained her PhD in clinical psychology, with an emphasis in clinical child psychology, from Loyola University Chicago.  She completed an internship in Clinical Child and Pediatric Psychology at Lurie Children’s Hospital and an NIH-funded T-32 fellowship in Child Behavioral Health Research and Pediatric Psychology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

She joined the faculty of RFUMS in 2009. Her research interests focus on youth and family adjustment in the context of pediatric chronic illness, with a particular interest in adherence and self-management skill development among adolescents and emerging adults with chronic illnesses. Dr. Greenley teaches courses in Health Psychology and Child and Adolescent Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.  She is licensed in Illinois and Wisconsin.

Dr. Greenley will be accepting a student for the 2022/2023 academic year.

Do you have questions regarding our research or what it is like working with Dr. Greenley?
Email a current graduate student to gain a student's perspective.

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Research

My research interests center on understanding factors that contribute to optimal psychosocial and physical functioning among youth affected by chronic medical conditions and their families. In particular, I am interested in the role of individual, familial, and health professional systems in promoting adherence to treatment and self-management skill development among youth, adolescents, and emerging adults with chronic medical conditions. My research interests include both descriptive studies to better understand factors that promote optimal functioning or serve as barriers to adherence during the adolescent and emerging adult developmental periods, as well as intervention studies to evaluate the efficacy of programs to enhance adherence and promote positive adjustment. I have conducted research with a variety of pediatric populations, with a major focus on pediatric inflammatory bowel diseases.

Publications

  1. Plevinsky, J.M., Maddux, M.H., Fishman, L.N., Kahn, S.A., & Greenley, R.N. (2020). Perceived effect of pediatric inflammatory bowel diseases on academics, college planning, and college adjustment. Journal of American College Health, https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2020.1781869
  2. *Lang, A., Greenley, R. N., & Davies, W. H. (2020). Impact of Perceived Health Competence on the Quality of Life of Emerging Adults with Chronic Health Conditions. Emerging Adulthood. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167696820938647
  3. *Durkin, L. K., & Greenley, R. N. (2020). JPP Student Journal Club Commentary: Review of psychological interventions targeting adherence among pediatric sickle cell disease. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsaa049.
  4. Wojtowicz, A. A., Schurman, J. V., Cushing, C. C., Plevinsky, J. M., & Greenley, R. N. (2020). Perceptions of clinical training in biopsychosocial treatment of pediatric functional abdominal pain: A survey of medical students. Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology, 8(1), 37–44. https://doi.org/10.1037/cpp0000286
  5. Carreon, S., *Durkin, L., Davies, W. H., & Greenley, R. N. (2020). Influence of provider communication on emerging adults’ medication cognitions and provider satisfaction. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 45(5) 573–582. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsaa022
  6. *Feldman, E. C. H.,*Macaulay, T., Tran, S. T., Miller, S. A., Buscemi, J., & Greenley, R. N. (2020). Relationships between disease factors and social support in college students with chronic physical illnesses. Children’s Healthcare, 49,3 DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1080/02739615.2020.1723100
  7. Plevinsky, J.M., Maddux, M.H., & Greenley, R.N. (2019). Substance use in adolescents and young adults with IBD: An exploratory cluster analysis. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, 69(3), 324-329. doi: 10.1097/MPG.0000000000002365
  8. *Igler, E.C., *Sejkora, E., Greenley, R.N.,*Plevinsky, J.M., *Bugno, L., *Carreon, S., & Davies, W.H. (2019, July). Development and initial validation of the Communication About Medication by Providers-Parent Scale (CAMP-P). Global Pediatric Health, 6, 1-11. doi: 1177/2333794X19857980
  9. *Plevinsky, J.M., *Wojtowicz, A.A., Miller, S.A., & Greenley, R.N. (2019). Longitudinal barriers to thiopurine adherence in adolescents with inflammatory bowel diseases. Journal of Pediatric Psychology,44(1), 52-60. doi: 1093/jpepsy/jsy062
  10. *Plevinsky, J., Greenley, R. N., *Bugno, L., *Carreon, S.,*Igler, E. C., & Davies, W. H. (2018). Development and preliminary validation of a patient-reported measure of patient-provider communication about medication prescriptions for adolescents and young adults. Children’s Health Care. Published online: October 22, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1080/02739615.2018.1531757
  11. *Carreon, S., *Bugno, L., *Wojtowicz, A., & Greenley, R. N. (2018). School functioning in adolescents with inflammatory bowel diseases: An examination of disease and demographic correlate Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, epub ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1093/ibd/izy026
  12. *Gumidyala, A. P., Greenley, R.N., *Plevinsky, J. M., *Poulopoulos, N., Cabrera, J., Lerner, D., Noe, J. D., Walkiewicz, D., Werlin, S., & Kahn, S. A. (2018). Moving on: Transition readiness in adolescents and young adults with IBD. Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, 24(3), 482-489.
  13. Greenley, R. N.,* Naftaly, J. P., *Walker, R. J., Kappelman, M. D., Martin, C. F., & Schneider, K. L. (2018). Sports participation in youth with inflammatory bowel diseases: The role of disease activity and physical health symptoms. Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, 24(2), 247-253.
  14. *Plevinsky, J. M., *Wojtowicz, A., *Poulopoulos, N., Schneider, K., & Greenley, R. N. (2018). Perceived impairment in sports participation in adolescents with inflammatory bowel diseases: A preliminary examination. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, 66(1), 79-83.
  15. Greenley, R. N., Reed-Knight, B., *Wojtowicz, A., *Plevinsky, J., Lewis, J. D., & Kahn, S. A. (2017). A bitter pill to swallow: Barriers to adherence among adolescents and young adults with IBD. Children’s Health Care, DOI: 1080/02739615.2017.1383911.
  16. *Plevinsky, J., M., *Gumidyala, A. P., *Poulopoulos, N., Kahn, S., Hommel, K. A., Guilfoyle, S. & Greenley, R. N. (2018). Illness-related parenting stress among parents of adolescents and young adults with inflammatory bowel diseases. Children’s Health Care, 47(2), 136-149.
  17. *Thomason, M., M., *Nguyen, E. U., *Poulopoulos, N., Kahn, S., & Guilfoyle, S. M., Hommel, K. A., & Greenley, R. N. (2017). Reliability and validity of The Beliefs About Medication Scale in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease. Journal of Child Health Care, 21(3), 253-262.

*Denotes a student author.

Research Lab

My research interests center on understanding factors that contribute to optimal psychosocial and physical functioning among youth affected by chronic medical conditions and their families. In particular, I am interested in the role of individual, familial, and health professional systems in promoting adherence to treatment and self-management skill development among youth, adolescents, and emerging adults with chronic medical conditions. My research interests include both descriptive studies to better understand factors that promote optimal functioning or serve as barriers to adherence during the adolescent developmental period, as well as intervention studies to evaluate the efficacy of programs to enhance adherence and promote positive adjustment. I have conducted research with a variety of pediatric populations, including a major focus on pediatric inflammatory bowel diseases.

Current Projects

Health Risk and Health Promotion Behaviors in College Students with and Without Chronic Medical Conditions. In collaboration with researchers at DePaul University, we are examining the role of daily hassles and physical health symptoms in prospectively influencing health risk and health promotion behaviors in undergraduate students with and without chronic health conditions. We plan to use this information to identify individuals who may be at risk for poor adjustment and ultimately develop interventions that may enhance self-management and health promotion in this group.

Patient-Provider Communication and Medication Adherence. In partnership with researchers at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, we are investigating how medical providers discuss medication prescriptions with their patients, and the extent to which modifying the content of provider communication may enhance patient adherence. We are examining this in samples of adolescents and young adults, and also among samples of parents of school-aged children. We hope to better understand strengths and weaknesses in patient-provider communication so that we may develop interventions to enhance communication about medication as a method of enhancing medication adherence.

Adolescent and Young Adult Adherence to CDC Guidelines To Reduce the Spread of COVID-19.
In fall 2020, we began a new data collection initiative to understand social cognitive factors that influence adolescent and young adults decisions related to social distancing, mask wearing, and engagement in other CDC-recommended behaviors related to reducing the spread of COVID-19. We are utilizing web-based data collection and plan to examine behavioral intention and prospective adherence behavior in an effort to identify groups at risk for suboptimal adherence and potential targets for interventions to enhance adherence.

Current Students

  Lindsey Bugno, MS
Lindsey is a sixth year student in the PhD program. Her research interests include child and family psychosocial adjustment to chronic medical conditions, specifically factors that promote adherence to treatment regimens. This year, Lindsey is completing APA approved internship in pediatric psychology at Indiana University School of Medicine. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, snuggling with her cats, and cooking.
  Lindsay Durkin, MS
Lindsay is a fifth year student in the Clinical Psychology PhD program. Her research interests include understanding how parent and family factors (i.e., personality traits, level of involvement, family functioning) may impact child outcomes, such as medication adherence. This year, Lindsay is completing a practicum at Oak Park Behavioral Medicine where she is providing outpatient psychotherapy to youth with chronic health conditions. Lindsay is completing a secondary practicum at Northwest Suburban Psychology where she is gaining experience in pediatric neuropsychological assessment. In her free time, Lindsay enjoys baking and playing with her dog.
Estée Feldman, MS
Estée is a fourth year student in the PhD program. Her research interests include resilience, social functioning, and pain catastrophizing in context of pediatric chronic illness, especially among patient groups affected by chronic pain. This year, she is completing a clinical practicum in pediatric psychology at Shrines Hospitals for Children. In her free time, she enjoys hiking with her dog, yoga, and baking.
Meghan Howe, BA
Meghan is a second year student in the PhD program. She is interested in identifying processes by which child- and family-level factors confer risk or promote resilience in children diagnosed with chronic medical conditions, as well as psychometrics of existing pediatric psychology assessment tools. Her long-term goals are to conduct collaborative research and clinical work aimed at improving psychosocial outcomes in children and families coping with chronic illness. This year, Meghan is completing a pediatric neuropsychology practicum at NorthShore Health Systems. In her free time, Meghan enjoys dancing, trying new restaurants, and baking.
Sara Lampert, MS
Sara is a first year clinical psychology doctoral student. Her research interests include community health, health behaviors related to chronic disease, and the impact of chronic disease on psychological functioning. This year, Sara is completing a pediatric neuropsychology practicum at NorthShore Health Systems.. In her free time, Sara enjoys baking/cooking, reading and participating in book club with her friends, and going for walks.
  Taylor Macaulay, MS
Taylor is a third year student in the PhD program. Their research interests include health behaviors in pediatric chronic illness, especially eating behaviors, as well as the transition towards autonomy in health behavior responsibilities from adolescence to young adulthood. In their free time, Taylor enjoys crocheting, watching The Office on repeat and attending concerts.

Alumni

Pediatric Psychology or Pediatric Neuropsychology:

  • Samantha Carreon, PhD.
    • Internship: Children’s Hospital Boston
    • Fellowship: Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital
  • Eve Nguyen, PhD
    • Internship: Kennedy Krieger Institute
    • Fellowship: Children’s Hospital Orange County
  • Jill Plevinsky, PhD
    • Internship: Brown University School of Medicine
    • Fellowship: Cinicinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
  • Natasha Poulopoulos, PhD
    • Internship: Jackson Miami Medical Center
    • Fellowship: Children’s Hospital Boston
  • Molly Thomanson, PhD –
    • Internship: University of New Mexico
    • Fellowship: Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital (pediatric neuropsychology)
  • Jennifer Walter PhD
    • Internship: University of New Mexico
    • Fellowship: Neuropsychological Services of New Mexico (pediatric neuropsychology)
  • Andrea Wojtowicz, PhD
    • Internship: Nationwide Children’s Hospital
    • Fellowship: Nationwide Children’s Hospital

Health Psychology:

  • Amitha Gumidayala, PhD
    • Internship: VA Palo Alto Health Care System
    • Fellowship: VA Palo Alto Health Care System
  • Cassandra Kandah, PhD
    • Internship: Lovell Federal Health Care Center
    • Fellowship: Loyola University Medical Center
  • Jessica Naftaly, PhD
    • Internship: Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital
    • Fellowship: Michigan Medicine

Recent Conference Presentations

  1. *Griffith, C. *Feldman, E.C.H, & Greenley, R.N. (2020, May)Abdominal Pain as a Correlate of Depressive and Anxious Symptomology in Adolescents with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. Poster presentation at Association for Psychological Science 2020 Meeting, Chicago, IL (virtual due to COVID-19). 
  2. *Lampert, S., *Macaulay, T., Buscemi, J., Miller, S. A., Tran, S. T., & Greenley, R. N. (2020, May). Social support associated with general distress and negative affect but not anxious arousal in undergraduates with asthma and allergies. Poster presentation at Association for Psychological Science 2020 Meeting, Chicago, IL. (virtual due to COVID-19).
  3. *Macaulay, T., *Lampert, S., Buscemi, J., Miller, S. A., Tran, S. T., & Greenley, R. N. (2020, May). Among undergraduates with asthma and allergies, social support is not linked with physical activity. Poster presentation at Association for Psychological Science 2020 Meeting, Chicago, IL. (virtual due to COVID-19).
  4. *Feldman, E.C.H, Tran, S.T., & Greenley, R.N. (2020, April) Diminished Disclosure of Chronic Illness Status Among College Students with Functional and Painful Illnesses. Poster presentation at the Society of Behavioral Medicine 2020 Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA. (Conference canceled)
  5. *Shaw, D.S., *Feldman, E.C.H., & Greenley, R.N. (2020, April). The Influence of Perceived Social Support on Medication Adherence Barriers.Poster presentation at Midwestern Psychological Association 2020 Meeting, Chicago, IL. (Conference cancelled)
  6. *Jagpal, A., *Feldman, E.C.H., Miller, S., Buscemi, J., Greenley, R.N., Tran, S.T. (2020, March). The Impact of Chronic Medical Conditions and Life Stressors on Internalizing Symptoms in Young Adults.Poster presentation at the Society of Pediatric Psychology Annual Conference (virtual due to COVID-19). 
  7. *Feldman, E.C.H,*Macaulay, T., Buscemi, J., Tran, S.T., Greenley, R.N. (2020, March) Living Arrangements Associated with Differences in Social Support Among College Students with Chronic Health Conditions. Poster presentation at the Society of Pediatric Psychology Annual Conference (virtual due to COVID-19).
  8. *Sampson, J., & Greenley, R. N. (2020, March). Links between abdominal pain and adherence difficulties in youth with inflammatory bowel diseases. Poster presentation at the Society of Pediatric Psychology Annual Conference (virtual due to COVID-19).
  9. *Durkin, L. K., Davies, W. H., & Greenley, R.N. (2020, March). Investigating parent involvement as a mediator of links between parent personality and child medication adherence. Poster presentation at the Society of Pediatric Psychology Annual Conference, (virtual due to COVID-19).
  10. *Bugno, L., Greenley, R. N., Miller, S. A., Buscemi, J., & Tran, S. (2020, March). Substance Misuse in Undergraduates With and Without Chronic Health Conditions: Do Daily Physical Health Complaints and Daily Hassles Matter? Symposium presentation at the Society of Pediatric Psychology Annual Conference (virtual due to COVID-19).
  11. Plevinsky, J. M., Beal, S. J., Maddux, M. H., Greenley,R. N., & Hommel, K. A. (2020, March) Examining Associations Between Substance Use, Self- Management and Health Outcomes in Adolescents and Young Adults (AYAs) With IBD. Symposium presentation at the Society of Pediatric Psychology Annual Conference (virtual due to COVID-19).
  12. *Lang, A. C., Greenley, R. N., Davies, W. H. (2020, March). Experiences of Symptom Dismissal Among Emerging Adults with Chronic Health Conditions. Poster presentation at the Society of Pediatric Psychology Annual Conference, (virtual due to COVID-19).
  13. *Durkin, L., & Greenley, R.N. (2019, August). Links between parent personality, parent-provider communication, and child adherence. Poster presentation at the American Psychological Association, Chicago, IL.
  14. *Feldman, E.C.H,*Koven, M.L, *Durkin, L, *Grotkowski, K, *Jagpal, A, Buscemi, J, Miller, S.A, *Bugno, L, & Greenley, R.N. (2019, August). Similar Levels of Social Support from Friends for Undergraduates with Mental and Physical Illnesses. Poster presentation at the American Psychological Association 2019 Convention, Chicago, IL.
  15. *Bourque, M.O., Schneider, K.L., *Naftaly, J.P., Kappelman, M.D., Martin, C.F., Greenley, R.N. (2019). Contributing factors to sports impairment in youth with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Poster to be presented at American Psychological Association Convention, Chicago, IL.
  16. *Lang, A.C., *Naftaly, J.P., Greenley, R.N., & Davies, W.H. (2019, August). Health competence as a predictor of satisfaction with life and health status in emerging adulthood. Poster to be presented at American Psychological Association Convention, Chicago, IL.
  17. *Feldman, E. C. H., *Koven, M., *Durkin, L., *Grotkowski, K., *Jagpal, A., Buscemi, J., Miller, S., *Bugno, L., Tran, S., & Greenley, R. N. (2019). Social Support Following Illness Disclosure to Peers: Similarities between College Students with Mental and Physical Illnesses.Poster to be presented at American Psychological Association Convention, Chicago, IL.
  18. *Naftaly, J.P., *Carreron, S., *Durkin, L., *Lang, A., Davies, W.H., & Greenley, R.N. (2019, March). Reliability of the beliefs about medication scale (BAMS) short and long form in young adults with and without chronic medical conditions. Poster presented at the Society for Behavioral Medicine, Washington, D.C.
  19. *Bugno, L., *Feldman, E., *Igler, E., Davies, H. W. & Greenley, R. N., (2019) The Influence of Parental Demographic Factors on Health Literacy and Adherence in Children with and without Medical Conditions. Poster presented at the Society for Behavioral Medicine Annual Conference at Washington D.C.
  20. **Miller, V.,*Durkin, L. K., & Greenley, R. (2019, April). An examination of the relationship between personality and adherence/adherence barriers in young adults. Poster presentation at the Midwestern Psychological Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL.
  21. *Durkin, L. K., *Feldman, E., *Bugno, L., *Koven, M. L., *Jagpal, A., *Tran, S., & Greenley, R. N. (2019) Peer Disclosure and Social Support Among Undergraduate Students with Chronic Illness Poster presented at the Society of Pediatric Psychology Annual Conference at New Orleans
  22. *Carreon, S., *Durkin, L., Davies, W. H., & Greenley, R. (2019, April). The role of medication beliefs and perceptions related to past medication experiences in impacting emerging adults’ intent to adhere. Poster presentation at the Society of Pediatric Psychology Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA.
  23. *Plevinsky, J.M., Maddux, M.H., & Greenley, R.N. (2019, April).Substance use, healthcare utilization, and quality of life in adolescents and young adults with IBD. Poster presented at the Society of Pediatric Psychology Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA.
  24. *Feldman, E.C.H,*Koven, M.L, *Durkin, L, *Grotkowski, K, *Jagpal, A, Buscemi, J, Miller, S.A, *Bugno, L, Tran, S., & Greenley, R.N. (2019, March). Similar Levels of Social Support from Friends for Undergraduates with Mental and Physical Illnesses. Presented at the All School Research Consortium at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science.

*denotes a student author