Desireé Williford, PhD, MPH

Desireé Williford, PhD, MPH (pronouns: she/her/hers) is an assistant professor of pediatrics in the Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology and the Center for Adherence and Self-Management at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. She also holds a joint appointment with the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Williford earned her PhD in Psychology and MPH in Health Policy, Management, and Leadership from West Virginia University in 2021. Combining her training backgrounds, Williford’s research and clinical interests emphasize community-engaged approaches to the design, implementation, and cultural adaptation of evidence-based interventions, tools, and programming for youth with diabetes and their support systems. She is particularly interested in applications of social justice and diversity, equity, and inclusion principles to behavioral diabetes research and developing novel methods for assessing and intervening upon social determinants of health in pursuit of equitable improvements in health outcomes.