Paula M. Cuccaro, PhD
Assistant Professor
[email protected]
Department
Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences
Research Interests
Adolescent Health
Cancer
Maternal and Child Health
Behavioral/Mental Health
Social Determinants of Health
Biography
Dr. Paula Cuccaro is trained as a developmental psychologist. Her primary research focus is adolescent health. She is particularly interested in improving health outcomes for vulnerable youth. Her work includes the development, implementation, evaluation, and dissemination of youth health interventions. She is currently conducting research on cancer prevention in medically underserved populations, healthy relationship development, mindfulness and health, and community and school-based interventions.
Contact
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +1 (713) 500-9684
Fax: +1 (713) 500-9602
Current Projects
For Our Children (Por Nuestros Hijos)
For Our Children is a theory-based program designed to educate parents about the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), and motivate them to vaccinate their adolescent children. The program features bilingual (English/Spanish) resources for parents and an innovative interactive application for healthcare providers.
Houston Collaborative for Youth in Care Research/iCHAMPSS 2.0
UTHealth leads the research arm of the Houston Collaborative for Youth in Care. This work includes developing sexual health education for youth in foster care and adults that work with them, updating iCHAMPSS, and reviewing sex-ed programs for TEKS alignment.
All for Them
All for Them (AFT) is a multilevel multicomponent program that comprises three synergistic evidence-based strategies to effectively increase HPV vaccine initiation and completion among youth living in medically underserved areas.
Me and You: Building Healthy Relationships
Me & You is among one of the first middle school programs to have been developed and shown to be effective in reducing dating violence perpetration for ethnic minority middle school youth and to include components from multiple levels of the socio-ecological model.
Connecting Behavioral Science to COVID-19 Vaccine Demand Network: PRC COVID-19 Supplement Project
CBS-CVD conducted needs assessments to inform the development of tailored interventions to increase COVID-19 vaccine confidence and uptake among Black and Hispanic individuals in Harris and Cameron counties.
Harris Saves
Harris SAVES (SARS-CoV-2 Prevalence Survey) was a research project developed to better understand the prevalence and transmission of COVID-19 in Harris County, Texas.
Mobilizing Community Partnerships for Effective Sex Education in Middle School
Using community-based participatory research methods, researchers at UTHealth developed iCHAMPSS, an innovative, theory- and Web-based decision support system designed to facilitate the adoption, implementation, and maintenance of adolescent sexual health evidence-based programs in schools.
Evaluation of Texas Association of Community Health Centers Initiative for Trauma Informed Care
This project is an evaluation of the Texas Association of Community Health Centers initiative to implement a trauma informed care approach in community health centers.
Salud en Mis Manos (SEMM)
A breast and cervical cancer prevention program across 31 counties in the Texas Gulf Coast. This community health worker delivered program is designed for Latinas 18 years and older and includes a class and follow-up health coach navigation calls.
RADx-Up
Addressing COVID-19 Testing Disparities in Vulnerable Populations Using a Community Just in Time Adaptive Intervention.