About Me
Research Focus: Explore the relationship between perinatal substance use and perinatal depression/anxiety and effectiveness of telehealth intervention among perinatal substance use women
Program of Research: Ryoko is a third-year PhD student in the College of Nursing. After she obtained her registered nurse license and worked as a psychiatric mental health nurse, her passion for conducting nursing research led her to work as an applied research coordinator at a local healthcare system. She supported the logistics and oversight of investigator-initiated studies and gained experiences with how healthcare system works together with local organizations to conduct research and improve health of the community.
Currently, Ryoko is working as a research assistant for Dr. Latendresse’s R01 funded study. The study evaluates the effectiveness of using a telehealth approach to reduce perinatal depressive symptoms in diverse groups of childbearing women. This experience has provided her insights and given her new skills sets in how to conduct research with the perinatal mental health population. She also has been conducted a scoping review to identify, evaluate, and report published literature regarding associations between perinatal substance use and perinatal depression and anxiety along with related maternal/newborn outcomes. This review also identified research gaps that inform the development of future studies intended to improve the care of childbearing women. The main focus of her dissertation will be to improve treatment adherence and increases access to perinatal substance use care using a telehealth approach, which also addresses comorbid psychiatric illness such as perinatal depression and prevents relapse during the postpartum period.
Ryoko enjoys travel, looking for interesting food and restaurants, and nature in Idaho. Her husband describes her as “constantly on the go”, as she is always looking for some fun things to do with her husband and two kids. She is originally from Japan and enjoys introducing Japanese culture in her local community through organizing cultural events.
Faculty Advisor: Gwen Latendresse, PhD, CNM, FACNM
Selected Publications:
Pentecost, R., Grassley, J. (2014). Adolescents’ needs for nurses’ support when initiating breastfeeding. Journal of Human Lactation, 30(2). 224-228. PMID: 24194610
