Anne D. Letocha, PhD, RN
Associate Professor, Frederick P. and Deborah A. Schwartz Professor in Chronic Care Nursing
3121 Cooper Hall, Signe Skott
Biography
PhD, University of Iowa in: Nursing, 2008
MS, University of Pennsylvania in: Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, 1999
BSN, University of Pennsylvania in: Nursing, 1996
Dr. Letocha seeks to improve the health and well-being of individuals with chronic health conditions. These individuals may experience substantial stress from their conditions, everyday life, and other sources. As a nurse researcher, her holistic approach incorporates individual and family context, social determinants of health, and environmental factors that influence life course health and well-being. Dr. Letocha’s current work examines stress exposures, psychological and behavioral stress responses, and the biological, physiological, and epigenetic ramifications of exposure to persistently elevated stress levels. Dr. Letocha is also interested in exploring differences in how individuals with chronic health conditions and their family members respond to stress exposures, with a focus on resilience and its influence on stress responses and later outcomes. Dr. Letocha provides genetics- and genomics-focused education to nursing students at all levels, and she has contributed to multiple publications on genomics education for nurses.
Research focus areas
Symptom Science and Supportive Care
- I study stress in individuals with chronic conditions.
- Symptoms of interest include stress and related symptoms, such as anxiety and depressive symptoms.
I am particularly interested in biomarkers of stress response and epigenetic modifications resulting from stress exposures. - In the future, I hope to develop interventions designed to mitigate the potentially negative effects of stress and related symptoms on health and well-being across the life course.
Health and Well-Being of Children and Families
- I study adolescents and emerging adults with chronic health conditions and their family members.
- I explore differences in stress response, mental health, physical health, and well-being in individuals with CHCs and their family members.
Mental, Psychosocial, Behavioral Health and Well-Being
- I study stress, anxiety symptoms, and depressive symptoms in individuals with chronic health conditions and their family members.
- Psychological, behavioral, and physiological stress responses can increase risks for poor mental and physical health outcomes.
- I aim to determine what role stress plays in the relationship between chronic health conditions and poor health outcomes.
- I am also interested in identifying ways of building resilience in individuals with chronic health conditions and their families.