Jessica Lewis, PhD, LMFT
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Deputy Director, Center for Community Engagement and Health Equity, Yale Cancer Center; Board Member, Dean's Advisory Council for LGBTQI+ Affairs, Yale University; Co-Founder, Expect With Me, CDE
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Appointments
Titles
Deputy Director, Center for Community Engagement and Health Equity, Yale Cancer Center; Board Member, Dean's Advisory Council for LGBTQI+ Affairs, Yale University; Co-Founder, Expect With Me, CDE
Contact Info
Appointments
Titles
Deputy Director, Center for Community Engagement and Health Equity, Yale Cancer Center; Board Member, Dean's Advisory Council for LGBTQI+ Affairs, Yale University; Co-Founder, Expect With Me, CDE
Contact Info
About
Titles
Research Scientist
Deputy Director, Center for Community Engagement and Health Equity, Yale Cancer Center; Board Member, Dean's Advisory Council for LGBTQI+ Affairs, Yale University; Co-Founder, Expect With Me, CDEBiography
Jessica Lewis, Ph.D., MFT (she/her/hers) is a Research Scientist at the Yale School of Medicine and Deputy Director for the Center for Community Engagement and Health Equity at the Yale Cancer Center. Additionally, Dr. Lewis is a licensed family therapist. Dr. Lewis has directed research projects on health behaviors, health equity, and women’s sexual, reproductive, and mental health at Yale for more than 27 years. Her research investigates the interplay of complex biomedical, behavioral, social, and structural factors that influence individual, family, and community health. She uses this lens to examine challenges faced by those often marginalized by the health care system and by society. Dr. Lewis is co-founder of Expect With Me, a technology-enabled group model of prenatal care, which has been demonstrated to significantly improve maternal-child health outcomes. Dr. Lewis has extensive experience directing large multi-site research projects; promoting interdisciplinary team science; and engaging community stakeholders to improve public health. Dr. Lewis is interested in multi-level social determinants of health and wellness and bringing health innovations to scale through creative transdisciplinary, multi-sector partnerships. Dr. Lewis is an author of 70 peer-reviewed publications.
Appointments
General Internal Medicine
Research ScientistPrimary
Other Departments & Organizations
Education & Training
- PhD
- City University of New York, Graduate Center, Social Welfare (2019)
- MA
- Southern CT State University, Marriage and Family Therapy (2004)
- BA
- Smith College, Women's Studies/Biology (1994)
Research
Overview
Jessica Lewis, Ph.D., MFT (she/her/hers) is a Research Scientist at the Yale School of Medicine and Deputy Director for the Center for Community Engagement and Health Equity at the Yale Cancer Center. Additionally, Dr. Lewis is a licensed family therapist. Dr. Lewis has directed research on health behaviors, health equity, and women’s sexual, reproductive, and mental health at Yale for more than 27 years. Her research investigates the interplay of complex biomedical, behavioral, social, and structural factors that influence individual and family health. She uses this lens to examine challenges faced by those often marginalized by the health care system and by society.
Dr. Lewis serves as Deputy Director for the Center for Community Engagement and Health Equity at the Yale Cancer Center, where she seeks to build infrastructure to elevate scholarship on cancer disparities and ensure Yale cancer research is responsive to community needs across CT. Dr. Lewis is co-founder of Expect With Me, a technology-enabled group model of prenatal care, which has been demonstrated to significantly improve maternal-child health outcomes. Dr. Lewis has extensive experience directing large multi-site research projects with methodological rigor and cultural sensitivity. Dr. Lewis is interested in multi-level social and structural determinants of health and wellness and bringing health innovations to scale through creative transdisciplinary, multi-sector partnerships. Dr. Lewis is an author of 70 peer-reviewed publications.
Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
ORCID
0000-0003-4602-0130
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Publications Timeline
Research Interests
Jeannette Ickovics, PhD
Shayna Cunningham, MHS, PhD
Isabel Martinez, PhD, MA
Linda Niccolai, PhD
Ashley Hagaman, PhD, MPH
Claire Masters, MS, PMP
Healthcare Disparities
Health Status Disparities
Publications
Featured Publications
Group prenatal care and improved birth outcomes: Results from a type 1 hybrid effectiveness-implementation study
Lewis JB, Cunningham SD, Shabanova V, Hassan SS, Magriples U, Rodriguez MG, Ickovics JR. Group prenatal care and improved birth outcomes: Results from a type 1 hybrid effectiveness-implementation study. Preventive Medicine 2021, 153: 106853. PMID: 34678329, DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2021.106853.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsGroup prenatal carePrenatal careIndividual careBirth outcomesLower riskGroup visitsHybrid effectiveness-implementation studyHybrid effectiveness-implementation trialEffectiveness-implementation studyPrior preterm birthEffectiveness-implementation trialLow birthweight infantsHealth system savingsAbsence of randomizationPreterm birthSingleton pregnanciesPrimary outcomeWeeks' gestationGestational ageBirthweight infantsLow birthweightPotential confoundersPatientsCausal associationInverse probabilityGroup Medical Care: A Systematic Review of Health Service Performance
Cunningham SD, Sutherland RA, Yee CW, Thomas JL, Monin JK, Ickovics JR, Lewis JB. Group Medical Care: A Systematic Review of Health Service Performance. International Journal Of Environmental Research And Public Health 2021, 18: 12726. PMID: 34886452, PMCID: PMC8657170, DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182312726.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsCochrane Controlled Trials RegisterGroup care modelRandomized control trialBetter health outcomesHealth outcomesHealth conditionsCare modelPatient experienceGroup visitsIndividual careSystematic reviewSelect health conditionsControlled Trials RegisterChronic health conditionsTriple Aim frameworkMEDLINE/PubMedEnglish-language articlesHealth care settingsSimilar health conditionsHealth service performanceHealth care deliveryHealth system performanceTrials RegisterInclusion criteriaCare settingsConverging on Bladder Health through Design Thinking: From an Ecology of Influence to a Focused Set of Research Questions
Lewis J, Brady S, Sutcliffe S, Smith A, Mueller E, Rudser K, Markland A, Stapleton A, Gahagan S, Cunningham SD, Consortium P. Converging on Bladder Health through Design Thinking: From an Ecology of Influence to a Focused Set of Research Questions. International Journal Of Environmental Research And Public Health 2020, 17: 4340. PMID: 32560510, PMCID: PMC7345219, DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17124340.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsUrinary tract symptomsBladder healthTract symptomsLower Urinary Tract SymptomsProtective factorsLongitudinal observational studyBladder functionObservational studyCandidate riskPrevention effortsRapid-cycle prototypingWomenSymptomsResearch ConsortiumSubstantial numberTransdisciplinary consortiumHealthRiskFocused research questionsPrevention
2024
Expect With Me — Group Prenatal Care to Reduce Disparities
Lewis J, Ickovics J. Expect With Me — Group Prenatal Care to Reduce Disparities. New England Journal Of Medicine 2024, 390: 2039-2040. PMID: 38856191, DOI: 10.1056/nejmp2400482.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsAssociation between mindful and practical eating skills and eating behaviors among racially diverse pregnant women in four selected clinical sites in the United States.
Carandang R, Epel E, Radin R, Lewis J, Ickovics J, Cunningham S. Association between mindful and practical eating skills and eating behaviors among racially diverse pregnant women in four selected clinical sites in the United States. Nutrition And Health 2024, 2601060241246353. PMID: 38584400, DOI: 10.1177/02601060241246353.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsEating skillsEating behaviorsEmotional eatingNutritional intakePregnant womenQuality of nutritional intakeRacially diverse pregnant womenClinical sitesDiverse pregnant womenPregnant woman's abilityMethods:</b> ParticipantsHunger cuesHealthy eatingResidual change scoresChange scoresMyPlateFood diariesPredicted emotional eatingMindful eatingLogistic regressionWomen's abilityRegular useThird trimesterEatingPregnancyDiscrimination and perinatal depressive symptoms: The protective role of social support and resilience
Masters C, Lewis J, Hagaman A, Thomas J, Carandang R, Ickovics J, Cunningham S. Discrimination and perinatal depressive symptoms: The protective role of social support and resilience. Journal Of Affective Disorders 2024, 354: 656-661. PMID: 38484882, DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.03.039.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsPerinatal depressive symptomsGroup prenatal careAdverse effects of discriminationSocial supportDepressive symptomsPrenatal careEffects of discriminationPregnant peopleAssociated with less depressive symptomsAssociated with depressive symptomsEffect of social supportModerating effect of social supportHigh social supportLess depressive symptomsPerinatal depressionSocial determinantsMonths postpartumLinear regression modelsSelf-report measuresPostpartum periodTrimester of pregnancyPostpartumPsychological factorsRegression modelsCareGroup prenatal care successes, challenges, and frameworks for scaling up: a case study in adopting health care innovations
Masters C, Carandang R, Lewis J, Hagaman A, Metrick R, Ickovics J, Cunningham S. Group prenatal care successes, challenges, and frameworks for scaling up: a case study in adopting health care innovations. Implementation Science Communications 2024, 5: 20. PMID: 38439113, PMCID: PMC10913654, DOI: 10.1186/s43058-024-00556-1.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsGroup prenatal carePrenatal careGroup prenatal care sessionsLeadership buy-inQuality of careHealth care innovationsNon-adoptersFocus group discussionsOrganization-wide goalsCare implementationCare innovationsIntervention designCare sessionsCase study approachImprovement initiativesTransformative changeAdministrative dataHealthcare innovationOrganizational goalsCareOrganization leadershipClinical sitesGroup careTrial registrationTheBuy-in
2023
Psychosocial Factors Associated with Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms One Year Postpartum
Cunningham S, Carandang R, Boyd L, Lewis J, Ickovics J, Rickey L. Psychosocial Factors Associated with Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms One Year Postpartum. International Journal Of Environmental Research And Public Health 2023, 21: 40. PMID: 38248505, PMCID: PMC10815698, DOI: 10.3390/ijerph21010040.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsLower urinary tract symptomsDepressive symptomsGreater depressive symptomsBladder healthYear postpartumPsychosocial factorsFrequent lower urinary tract symptomsMore lower urinary tract symptomsSocial supportUrinary tract symptomsLower Urinary TractGroup prenatal careModifiable psychosocial factorsBladder painTract symptomsCohort studyPostpartum patientsUrinary incontinenceDaytime frequencyPrenatal careUrinary tractHigher oddsLower oddsSymptomsSubstantial riskPerceived Stress and Depressive Symptoms Are Associated With Emotional Eating but Not Nutritional Intake During Pregnancy: A Prospective Cohort Study
Carandang R, Epel E, Radin R, Lewis J, Ickovics J, Cunningham S. Perceived Stress and Depressive Symptoms Are Associated With Emotional Eating but Not Nutritional Intake During Pregnancy: A Prospective Cohort Study. Journal Of Midwifery & Women's Health 2023, 69: 64-70. PMID: 37358371, DOI: 10.1111/jmwh.13537.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsThird trimesterNutritional intakeDepressive symptomsPregnant womenPsychological distressEmotional eatingProspective cohort studySocial supportAssociation of changesDiverse pregnant womenHigher depressive symptomsLogistic regression modelsCohort studyProspective studySecond trimesterPregnancyTrimesterClinical sitesSymptomsIntakeMajor life eventsMental healthChange scoresWomenGreater likelihood
2021
Features and Impact of Trust-Based Relationships Between Community Health Workers and Low-Resource Perinatal Women with Chronic Health Conditions
Boyd LM, Mehra R, Thomas J, Lewis JB, Cunningham SD. Features and Impact of Trust-Based Relationships Between Community Health Workers and Low-Resource Perinatal Women with Chronic Health Conditions. Maternal And Child Health Journal 2021, 25: 1866-1874. PMID: 34674101, DOI: 10.1007/s10995-021-03242-z.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsPerinatal womenLow-resource womenCommunity health care programsCommunity health workersChild health outcomesChronic health conditionsHealth worker programmesHealth care programsPrenatal careChronic conditionsInfant healthHealth workersHealth behaviorsCare programHealth outcomesMethodsFocus groupsHealth conditionsWomenImproved healthHealthcare systemCHWsCare relationshipsCareEmotional supportClient engagement
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activity Editor
Journal ServiceInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public HealthDetails06/01/2020 - PresentDescriptionEditorial Board Member
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