Dr. Helen A. Hayden-Wade is a California-Licensed Clinical Psychologist as well as a Research Scientist at the Children's Hospital San Diego (CHSD) Child and Adolescent Services Research Center (CASRC). Her research interests focus on childhood obesity, especially how weight and health impacts pre-school aged children and their families. An area of special interest includes ethnically-diverse perspectives on and experiences of weight, health and nutrition. Additionally, Dr. Hayden-Wade hopes to further explore the psychosocial consequences of childhood obesity across race/ethnicity (e.g., teasing experiences, socialization). Currently, Dr. Hayden-Wade is funded by both UCSD EXPORT for her pilot study examining weight and health among ethnically-diverse populations, and serves as Outcomes Coordinator for a First 5 Commission of San Diego-funded child development program (Children's Care Connection, C3). She graduated with a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the Joint Doctoral Program between UCSD and SDSU. Dr. Hayden-Wade lives in San Diego with her husband, an education law attorney, and their young toddler daughter. She remains grateful to UCSD EXPORT for funding her current pilot project.

Dr. Hayden-Wade's National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Center on Minority Health & Health Disparities (NCMHD), Comprehensive Research Center in Health Disparities (CRCHD) funded pilot project is described below.