Email

palcic@bcm.edu

Positions

Assistant Professor

Pediatrics-Nutrition
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, TX US

Research Member

Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center
Houston, Texas United States

Addresses

Children's Nutrition Research Center (Office)

1100 Bates
Houston, TX 77030
United States
Phone: (713) 798-7069
palcic@bcm.edu

Education

BA from Tulane University

05/2003 - New Orleans, Louisiana United States

Psychology

MA from Louisiana State University

08/2005 - Baton Rouge, Louisiana United States

Clinical Psychology

PhD from Louisiana State University

08/2009 - Baton Rouge, Louisiana United States

Clinical Psychology

Internship at Baylor College of Medicine

06/2008 - Houston, Texas United States

Pediatric Psychology

Postdoctoral Fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine

06/2009 - Houston, Texas United States

Pediatric Psychology

Honors & Awards

Young Investigator Award

Given to the most impactful young investigators of 2019 in recognition of her contributions to both advancing science and promoting the department’s vision to protect the health of children.

Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine (11/2019)

Professional Interests

• Prevention and Treatment of Childhood Obesity
• Summer Weight Gain
• Sleep
• Circadian and Circannual rhythms
• Behavioral Interventions
• Evening Screen Media Use

Professional Statement

My previous research has demonstrated that children increase their weight status (standardized BMI) at a faster rate during the summer compared to the school year, contributing to increases in the rates of overweight and obesity among elementary school-age children. I am particularly interested in the role of children's sleep and circadian and circannual rhythms (i.e., daily and annual biological rhythms) in the seasonal variation of children's growth and their contribution to the development of obesity in children. My research has demonstrated that during summer children have a later sleep midpoint which is associated with greater increases in BMI during summer, though the link between later sleep timing and increases in BMI is unclear. As a result, my research has begun to examine factors that may be associated with later sleep and circadian timing and increases in adiposity, such as screen media use. I also have an interest in improving our assessments of children's sleep and screen media use using passive objective assessment methods.

Websites

Selected Publications

• Thompson D, Mirabile Y, Islam N, Callender C, Musaad SMA, Miranda J, Moreno JP, Dave JM, Baranowski T "Diet quality among pre-adolescent African American girls in a randomized controlled obesity prevention intervention trial." Nutrients. 2023 Jun;15(12):2716. Pubmed PMID: 37375620
• Moreno JP, Wood AC, Reichek B, Dadabhoy H, Baranowski T, Thompson D, O'Connor TM "Examination of parent-reported differences in children's daily screen use, sleep, and sleep hygiene behaviors during the school year and summer and their association with BMI." Sleep Health. 2023 Jun;9(3):306-313. Pubmed PMID: 36781355
• Weaver RG, White JW 3rd, Finnegan O, Armstrong B, Beets MW, Adams EL, Burkart S, Dugger R, Parker H, von Klinggraeff L, Bastyr M, Zhu X, Bandeira AS, Reesor-Oyer L, Pfledderer CD, Moreno JP "Understanding accelerated summer body mass index gain by tracking changes in children’s height, weight, and body mass index throughout the year." Child Obes. 2023 Apr;[Online ahead of print]:doi: 10.1089/chi.2023.0029. Pubmed PMID: 37083520
• Moreno JP, Hannay KM, Goetz AR, Walch O, Cheng P "Validation of the Entrainment Signal Regularity Index and associations with children's changes in BMI." Obesity (Silver Spring). 2023 Mar;31(3):642-651. Pubmed PMID: 36628610

Memberships

Society of Behavioral Medicine

Sleep Research Society

Society for Research on Biological Rhythms

Obesity Society

Interenational Society for Behavioral Nutirition and Physical Activity

Society of Pediatric Research

Funding

Differences in Children’s Sleep and Circadian Rhythms during the School Year and Summer Vacation

(07/01/2016 - 03/31/2018) Grant funding from Texas Children's Pediatric Pilot Research Fund

This research proposes to examine differences in children’s sleep habits and behavioral rhythms during the summer and school year and the association with children’s weight status.

The i♥rhythm project: Healthy sleep and behavioral rhythms for obesity prevention - #R00HD091396

(07/01/2019 - 06/30/2023) Grant funding from NICHD

The i♥rhythm project, will examine the feasibility of an interactive mobile health intervention to promote stable behavioral rhythms during summer vacation for the prevention of obesity in young elementary school children.

Experimental effects of children’s evening media use on circadian phase, sleep, and executive functioning - #P01HD091396

(09/09/2022 - 09/08/2026) Grant funding from NICHD

The goal of this study is to systematically test the timing of tablet use relative to bedtime on the sleep, circadian phase, and executive functioning of 4-year-olds.

Feasibility of a mobile application for sleep and circadian rhythms in pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and their caregivers - #1R41HL164294-01A1

(03/01/2023 - 02/29/2024) Grant funding from NHLBI

This work proposes to leverage consumer wearable technology to carry out real-time sleep and circadian analysis for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and to prescribe lighting and behavioral recommendations to help reduce fatigue in these patients and their caregivers.