Research Overview

Dr. Aitken is a professor in the Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. In 2006, she was appointed as the Director for the Center for Applied Research and Evaluation (CARE). She attended the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and completed a pediatrics residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Aitken also received a Master in Public Health with a concentration in epidemiology during a general academic pediatrics fellowship at the University of Washington.

Dr. Aitken is a general pediatrician with clinical activities based at Arkansas Children’s Hospital in the General Pediatric Clinic. She participates in resident and student education in the outpatient and inpatient setting and with the education of public health students at the UAMS College of Public Health. Dr. Aitken’s research interests include primary prevention of injury and assessment of health status and outcomes following traumatic brain injury. She has received funding for her projects from HRSA, CDC, and other Federal agencies along with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Key Publications

McCarthy ML, Mackenzie EJ, Durbin DR, Aitken ME, Jaffe KM, Paidas CN, Slomine BS: Children’s Health After Trauma Study Group. Health-related quality of life during the first year after post traumatic brain injury. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. 2006;160(3): 252-260.

Slomine BS, McCarthy M, Ding R, MacKenzie EJ, Jaffe KM, Aitken ME, Durbin DR, Christensen JR, Dorsch AM, Paidas CN. Healthcare utilization and needs after pediatric traumatic brain injury. Pediatrics 2006 April; 117(4):663-74. Epub 2006 Mar 13.

Ward-Begnoche WL, Aitken ME, Liggin R, Mullins SH, Kassam-Adams N, Winston FK. Emergency department-based screening for post traumatic stress in pediatric trauma patients. Injury Prevention. 2006;12(5):323-326.

McCarthy ML, MacKenzie EJ, Durbin DR, Aitken ME, Jaffe KM, Paidas CN, Slomine BS, Dorsch AM, Berk RA, Christensen JR, Ding R; CHAT Study Group. The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory: an evaluation of its reliability and validity for children with traumatic brain injury. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2005 Oct;86(10):1901-9.

Tilford JM, Aitken ME, Anand KJ, Green JW, Goodman AC, Parker JG, Killingsworth JB, Fiser DH, Adelson PD. Hospitalizations for critically ill children with traumatic brain injuries: a longitudinal analysis. Crit Care Med. 2005 Sep;33(9):2074-81.

Killingsworth JB, Tilford JM, Parker JG, Graham JJ, Dick RM, Aitken ME. National hospitalization impact of pediatric all-terrain vehicle injuries. Pediatrics. 2005 Mar;115(3):e316-21.

Aitken ME, Tilford JM, Barrett KW, Parker JG, Simpson P, Landgraf J, Robbins JM. Health status of children after admission for injury. Pediatrics. 2002 Aug;110(2 Pt 1):337-42.

*To find additional publications by this author, please visit Pubmed Central, a National Institutes of Health-operated site for electronic distribution of life sciences research reports.

Research Support

Centers for Disease Control. Grant Number R49CE000975, Strike Out Child Passenger Injury

National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), Grant Number RR020146, Center for Translational Neurosciences, UAMS

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Injury Free Coalition for Kids at Arkansas Children’s Hospital

Centers for Disease Control, West Virginia Injury Control Research Center, Center for Rural Emergency Management, Measurement of ATV Safety Behavior in Rural Communities