Research Fellows

This prestigious advisory group will provide an opportunity to recognize leading researchers in the field of child life.

Research fellows provide the following:

Provide subject matter expertise to ACLP on a consult basis
Serve as informal mentors to aspiring child life researchers
Serve as a research consultant to ACLP committees, task forces, or working groups
May be recruited to lead or participate in strategic projects
Maintain ACLP membership and certification in good standing

In addition, one Research Fellow is appointed as the Lead Research Fellow. The Lead Fellow is selected by a majority vote of all Research Fellows for a term of three years. An individual can be elected lead fellow multiple times but cannot serve more than 2 consecutive terms as chief fellow.

The lead fellow is responsible for staying up to date on the skills and experiences available within the fellows and identifying gaps that might be filled by future fellow appointments as well as serving as a liaison to the ACLP Board of Directors and executive leadership.

Criteria for Research Fellows

All Research Fellows must meet the following criteria:

Certified Child Life Specialist
Member of ACLP in good standing
Minimum of 3 publications in peer-reviewed journals
Advanced degree preferred
Documented experience in research study design, research study execution, research analysis, and evidence-based practice
Documented experience with academic writing
Dedication to expanding the evidence base for child life practice
Presentation experience at non-child life conferences preferred

Current Research Fellows

The following list showcases the ACLP Research Fellows.

Brittany Wittenberg, PhD, CCLS, CFLE

Cara Sisk, PhD, CCLS

Ceilidh Eaton Russell, PhD, CCLS

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Ceilidh Eaton Russell, PhD, CCLS

2023
Ceilidh is a Certified Child Life Specialist and an Assistant Professor in Child Life and Paediatric Psychosocial Care Master’s program at McMaster University. Since 2001, Ceilidh’s clinical work, research, and teaching have focused on supporting children and families living with a child’s or parent’s serious illness, dying or death.

Ceilidh’s research has been focused on lived experiences of illness and grief with an emphasis on communication and relationships from the perspectives of young people and their parents. Her qualitative studies have examined: parent-child communication and relationships in the context of serious illness and grief; sibling relationships when a child is in dying; experiences of bereaved youth who engage in grief-related mentorship roles; and analyzing more than 500 anonymous questions grieving young people asked clinicians. Quantitatively, Ceilidh has examined: parents’ concerns in relation to their bereaved children; she is currently involved in studying the impacts of camp for grieving young people, their parents, and volunteers; as well as the prevalence, distribution and disparities in childhood bereavement across Canada.

Ceilidh has authored handbooks for adults supporting dying and grieving young people, and in collaboration with Canadian Virtual Hospice, developed activity books to support children when they, or someone they care about have a serious illness, are dying, or grieving after a death. She was privileged to lead a team of bereaved youth and clinicians across Canada to create youthgrief.ca, and has contributed web-content for adults supporting grieving young people on other Canadian Virtual Hospice platforms.

Jessika Boles, PhD, CCLS

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Jessika Boles, PhD, CCLS

2020

Jessika Boles, PhD, CCLS is an assistant professor of practice in the Department of Psychology and Human Development at Vanderbilt University, and an active Certified Child Life Specialist at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies from Rhodes College, a master’s degree in Applied Child Studies from Vanderbilt University, and a doctor of philosophy degree in Educational Psychology (with a graduate certificate in Qualitative Research) from The University of Memphis. Since 2009, she has worked as a Certified Child Life Specialist for infants, children, adolescents, and young adults with chronic, life-threatening, or terminal illnesses and injuries primarily in oncology and critical care. Jessika is the founder and director of the CHILL lab at Vanderbilt University where her team of healthcare professionals and students researches various dimensions of Children’s Healthcare, Illness, Legacy, and Loss. She has published more than 40 peer-reviewed journal articles, authored 12 book chapters, and is an editor of record for two major child life textbooks. Jessika has served ACLP as the founding lead research fellow, a board director, and chair of multiple committees and task forces throughout her career. Additionally, she participates in work groups with the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, the Society for Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, and the American Delirium Society; contributes reviews for 15 peer-reviewed journals in related fields, and consults on psychosocial research projects and initiatives for international healthcare institutions and professional organizations.

Kathryn Cantrell, PhD, CCLS

Kia Ferrer, MS, CCLS, GC-C

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Kia Ferrer, MS, CCLS, GC-C

2020

Kia Ferrer, MS, CCLS, GC-C brings to the ACLP Research Fellows program extensive expertise in the study of racially marginalized populations across the pediatric mental health infrastructure (i.e. higher education, accrediting bodies, workforce, and those in training). Ferrer is passionate about fostering inclusivity in the healthcare community through the mentoring of students and colleagues, and she is personally and professionally focused on raising awareness about cultural consciousness and the varieties of racism (personal, systemic, and institutional) that children and families face in pediatrics on a daily basis.

Ferrer is uniquely qualified to consult on these critical issues in child life, as she has been a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) for a decade, a Chicago native of Puerto Rican descent, Adjunct Faculty at Erikson Institute (a graduate school in child development), and University of Illinois of Chicago (UIC) Jane Addams College of Social Work. In 2017, Ferrer was offered a Doctoral Fellowship to Erikson Institute and Loyola University’s PhD Program in Child Development (expected 2023) and is an active member of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee convened by Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP).

In addition to her strong academic and professional background, Ferrer has presented at several conferences hosted by ACLP, Cooley’s Anemia Foundation, Mayo Clinic Social Media Conference, and Make-A-Wish Foundation. Most recently, she presented a plenary on Cultural Consciousness at ACLP’s annual conference in May 2020 with CCLS Divna Wheelwright and internationally recognized developmental psychologist, Dr. Cynthia Garcia Coll. Ferrer is a doctoral candidate currently involved in a variety of research projects based in Chicago and Puerto Rico, critically analyzing texts and evaluating professional training curricula for early childhood professionals.

As an ACLP Research Fellow, Kia will bring cultural consciousness and sensitivity to the varieties of racism faced by our members and the families they serve, and will help ensure that our organization supports research that is aligned to our values of inclusivity and equality in the support for the early care, education and healthcare for families of color.