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According to the National Institute for Mental Health, nearly 11 percent of children in the United States aged 5-17 have been diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a common neurodevelopmental disorder that results in difficulties with focused attention, impulsiveness and hyperactivity. Meghan Edmondson, Ph.D., RN, CCRN, assistant professor for �鶹ӰԺ College of Nursing, studies the disorder which often persists through adolescence and into adulthood. Specifically, her research centers on improving daily life for those with ADHD, including exercise as an intervention, self-management of the disorder, and recognition of ADHD as a barrier to self-management of other chronic conditions.

Before delving into her current research exploring ADHD and the possible benefits of exercise, Edmondson developed expertise in using electronic health record data for the secondary purpose of research. In addition to her more than 13 years of experience as a critical care nurse, Edmondson’s background includes expertise with exercise science and management of large data sets. She was the lead author on the publication, “Challenges Frequently Encountered in the Secondary Use of Electronic Medical Record Data for Research,” for the journal Computers, Informatics, Nursing: CIN. For her doctoral studies, Edmondson completed dissertation research evaluating mortality and length of stay after critical care transport. Using electronic health record data from transport records, she performed a secondary data analysis to describe differences in mortality and length of stay for patients transferred to Surgical Intensive Care as opposed to other types of Intensive Care Units. She also identified factors predictive of higher mortality and longer length of stay. An article associated with her study findings, “Outcomes After Interhospital Critical Care Transfer,” is currently in press for Air Medical Journal.

Edmondson’s own personal journey with ADHD, background in exercise science and passion for helping others led to a shift in her research focus to better understand and improve ADHD symptoms, especially for emerging adults since difficulties stemming from ADHD have not been widely studied for this population. Her primary research goal is to generate clinically useful knowledge for people with ADHD and their healthcare providers, including the potential benefits of an exercise prescription. Her current study, “Effect of Low, Moderate, and High Intensity Exercise on Executive Function, Functional Impairment, and Symptom Severity in ADHD,” is designed to answer intensity-related research questions. Ultimately, Edmondson seeks to provide the right self-management tools to people with ADHD which allows them to both harness their strengths and minimize the impact of their weaknesses. In 2024, Edmondson received the competitive �鶹ӰԺ Brain Health Research Institute (BHRI) Pilot Grant Program Gold Award to conduct this study with assistance by her mentorship team and lay the groundwork for future federal funding for this important area of research.

Edmondson earned her Ph.D. in Nursing from Case Western Reserve University and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas Health Science Center. She also completed a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science from the University of Houston. Edmondson currently serves as Fellow for the Healthy Communities Research Institute Grant Academy at �鶹ӰԺ. Her affiliations include Children and Adults with ADHD (CHADD), as well as the �鶹ӰԺ Brain Health Research Institute, Healthy Communities Research Institute and Neurodiversity Research Initiative.