Research
Broadly, Dr. Pierpaoli Parker’s research interests explore the intersection of adults’ physical and psychological health to develop translational behavioral interventions targeting chronic illness. Previous and ongoing research has examined the adjustment to, prevention, and management of HIV, chronic pain, sexual dysfunction, and insomnia with aging.
Dr. Pierpaoli Parker’s extensive clinical research experiences have culminated in the development of UAB’s Integrated Behavioral Medicine Service (iBeMS), an innovative clinical model that provides brief, evidence-based psychiatric treatment in primary and specialty care settings throughout UAB’s health system.
Sleep + aging | Psychological health + physical health + aging | Sexuality + aging | Science communication
Ongoing Research
Comparative Effectiveness of Zolpidem and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) in Rural Adults (COZi-R)
A PCORI-funded, randomized, practical effectiveness trial comparing: the effectiveness of zolpidem (the most frequently prescribed insomnia medication); Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I; recommended first-line behavioral treatment for insomnia); and combination treatment for insomnia symptoms, as well as other health outcomes (e.g. mood, quality of life) over 12 months. Drs. Katie Stone, PhD and Daniel Buysse, MD, serve as the study’s the Principal Investigators; Dr. Pierpaoli Parker aids the study’s recruitment and treatment delivery efforts as research fellow. Learn more bout COZi-R here.
The Senior Sex Education Experience Study (SEXEE)
Remaining sexually active into later life has health benefits and risks, but middle-aged and older adults receive virtually no sex education. Unprecedented spikes in the prevalence of later-life sexual dysfunction and disease notwithstanding, no study to date has developed a framework for an evidence- and needs-based sex education program for adults. This mixed-methods descriptive research conceptualized one such program. Findings offered a framework for an adult sex education program, established the perceived value of and need for such a program among community stakeholders, and identified actionable targets for improving sexual health education for physicians and adults.
Published Research
(Not exhaustive)
Sleep + Aging
Cohort Differences In Sleep Environment, Behaviors, and Concerns: Descriptive Analyses Using My Sleep Script App
Psychological Health + Physical Health + Aging
Effects of home-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or depression on anxiety symptoms among rural, ethnically diverse older adults:
Evidence of the biopsychosocial underpinnings of Binge Eating Disorder:
DMEK in Super-Seniors: Clinical Outcomes of Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty Performed in Patients ≥ 90 Years Old
Feelings of usefulness to others predict active coping with osteoarthritis knee pain
Older adults’ attitudes toward depression screening in primary care settings and exploring a brief educational pamphlet
Racial/ethnic differences in temperature-based treatment for knee osteoarthritis pain
Body mass index and its associations with pain, depressive symptoms, and disability in knee osteoarthritis
Sexuality + Aging
Sexual challenges with aging: Integrating the GES approach in an elderly couple
The Journey I Have Been Through": The Role of Religion and Spirituality in Aging Well Among HIV-Positive Older Adults
‘I'm happy in my life now, I'm a positive person’: approaches to successful ageing in older adults living with HIV in Ontario, Canada
Timing of Diagnosis: Understanding Resilience Narratives of HIV Positive Older Adults Diagnosed Pre- and Post-HAART
Science Communication
Using social media to disseminate geroscience for implementation.
In Press