Kathleen Cardona is Assistant Scientist in Population and Family Health Sciences and the Center for Adolescent Health. Her dissertation research used the Pathways dataset, and focused on how individual and family characteristics (including poverty and changes in family structure), along with other contextual factors, impact adolescent health outcomes such as early sexual activity and early childbearing, school non-completion, and the social well-being of mothers and the family.

Her current work includes an innovative intervention using current communication technology which is designed to improve the connection between teen clients and the family planning clinic. This program aims to improve teen contraceptive initiation, continuation, and return to the clinic. This program is in collaboration with the Baltimore City Health Department and will be implemented in their Healthy Teens and Young Adults Center. A second youth-focused project is an evaluation of the Consolidated Youth Strategies Project, which is a multi-faceted program designed to reduce adolescent delinquent behavior and school dropout in Baltimore City.

Dr. Cardona also serves as Research Coordinator for a collaborative national multi-site project entitled “Strengthening the Capacity of Family Planning Agencies to Improve the Quality of Family Planning Services: Cooperative Agreement for Research to Improve the Quality of Family Planning.”

Dr. Cardona's previous research experience includes an evaluation of the effect of a contraceptive counseling program on teen contraceptive use and incidence of teen pregnancy, as well as a study of the influences on a woman’s choice of contraceptive method.

family planning, reproductive health, adolescent health, Adolescent pregnancy prevention programs, Adolescent development, family planning policies and programs, service delivery improvement in family planning, parent-teen communication, teen pregnancy, reproductive health policy, client-provider communication, adolescents, program evaluation

The Ernest Lyman and Helen Ross Stebbins Award for potential in the field of public health practice. Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, May 1997.

Population and Family Health Sciences Research Day Student Poster Award, for “Family Instability and Structural Change: Effects on Adolescent Outcomes.” April 2005.

Inducted as member of Delta Omega Society, Alpha Chapter. May 2005.

Kathleen M. Cardona, DrPH, “Using Technology To Improve And Evaluate Health Interventions In Public Health Clinics.” Presentation at the Baltimore City Health Department Research Rounds, Baltimore, MD, February 27, 2008.

Kathleen M. Cardona, DrPH, “Project Update: Strengthening the Capacity of Family Planning Agencies to Improve the Quality of Family Planning Services: Cooperative Agreement for Research to Improve the Delivery of Family Planning Services.” Presentation to the Office of Family Planning, Office of Population Affairs, DHHS, Rockville, MD, January 29, 2008.