Julie Boergers, PhD

Julie Boergers, PhD, specializes in integrated behavioral health approaches for pediatric medical problems. She is the co-director of the Pediatric Sleep Disorders Clinic, the co-director of the Psychology Liaison Program for Pediatric Oncology, and a member of the feeding team in the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology. Dr. Boergers has been awarded The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University Teaching Recognition Award for her outstanding clinical and research training of residents and fellows in psychology, psychiatry and pediatrics.

Dr. Boergers graduated magna cum laude from the University of Rochester with a bachelor's degree in psychology. She earned her master's and doctorate in child clinical psychology from the University of Denver. She completed an internship in child clinical/pediatric psychology at Children's National Medical Center, and a fellowship in pediatric psychology at Brown Medical School before joining the faculty in 1998.

Research Interests

Dr. Boergers' research program focuses on sleep patterns of children with chronic illnesses (including cancer, inflammatory bowel disease and asthma), as well as the effect of childhood sleep disruption on family and academic functioning. She also has longstanding research interests in the area of adolescent health risk behavior, including smoking and suicidal behavior.

Selected Publications

• Boergers, J., & Koinis-Mitchell, D. (2010).  Sleep and culture in children with medical conditions.  Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 35, 915-926. 

• Gilman, S.E., Rende, R., Boergers, J., Abrams, D.B., Buka, S.L., Clark, M.A., Colby, S.M., Hitsman, B., Kazura, A.N., Lipsitt, L.P., Lloyd-Richardson, E.E., Rogers, M.L., Stanton, C.A., Stroud, L.R., & Niaura, R.S. (2009).  Parental smoking and adolescent smoking initiation: an intergenerational perspective on tobacco control. Pediatrics, 123(2), e274-81.