Jerica Berge, PhD

Assistant Professor
612-302-8249
mohl0009@umn.edu

Primary Research Themes: Families with health issues, resiliency of children with chronic illnesses, chronic illness and psychosocial stressors, reducing health disparities through community engagement and participatory action research, reducing childhood obesity in primary care settings, reducing high-risk behaviors in at-risk youth, and clinical effectiveness of couples therapy/family therapy in reducing biopsychosocial problems.

Education Activities: Mental health faculty member at North Memorial Family Practice Residency Program (Broadway Family Medicine Clinic). Advises doctoral student marriage and family therapists and medical residents in collaborative family health care. Teaches supervision classes to licensed marriage and family therapists.

Current Grants

2008-2011, NIH K-12, Career Development Award through the Center for Women’s Health at the University of Minnesota, “Home and Family Predictors of Adolescent Obesity” Identify home/family environment predictors of adolescent obesity and develop an intervention to target obesity through the home/family environment.

2007-2008, Academic Health Center, “Decreasing Health Disparities through Community-Based Initiatives”  Community partnership between families who have a family member with diabetes and professionals (medical and mental health).

2007-2009, UCARE Minnesota, “Family Education Diabetes Series”  Community-based participatory research with American Indian families who have a family member with diabetes.

2007-2008, Children, Youth, and Family Consortium, University of Minnesota, “Parenting Partnerships”  Reducing high-risk behaviors in at-risk youth through parental mechanisms.

Selected Publications

Berge, J. M. & Patterson, J. (2007).  Gender differences in young adults’ perceptions of living with cystic fibrosis during the transition to adulthood: A qualitative investigation. Families, Systems & Health, 25(2), 190-203.

Berge, J. M. & Holm, K. (2007).  Boundary ambiguity in parents with chronically ill children: Integrating theory and research. Family Relations, 56, 123-134.

Berge, J. M, Mendenhall, T. M., Wrobel, G. M., Grotevant, H. D. & McRoy, R. (2006).  Adolescents’ feelings about contact in adoption: Implications for adoption agencies. Child Welfare, 85, 1011-1039.

Berge, J. M., Patterson, J.P., & Rueter, M. (2006). Marital satisfaction and mental health of couples with children with chronic conditions. Families, Systems & Health, 24, 267-285.

Berge, J. M., Green, K., Grotevant, H. & McRoy, R.  (2006). Sibling narratives regarding contact in adoption. Adoption Quarterly, 9, 81-101

Berge, J. M. & Patterson, J. (2004). Cystic Fibrosis and the family: A review and critique of the literature. Families, Systems & Health, 22, 74-100.

Law, D. D., Crane, D. R., Berge, J. M. (2003). The influence of marital and family therapy on high utilizers of health care in a health maintenance organization. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 29, 353-363.

Education

PhD, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, Family Social Science and Marriage and Family Therapy Clinical Track, 2004

Selected Professional Activities

2008, Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH) Scholar, Deborah E. Powell Center for Women’s Health, University of Minnesota, and National Institutes of Health; the BIRCWH program fosters career development of junior faculty members and supports their research in women’s health

Advisory Board Member for the National Council of Family Relations, 2005-present

U of M Medical Reserve Corps, 2007-present

Reviewer, Journal of Genetic Counseling, 2006-present

Reviewer, Family Relations Journal, 2006-present

Recognition of Excellence in Teaching, Ramsey Family Physicians Clinic, Department of Family and Community Medicine, 2004

Service to the University Community Award, 1997