Rebecca K. Delaney

Rebecca K. Delaney, PhD

Languages spoken: English

Academic Information

Departments Primary - Population Health Sciences

Research Interests

  • Pediatric to Adult Care Transitions
  • Developing and Evaluating Methods to Improve Patient and Provider Decision Making
  • Mixed Methodology (qualitative and quantitative)
  • Patient-Centered Care
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Shared Decision Making

Visit Dr. Delaney's Lab Site

Dr. Rebecca Delaney is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Health System Innovation and Research within the University of Utah Intermountain Healthcare Department of Population Health Sciences. She is a life-span developmental psychologist, with expertise in mixed methods and patient-centered interventions. Specifically, her area of health services research focuses on developing interventions that promote patient and caregiver engagement in medical care and decisions related to chronic disease management.

She creates interventions—designed for and by patients—to improve clinical care and the health of patients with chronic health conditions. Her recent studies focus on understanding how to improve self-advocacy and self-management skills among adolescents and young adults with congenital heart disease to facilitate pediatric to adult healthcare transitions. She uses patient-centered methods, such focus groups and interviews, to inform the design and development of interactive tools. The tools can range from pamphlets to interactive apps to support patients. Through this research, she hopes to improve clinical care and the long-term health of people with chronic diseases.

Education History

Other Training West Virginia University
 Certificate
Postdoctoral Fellowship University of Utah School of Medicine
 Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Graduate Training West Virginia University
 MS
Graduate Training West Virginia University
 PhD
Undergraduate Emmanuel College
 BA

Selected Publications

Journal Article

  1. Ames SG, Delaney RK, Delgado-Corcoran C, Houtrow AJ, Alvey J, Watt MH, Murphy N (2024). Impact of disability-based discrimination in healthcare on parents of children with medical complexity. Dev Med Child Neurol. (Read full article)
  2. Thorpe A Delaney RK, Pinto NM, Ozanne EM, Pershing ML, Hansen LM, Lambert LM, Fagerlin A (2023). Parents' Psychological and Decision-Making Outcomes following Prenatal Diagnosis with Complex Congenital Heart Defect: An Exploratory Study. MDM Policy Pract, 8(2), 23814683231204551. (Read full article)
  3. Ames SG, Delaney RK, Houtrow AJ, Delgado-Corcoran C, Alvey J, Watt MH, Murphy N (2023). Perceived Disability-Based Discrimination in Health Care for Children With Medical Complexity. Pediatrics, 152(1). (Read full article)
  4. Delaney RK, Zhong L, Wang X, Sossenheimer L, Neuberger J, Fagerlin A, Litchman ML (2023). Are people with diabetes getting the support they need? Deficits between support desired and received from family and friends relates to poorer health. Patient Educ Couns, 110, 107653. (Read full article)
  5. Delaney RK Thorpe A, Pinto NM, Ozanne EM, Pershing ML, Hansen LM, Lambert LM, Tanner K, Fagerlin A (2023). Parents' quality of life and health after treatment decision for a fetus with severe congenital heart defect. J Pediatr Nurs, 70, 20-25. (Read full article)
  6. You, K-L, Delaney, RK, McKinley, N, Healy, P, Thomas, T H (2023). Who engages and why it matters? Describing participant engagement in a serious game intervention for patients with advanced cancer. Int J Gaming Comput Mediat Simul, 15(1).
  7. Suorsa-Johnson K, Delaney RK, Fagerlin A, Sandberg DE (2023). Editorial: Shared Decision Making in Pediatric Differences/Disorders of Sex Development. Front Urol, 3. (Read full article)
  8. Delaney RK Sisco-Taylor BL, Wang X, Scherr K, Ubel PA, Haaland B, Kahn VC, Hamstra D, Wei JT, Madanay F, Davis JK, Greeno TU, Fagerlin A (2022). Two Specialists, Two Recommendations: Discordance Between Urologists' & Radiation Oncologists' Prostate Cancer Treatment Recommendations. Urology, 169, 156-161. (Read full article)
  9. Wesolowski, S, Lemmon, G, Hernandez, EJ, Henrie, A, Miller, TA, Weyhrauch, D, Puchalski, MD, Bray, BE, Shah, R, Deshmukh, VG, Delaney, R Yost, HJ, Eilbeck, K, Tristani-Firouzi, M, Yandell, M (2022). An explainable artificial intelligence approach for predicting cardiovascular outcomes using electronic health records. . PLOS Digit Health.
  10. Delaney RK, Pinto NM, Ozanne EM, Stark LA, Pershing ML, Thorpe A, Witteman HO, Thokala P, Lambert LM, Hansen LM, Greene TH, Fagerlin A (2021). Study protocol for a randomised clinical trial of a decision aid and values clarification method for parents of a fetus or neonate diagnosed with a life-threatening congenital heart defect. BMJ Open, 11(12), e055455. (Read full article)
  11. Chung MK, Fagerlin A, Wang PJ, Ajayi TB, Allen LA, Baykaner T, Benjamin EJ, Branda M, Cavanaugh KL, Chen LY, Crossley GH, Delaney RK, Eckhardt LL, Grady KL, Hargraves IG, True Hills M, Kalscheur MM, Kramer DB, Kunneman M, Lampert R, Langford AT, Lewis KB, Lu Y, Mandrola JM, Martinez K, Matlock DD, McCarthy SR, Montori VM, Noseworthy PA, Orland KM, Ozanne E, Passman R, Pundi K, Roden DM, Saarel EV, Schmidt MM, Sears SF, Stacey D, Stafford RS, Steinberg BA, Youn Wass S, Wright JM (2021). Shared Decision Making in Cardiac Electrophysiology Procedures and Arrhythmia Management. Circ Arrhythm Electrophysiol, 14(12), e007958. (Read full article)
  12. Pinto NM, Patel A, Delaney RK, Donofrio MT, Marino BS, Miller S, Ozanne EM, Zickmund SL, Karasawa MH, Pershing ML, Fagerlin A (2021). Provider insights on shared decision-making with families affected by CHD. Cardiol Young, 1-8. (Read full article)
  13. Scherr K Delaney RK, Ubel P, Kahn VC, Hamstra D, Wei JT, Fagerlin A (2021). Preparing Patients with Early Stage Prostate Cancer to Participate in Clinical Appointments Using a Shared Decision Making Training Video. Med Decis Making, 272989X211028563. (Read full article)
  14. Delaney RK, Pinto NM, Ozanne EM, Brown H, Stark LA, Watt MH, Karasawa M, Patel A, Donofrio MT, Steltzer MM, Miller SG, Zickmund SL, Fagerlin A (2021). Parents' decision-making for their foetus or neonate with a severe congenital heart defect. Cardiol Young, 32(6), 1-8. (Read full article)
  15. Wilson JM, Smith K, Strough J, Delaney R (2020). Knowing you are there makes the difference: perceived social support, preferences for using support, and health. J Women Aging, 33(4), 396-410. (Read full article)
  16. Delaney RK, Locke A, Pershing ML, Geist C, Clouse E, Precourt Debbink M, Haaland B, Tanner AJ, Anzai Y, Fagerlin A (2021). Experiences of a Health System's Faculty, Staff, and Trainees' Career Development, Work Culture, and Childcare Needs During the COVID-19 Pandemic. JAMA Netw Open, 4(4), e213997. (Read full article)
  17. Delaney RK, Strough J, Shook NJ, Ford CG, Lemaster P (2020). Don't Risk It. Older Adults Perceive Fewer Future Opportunities and Avoid Social Risk Taking. Int J Aging Hum Dev, 92(2), 139-157. (Read full article)
  18. Delaney RK, Sisco-Taylor B, Fagerlin A, Weir P, Ozanne EM (2020). A systematic review of intensive outpatient care programs for high-need, high-cost patients. Transl Behav Med, 10(5), 1187-1199. (Read full article)
  19. Brand-McCarthy SR, Delaney RK, Noseworthy PA (2020). Can Shared Decision Making Improve Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation?: Implications of the Updated Guidelines. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes, 13(3), e006080. (Read full article)
  20. Shook NJ, Delaney RK, Strough J, Wilson JM, Sevi B, Altman N (2019). Playing it safe: Dispositional mindfulness partially accounts for age differences in health and safety risk-taking propensity.
  21. Delaney RK, Turiano NA, Strough J (2016). Living longer with help from others: Seeking advice lowers mortality risk. J Health Psychol, 23(12), 1590-1597. (Read full article)
  22. Shook N, Ford C, Strough J, Delaney R, Barker D (2017). In the moment and feeling good: Age differences in mindfulness and positive affect. Translational Issues in Psychological Science, 3(4), 338-347.
  23. Strough J, Bruine de Bruin W, Parker AM, Karns T, Lemaster P, Pichayayothin N, Delaney R, Stoiko R (2016). What were they thinking? Reducing sunk-cost bias in a life-span sample. Psychol Aging, 31(7), 724-736. (Read full article)
  24. Strough J, Bruine de Bruin W, Parker AM, Lemaster P, Pichayayothin N, Delaney R (2016). Hour glass half full or half empty? Future time perspective and preoccupation with negative events across the life span. Psychol Aging, 31(6), 558-73. (Read full article)
  25. Delaney R, Strough J, Parker AM, de Bruin WB (2015). Variations in Decision-Making Profiles by Age and Gender: A Cluster-Analytic Approach. Pers Individ Dif, 85, 19-24. (Read full article)
  26. Lemaster P, Delaney R, Strough J (2015). Cross-over, degendering, or…? A multidimensional approach to life-span gender development. Sex Roles, 76(11).
  27. Delaney RK (2015). National survey of midlife development in the United States. Int J Aging Hum Dev, 79(4), 329-31. (Read full article)
  28. Mehta CM, Alfonso J, Delaney R, Ayotte BJ (2013). Associations between mixed-gender friendships, gender reference group identity and substance use in college students. Sex Roles, 70(3-4), 98-109.

Clinical Trials