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Spotlight: Dr. Britt St. John – Thriving Families and Inclusive Research
Brittany (Britt) St. John, PhD, MPH, OTR/L, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at UW Medicine. Her research spans feeding, autism, family routines, and inclusive research practices, united by a systems and lifespan perspective that bridges research and practice to promote thriving among people with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Through her Thriving Families and Communities Lab, Dr. St. John focuses on improving access, representation, and well-being across the lifespan. Her work connects children, families, adults with varying support needs, community organizations, and healthcare systems through projects designed to promote inclusion and reduce barriers to participation.
Partnering with Communities
Community engagement and inclusion are at the core of Dr. St. John’s research. She partners with autistic adults, parents, and community providers to inform research priorities, ensuring projects are guided by lived experience. During her Fulbright postdoctoral fellowship at the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre (OTARC) at La Trobe University, she collaborated with autistic adults and food innovators to explore sensory-modified foods for people experiencing selective eating. She continues to develop projects that emerge directly from community-identified needs and priorities.
Innovating Feeding Support
Dr. St. John is leading a pilot project called First Bite, developed in partnership with the UW Autism Center and supported by the Population Health Initiative (Tier 2 Pilot Grant). The study explores virtually delivered caregiver education and consultation models to improve access to early feeding support for families waiting for intervention.
Advancing Inclusive Research Tools
Dr. St. John is also helping expand the use of the Research Engagement and Advocacy for Diverse Individuals (READI) curriculum, created by Dr. Karla Ausderau and her team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison through a PCORI Eugene Washington Engagement Award. READI helps individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities participate in research in accessible and meaningful ways. Dr. St. John contributed to the READI project as a graduate student and led a working group that developed resources for researchers and co-authored publications on increasing accessibility in health research. She serves as the local contact at UW for researchers and community partners interested in using or implementing READI resources. She recently delivered the curriculum as a class at the Alyssa Burnett Adult Life Center, which plans to continue offering the program with her consultation.
Resources:
READI Toolkit
Ausderau, K. K. & Health Research Engagement Development Team. (n.d.).
Research Engagement and Advocacy for Diverse Individuals (READI) Curriculum.
A product of the “Research Engagement with People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities” project (PCORI Eugene Washington Engagement Award #10029).
Access the READI Toolkit
Opening the Door Working Group
St. John, B. M., Hickey, E., Kastern, E., Russell, C., Russell, T., Mathy, A., Peterson, B., Wigington, D., Pellien, C., Caudill, A., Hladik, L., & Ausderau, K. K. (2022).
Opening the door to university health research: Recommendations for increasing accessibility for individuals with intellectual disability.
International Journal for Equity in Health, 21(1), 130.
Read the article
Spotlight: Dr. Britt St. John – Thriving Families and Inclusive Research
Brittany (Britt) St. John, PhD, MPH, OTR/L, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at UW Medicine. Her research spans feeding, autism, family routines, and inclusive research practices, united by a systems and lifespan perspective that bridges research and practice to promote thriving among people with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Through her Thriving Families and Communities Lab, Dr. St. John focuses on improving access, representation, and well-being across the lifespan. Her work connects children, families, adults with varying support needs, community organizations, and healthcare systems through projects designed to promote inclusion and reduce barriers to participation.
Partnering with Communities
Community engagement and inclusion are at the core of Dr. St. John’s research. She partners with autistic adults, parents, and community providers to inform research priorities, ensuring projects are guided by lived experience. During her Fulbright postdoctoral fellowship at the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre (OTARC) at La Trobe University, she collaborated with autistic adults and food innovators to explore sensory-modified foods for people experiencing selective eating. She continues to develop projects that emerge directly from community-identified needs and priorities.
Innovating Feeding Support
Dr. St. John is leading a pilot project called First Bite, developed in partnership with the UW Autism Center and supported by the Population Health Initiative (Tier 2 Pilot Grant). The study explores virtually delivered caregiver education and consultation models to improve access to early feeding support for families waiting for intervention.
Advancing Inclusive Research Tools
Dr. St. John is also helping expand the use of the Research Engagement and Advocacy for Diverse Individuals (READI) curriculum, created by Dr. Karla Ausderau and her team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison through a PCORI Eugene Washington Engagement Award. READI helps individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities participate in research in accessible and meaningful ways. Dr. St. John contributed to the READI project as a graduate student and led a working group that developed resources for researchers and co-authored publications on increasing accessibility in health research. She serves as the local contact at UW for researchers and community partners interested in using or implementing READI resources. She recently delivered the curriculum as a class at the Alyssa Burnett Adult Life Center, which plans to continue offering the program with her consultation.
Resources:
READI Toolkit
Ausderau, K. K. & Health Research Engagement Development Team. (n.d.).
Research Engagement and Advocacy for Diverse Individuals (READI) Curriculum.
A product of the “Research Engagement with People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities” project (PCORI Eugene Washington Engagement Award #10029).
Access the READI Toolkit
Opening the Door Working Group
St. John, B. M., Hickey, E., Kastern, E., Russell, C., Russell, T., Mathy, A., Peterson, B., Wigington, D., Pellien, C., Caudill, A., Hladik, L., & Ausderau, K. K. (2022).
Opening the door to university health research: Recommendations for increasing accessibility for individuals with intellectual disability.
International Journal for Equity in Health, 21(1), 130.
Read the article
