Profile
I started my career as a Certified Child Life Specialist in 1999 at Duke Children’s Hospital. I worked in a variety of settings, including inpatient pediatrics, bone marrow transplant unit, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and outpatient services. Over time, I joined a grant position in the NICU as a Family Developmental Specialist, focusing on hospital early intervention practices, where I also participated in clinical research as a Clinical Research Coordinator, leading to my furthering education at UNC Greensboro. I have expertise in infant development, early parenting relationships, and maternal mental health, as well as understanding effects hospitalization has on children and families. I enjoy advising and mentoring students in the research process, and I have published and presented extensively on these and other related topics at national and international conferences, oftentimes with Meredith College undergraduate students. Lastly, I am a Co-PI on the first NIH (R15) grant at Meredith College. The project, titled Advancing Insights in Maternal Social Support (AIMSS), is examining effects of group social support during pregnancy on postpartum depression. The child development program at Meredith College is strong, and I look forward to supporting students in their child development major journey.
Academic Credentials
PhD in Human Development and Family Studies; UNC Greensboro
MS inHuman Development and Family Studies; UNC Greensboro
MS in Child Life & Family Centered Care; Wheelock College
BS in Psychology & Child Development; Appalachian State University
Professional Credentials
Child Life Certification
Harvard Medical School Global Clinical Scholars Research Training Certificate Program
Certified Educator of Infant Massage
Presentations
Norcross, P.L. (March, 2023). Pedagogical scaffolding strategies for undergraduate students during civic engagement activities. Roundtable at Society for Research on Child Development (SRCD) Developmental Science Teaching Institute, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Norcross, P.L., & Prevatt, B.S. (March, 2023). Supporting Undergraduate Students in the Research Process. Stronger Together: NC State Conference on Faculty Excellence. Raleigh, North Carolina.
Norcross, P.L. (September, 2022). Considerations in Child Life Student Experiences. Child Life Academic Society Inaugural Summit, Boston, MA.
Norcross, P.L., Howell, A., Gorham, A., & Porter, H. (April, 2021; virtual). Gender Bias in Schools: Role of School Dress-Code-Policy Enforcement, Body Shaming on Female Adolescent Development. Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD).
Norcross, P. L., Vilas, D., Wiebler, S. Raccioppa, M. (May, 2020; virtual). Having difficult conversations with students: Strategies for best practice, Academic Session. Association of Child Life Professionals Annual Academic Conference.
Norcross, P.L. (April, 2019). Teaching anti-bias strategies through service learning with child life and child development students. Presenting as a panelist highlighting pedagogical practices at the first Academic Track at the Annual Association of Child Life Professionals conference, Chicago, Il.
Norcross, P.L. (March, 2019). Strengthening and supporting students: The role of civic engagement and anti-bias education in a family systems class. Roundtable presentation at Society for Research on Child Development (SRCD) Developmental Science Teaching Institute, Baltimore, MD.
Norcross, P. L., Leerkes, E.M. (2018). Linking depressive symptoms to maternal sensitivity: Role of maternal attributions. Poster presented to Contemporary Forums: The Fetus and Newborn Conference, Las Vegas NV.
Tilly, D., Norcross, P. L., Swingler, M., & Leerkes, E.M. (2018). Women’s sleep deprivation predicts poor inhibitory control when exposed to infant crying. Poster presented to International Congress on Infant Studies (ICIS). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Norcross, P. L., Leerkes, E.M. (July, 2018). Examining pathways linking depressive symptoms to maternal sensitivity: Role of maternal attributions. Poster presented to International Congress on Infant Studies (ICIS), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Norcross, P.L., & Leerkes, E.M. (2018). Depressed mothers’ understanding of infant crying predicts maternal sensitivity. Poster presented at UNCG Research Symposium, Greensboro, North Carolina.
Norcross, P. L., Leerkes, E. M., & Qu, J. (2017). Pathways linking maternal depressive symptoms to child compliance behaviors. Poster presented at The Society for Research on Child Development (SRCD), Austin, Texas.
Norcross, P. L. & Leerkes, E. M. (2016). Maternal depressive symptoms and child outcomes. Poster presented at UNCG Child and Family Research Network Conference, Greensboro, NC.
Norcross, P.L, Zhou, N. & Leerkes, E.M. (2016). Parenting pathways linking maternal depressive symptoms with children’s subsequent behavior problems. Poster presented at the International Congress on Infant Studies (ICIS), New Orleans, Louisiana.
Norcross, P.L. & Leerkes, E.M., (2015). Examining parenting pathways linking maternal depressive symptoms to subsequent behavior problems in young children. NC Infant/Child Mental Health Association, Greensboro, N.C.
Patterson, E., Norcross, P. L., Brown, G. (2013). Family Support in the Duke Intensive Care Unit. Gravens Conference, Florida.
Research
My main interests in research focus on early parent-infant relationships and infant outcomes; with a particular interest in neurodevelopmental outcomes, complications of prematurity, and maternal mental health. My early work in Neonatology is what inspired me to pursue a PhD, to gain the skills needed to investigate experiences of infants and families needing intensive care. My focus is primarily as follows: 1) Maternal depression and how it relates to subsequent early parenting and infant outcomes, specifically early relationships and the impact on infant mental health; 2) examining longitudinal effects of healthcare experiences (e.g. medical interventions) and psychosocial interventions (e.g. group social support; developmental interventions; family- centered care) on infants and families experiencing illness, injury, and hospitalization; 3) improving healthcare experiences of infants and families in NICU settings, including parental efficacy; shortening length of stay; patient satisfaction; maternal mental health. Proficient in the following statistical software programs: SPSS; STATA; SAS; Lisrel; Qualtrics; RedcapPublications
Norcross, P.L., Prevatt, B.S. (2023). Balancing Self-Care with Accountability. Inside Higher Ed.
Leerkes, E. M., Bailes, L., Swingler, M. M., Augustine, M. A., Norcross, P. L. (2021). A comprehensive model of women’s social cognition and responsiveness to infant crying: Integrating personality, emotion, executive function, and sleep. Infant Behavior and Development.
Norcross, P. L., Bailes, L., & Leerkes, E.M. (2020). Effects of maternal depressive symptoms on maternal sensitivity to infant distress and non-distress: Role of SES and race. Infant Behavior and Development, 61. Doi: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2020.101498
Norcross, P.L. (2019). Dissertation: Examining pathways linking maternal depression to maternal sensitivity: Role of maternal causal attributions. Advisor: Esther Leerkes, PhD. Leerkes, E. M., & Norcross, P. L. (2018). Difficult temperament in children. In M. Bornstein (Ed.), The Sage Encyclopedia of Lifespan Human Development. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Norcross, P. L., Leerkes, E. M., & Zhou, N. (2017). Examining pathways linking maternal depressive symptoms in infancy to children’s behavior problems: The role of maternal unresponsive and negative behaviors. Infant Behavior and Development, 49, 238-247.
Buehler, C., Causey, S., Mendonca, S., Henderson, A., Norcross, P.L., & Rehder, P. (2016).\ Teaching family theories: Building conceptual models using deductive theorizing. Family Science Review, 20 (3), 98-119.
Norcross, P. L., Brown, G., & Patterson, E. (2011). Visiting the Duke ICN: A guide for siblings.
Duke Intensive Care Nursery, Duke University Medical Center.
Norcross, P.L. & Budezewski, S. (2002). My trip to the hospital. Parent Magazine.
