Featured Researcher – Mattina Davenport, PhD

Featured Researcher – Mattina Davenport, PhD https://pediatricsnationwide.org/wp-content/themes/corpus/images/empty/thumbnail.jpg 150 150 Gina Vitale Gina Vitale https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/?s=96&d=mm&r=g May 27, 2025 May 27, 2025

May 27, 2025
Gina Vitale

What happens when a passion for law and social advocacy intersects with science and mentorship? The result is a remarkable research scientist driven to improve pediatric health equity and access, eager to lead the next generation of scientists.

Meet Mattina A. Davenport, PhD. She’s a principal investigator in the Center for Child Health Equity and Outcomes Research at the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and an assistant professor of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Dr. Davenport is a pediatric psychologist specializing in pediatric sleep health and population health. Her work centers on improving sleep health for all children through community outreach, artificial intelligence, and health care system improvements.

Read on to learn more about Dr. Davenport’s work and research career.

How/why did you decide to pursue a career in your field?

As an undergrad, I planned to be a lawyer (and eventually a politician). I was really excited about going to law school. I ended up taking a developmental psychology class. My undergraduate mentor in that class said, “I know you’re focused on going to law school, but pediatric psychology is another route— have you ever thought about being a child psychologist?”

Initially, I thought, no. However, in time she won me over. She helped me understand the intersections between public health and psychology, and how health equity was an important turning point for access to care not just for kids who need health care in general but particularly for kids with autism.

My public health interest was a continuation of my desire to be in political science — having an activist mindset and helping child health equity and health care access was, and continues to be, a key part of my work.

What was your path to your current role?

Initially, I was on the track for fetal psychology. I would work primarily in the fetal center and the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). I was so passionate about being a pediatric psychologist with boots on the ground and being able to help families — especially in the moments of crisis and the most precious moments of birthing a little human. I applied mostly for clinical fellowships that would have taken me back home to the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Stanford University, or the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). However, I came across this advertisement posted by Cindy Gerhardt, PhD, (chief clinical research officer at Nationwide Children’s) in the Society of Pediatric Psychology; it described everything I’m passionate about, and my mentor would be Deena Chisholm, PhD (Director of the Center for Child Health Equity and Outcomes Research). I didn’t know (at the time) that she would be the one who changed my life. Having her as a mentor is the most priceless experience I’ve ever had. You can’t even put a value on it because she’s such a strong resource and role model in the field.

I applied for the position, had one conversation with Dr. Chisolm, and pivoted from returning to California to moving to Columbus, Ohio.

Deena Chisolm is the reason I came to Nationwide Children’s Hospital. I am a better scientist holistically because of her and Dr. Kelly Kelleher’s mentorship. I believe their leadership and support helped me obtain the K01 Award (Mentored Research Scientist Development) on my first try.

Fun Facts About Dr. Davenport

What’s your favorite word, and why?

It’s going to sound so corny, but my favorite word is sleep, because when I say it, that could mean 50 million things. I’m really big on definitions, and I usually ask people, “What does sleep mean to you?” It’s so comprehensive in the way it’s defined by the varying audiences and what comes to mind for different people when I mention that word.

What would be your dream job if you could do anything (that wasn’t working in research)?

I think I would work for the American Civil Liberties Union as a lawyer. I think I would end up working as a lawyer in some type of advocacy firm space of some kind.

What’s your favorite food?

I love Indian food. Lamb tikka masala is my favorite.

Favorite band/genre/artist?

I grew up in a California old-school R&B household, so if I had to pick a genre, it would be old-school R&B. If I had to pick an artist, Emily King is someone I love listening to.

Favorite way to relax?

Oh, this is one of my favorite things to talk about. I love going by bodies of water. I will either sit with a book and read near a river or beach, or I’ll walk around bodies of water and near them. I think it comes from being a California beach baby.

What is your favorite part of your job?

I love mentoring the next generation of scientists. Supporting them through their journeys, whether it’s community health, psychology or medicine, is a privilege. I like that I can be their grounding anchor, especially in this current climate. If I had to pick one thing other than mentoring, it would be community education. Whether it is folks at school or church or anywhere else throughout the community, if they need me to come and speak about sleep, I’m going to come.

How does your research serve our patients and our community?

Teaching the community about sleep health and holistic rest. I love seeing that light bulb go on when people realize they could be sleeping better, and how sleep health impacts everything else in their life.

Through collaborative Academic-Government-Community partnerships, we can improve community sleep health, public awareness and access to care to specialized sleep care services. The sleep-care continuum starts in the community and progresses through the entire health care spectrum, by offering interventions in accessible settings like primary care depending on the severity of the problem. My lab’s current sleep health awareness campaign started in collaboration with schools to improve sleep health literacy in adolescents.

I’m trying to help families in our community understand that everything touches sleep. I learned very quickly that if I can address sleep, I can actually see some improvement in patients’ anxiety, depression, hyperarousal and rumination — making sure that we understand that sleep health disparities really drive all the other health experiences. Now, we’re working on how to transform the sleep care delivery model at Nationwide Children’s. How do we ensure that it starts in the community and translates throughout the health care continuum?