Kym R Ahrens, MD

Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, Adolescent Medicine

On staff since August 2005

Academic Title: Associate Professor

Research Center: Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development

Language (Other than English): Spanish

"I love working with teens. They are some of the most challenging and rewarding patients at Childrens. I am passionately committed in my clinical and research work to helping at-risk adolescents experience a healthier transition to adulthood."

• Biography

  Kym Ahrens, MD, MPH is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Adolescent Medicine at Seattle Childrens Hospital and the University of Washington School of Medicine. She earned her MD from the University of Iowa College of Medicine. She completed residency, Adolescent Medicine training at Seattle Childrens and the University of Washington.

  Her clinical and research interests are in promoting positive physical and mental health outcomes in at-risk youth. Some of her past research has focused on the influence of adult mentors on the adult outcomes of youth in foster care and youth with learning disabilities. Dr. Ahrens is currently conducting a series of NIH-sponsored research studies focused on developing an intervention program to reduce risk of sexually transmitted infections including HIV among adolescents in the foster system.

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• Awards and Honors

  Award Name	Award Description	Awarded By	Award Date
  New Investigator Award		Society for Adolescent Health & Medicine	2013
  UW Center for AIDS Research New Investigator Award		UW Center for AIDS Research	2010
  NRSA Fellowship Award, NIH			2005 - 2008
  Family Centered Care Award		University of Washington Pediatrics Residency Program	2005

• Publications

  Manuscripts in Refereed Journals

  • Dworsky A, Ahrens K, Courtney M
    Health insurance coverage and use of family planning services among current and former foster youth: implications of the health care reform law.
    23262773 Journal of health politics, policy and law, 2013 April : 38(2)421-39
  • Ahrens KR, Ciechanowski P, Katon W
    Associations between adult attachment style and health risk behaviors in an adult female primary care population.
    22469278 Journal of psychosomatic research, 2012 May : 72(5)364-70
  • Ahrens KR, Katon W, McCarty C, Richardson LP, Courtney ME
    Association between childhood sexual abuse and transactional sex in youth aging out of foster care.
    22265906 Child abuse & neglect, 2012 Jan. : 36(1)75-80 PMCID:PMC3322618
  • Ahrens KR, Dubois DL, Garrison M, Spencer R, Richardson LP, Lozano P
    Qualitative exporation of relationships with important non-parental adults in the lives of youth in foster care.
    22661797 Children and youth services review, 2011 June : 33(6)1012-1023 PMCID:PMC3363001
  • Ahrens KR, Richardson LP, Courtney ME, McCarty C, Simoni J, Katon W
    Laboratory-diagnosed sexually transmitted infections in former foster youth compared with peers.
    20547646 Pediatrics, 2010 July : 126(1)e97-e103
  • Ahrens K, Stapleton FB, Batra M
    The university of washington pediatric residency program experience in global health and community health and advocacy.
    23140865 The virtual mentor : VM, 2010 March : 12(3)184-9
  • 1. Suchdev P, Ahrens K, Click E, Macklin L, Evangelista D, Graham E.
    Sustainable Short-Term International Medical Trips: Lessons Learned from a Resident-Run Program
    Ambulatory Pediatrics, 2007 : 7:317-320

  Published Abstracts

  • Ahrens KR, Coatney A, Bonnar M, McCarty CM, Courtney ME, Simoni J
    "It just happens": norms, attitudes, and other factors influencing pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection risk in foster youth
    Accepted for presentation at the International Association for Adolescent Health World Congress, Istanbul, Turkey, 2013 June
  • King KM, Ahrens K, McCarty CA, Vander Stoep A, McCauley E
    Chronic Stress exposure enhances the prospective effects of affective dysregulation on problematic alcohol use during adolescence
    Accepted for presentation at the 2013 Research Socieety on Alcoholism annual Meeting, Orlando, FL, 2013 June
  • Ahrens KR, McCarty CM, Courtney ME, Dworsky A, Simoni J
    psychosocial pathways to sti risk for adolescents in foster care: evidence from a longitudinal study of youth transitioning out of care
    Accepted for presentation at the International Association for Adolescent Health World Congress, Istanbul, Turkey, 2013 June
  • Ahrens KR, Coatney A, Bonnar M, McCarty CM, courtney ME, Simoni J
    "it just happens": norms, attitudes, and other factors influencing pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection risk in foster youth
    Presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, 2013 May
  • Rosenthal J, Ahrens K, Keller K
    art and reflections on health by youth transitioning from foster care
    Presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, 2013 May
  • Ahrens KR, McCarty CM, Courtney ME, Dworsky A, Simoni J
    pathways to sti risk for adolescents in foster care: evidence from a longitudinal study of youth transitioning out of care
    Presented at the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA, 2013 March
  • Ahrens KR, Simoni J, McCarty CM, Courtney ME
    "I am celibate and so are my sexual partners": the importance of mixed methods to understand STI/HIV risk among adolescents in foster care
    Presented at the University of Washington Center for AIDS Research Annual HIV/AIDS Symposium, Seattle, WA, 2011 Nov.
  • Ahrens KR, Dworsky A, Courtney ME
    Implications of health care reform legislation for access to reproductive health care services among current and former foster youth
    Presented at the Reproductive Justice and Health Care Reform Conference, Chicago, IL, 2011 May
  • Ahrens KR, Richardson LP, Courtney ME, McCarty CM, Simoni J, Katon W
    the risk of laboratory-diagnosed sexually transmitted infections among female and male youth who have been in foster care
    Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting, 2010 May
  • Ahrens KR, DuBois DL
    relationships with non-parental adult mentors in adolescence and health outcomes in adulthood: evidence from a national study
    Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine Annual Conference, 2010 April
  • Ahrens KR, Courtney ME, Richardson LP, McCarty C, Katon W
    A history of childhood rape is associated with an increased likelihood of prostitution among adolescents aging out of foster care
    Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting, 2009 May
  • Ahrens KR, DuBois DL, Richardson LP, Garrison MM, Lozano P
    A qualitative exploration of the adult mentoring relatinships in the lives of former youth in foster care
    Society for Research on Adolescence Biennial Meeting, 2008 March
  • Ahrens KR, Richardson LP, Lozano P, Fan M, DuBois DL
    Foster Care Youth with Adult Mentors During Adolescence Have Improved Adult Outcomes
    Presented at the Society for Adolescent Medicine Annual Meeting, Denver, CO, 2007 March
  • Ahrens KR, Richardson LP, Lozano P, Fan M, DuBois DL
    Do Disabled Youth with naturally-acquired mentoring relationships have improved outcomes during adulthood?
    Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting, 2007

  Other Publications

  • Britner PA, Randall KG, Ahrens KR
    Chapter 26: Youth in Foster Care
    The Handbook of Youth Mentoring, 2nd Edition. David DuBois and Michael Karcher, Eds., 2013
  • Ahrens KR, DuBois DL, Lozano P, Fan M, Richardson LP
    Naturally-acquired menotring relationships and young adult outcomes among adolescents with learning disabilities
    Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 2010 : (24)207-216
  • Ahrens KR, DuBois DL, Richardson LP, Fan MY, Lozano P
    Youth in foster care with adult mentors during adolescence have improved adult outcomes.
    18182469 Pediatrics, 2008 Feb. : 121(2)e246-52
  • Ahrens KR, DuBois DL, Richardson LP, Fan MY, Lozano P
    Youth in foster care with adult mentors during adolescence have improved adult outcomes.
    18182469 Pediatrics, 2008 Feb. : 121(2)e246-52
  • Suchdev P, Ahrens K, Click E, Macklin L, Evangelista D, Graham E
    A model for sustainable short-term international medical trips.
    17660105 Ambulatory pediatrics : the official journal of the Ambulatory Pediatric Association, 2007 July : 7(4)317-20

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• Research Funding

  Grant Title	Grantor	Amount	Award Date
  Pediatric Loan Repayment Program	NIH		Jan. 1, 2009