Meredith Kells Honored As Fellow of Society for Adolescent Health & Medicine

Assistant Professor Meredith Kells, PhD, RN, CPNP, has been named a Fellow of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM).

Kells, a pediatric nurse practitioner and researcher whose work centers on the care of adolescents and young adults with eating disorders, has been an active member of SAHM for about a decade in both New York and the New England region. She credits SAHM and many of its current fellows for guiding her toward a career path in research.

“Going to SAHM as a nurse practitioner and throughout my doctoral studies taught me an immense amount about adolescent health, introduced me to countless brilliant and supportive colleagues, and was part of the reason I wanted to pursue doctoral studies and research,” Kells said.

“Each year that I leave the SAHM’s annual meeting, I am full of awe for the meaningful work that is done to improve the health of young people, and inspired to do my part,” she added.

Before moving to Rochester, she served as a board member at large for the New England chapter. As a current member of the New York chapter, she has served on the Annual Meeting Planning Committee’s networking and career development subcommittee for the past three years.

As a new fellow, Kells joins University of Rochester Medical Center colleague Richard Kreipe, MD, FAAP, FSAHM, FAED, professor emeritus in the departments of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, who also served as one of her recommenders.

Kells considers it especially meaningful to be one of only a few nurses designated as a Fellow of the SAHM. The fellowship also reflects the interdisciplinary nature of the adolescent health and medicine specialty. Among the individuals who have earned the fellowship designation are nurses, physicians, psychologists, social workers, nutritionists, dieticians, and more.

“The absolute best part of adolescent health is the fact that we work with so many disciplines,” Kells said. “Teamwork is an important part of adolescent health, and nurses play a vital role in that team. Nurses have a unique vision of health that is able to synthesize all of the information and bring the team together. The nursing lens is absolutely necessary in clinical care, policy work, education, and research in adolescent health.”

Nurses practice in many domains across adolescent health, including school-based health and community agencies, which means they have a uniquely broad reach into adolescents’ lives. Nurses’ work to provide guidance and support to adolescents in their own health goals can have a ripple effect across their lifespan, Kells said.

A member of the University of Rochester School of Nursing faculty since 2022, Kells brings more than a decade of experience caring for individuals with eating disorders in both ambulatory and tertiary care settings at Boston Children’s Hospital. She completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in eating disorders research at the University of Chicago as part of the NIMH-funded Midwest Regional Training Program in Eating Disorders Research.

Kells is grateful for the support of her colleagues from the Golisano Children’s Hospital Adolescent Medicine Division, the Western New York Comprehensive Care Center for Eating Disorders; the Midwest Regional Training Program, especially her mentor, University of Chicago Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience Jennifer Wildes, PhD; and Boston Children’s Hospital, its Leadership Education in Adolescent Health (LEAH) faculty, and Adolescent Medicine Division Chief Emeritus Elizabeth Woods, MD, MPH, who recommended Kells for SAHM Fellow status. She is also thankful for her supportive husband, two kids, and French bulldog.

The newest SAHM fellows will be recognized during the organization’s Annual Meeting in San Diego next spring.