Department of Pediatrics

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Heather Agazzi

Heather Agazzi, PhD, MS, ABPP

Professor, College of Medicine Pediatrics

Professor, College of Medicine Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences

Contact Info

Education

  • M.S., Clinical & Translational Research, University of South Florida, 2011
  • Ph.D., School Psychology, University of South Florida, 2007
  • B.A., International Studies/Spanish, University of South Florida, 1997

Biography

Heather Agazzi, PhD, MS, is a professor in the Department of Pediatrics and the Chief of the Division of Child Development. She holds a joint appointment in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences where she teaches psychiatry fellows in evidence-based early interventions for trauma and disruptive behavior disorders. She is a bilingual (English & Spanish) licensed psychologist and board certified in Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. Dr. Agazzi is a within agency Parent-Child Interaction Therapy trainer and a Child Parent Psychotherapy rostered therapist. Dr. Agazzi is the USF Health Psychology Internship Co-Director and served as the Director from 2019-2024 leading the program to its initial accreditation by the American Psychological Association. Dr. Agazzi’s research interests include behavioral parent training interventions for the treatment of disruptive behaviors and early childhood adverse experiences, the use of AI in the rapid diagnosis of ASD, and multi-tiered models for implementing school-based trauma informed care. Dr. Agazzi has contributed significantly to the literature on parent training with dozens of peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters as well as a first author book on early intervention published by Springer. Dr. Agazzi was recognized by the USF Women in Leadership & Philanthropy with the 2023 Dr. Kathleen Moore Faculty, Valerie D. Riddle Health Award for her work with mothers of children with disabilities. Dr. Agazzi is most proud of being recognized with the USF Kosove Distinguished Graduate Teaching & Service Award in 2023. More recently, Dr. Agazzi received the 2024 Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Teacher of the Year Award for her excellence in teaching psychiatry fellows. As evidence of her global impact, Dr. Agazzi is collaborating with researchers in Australia and Turkey to adapt and disseminate the Helping Our Toddlers, Developing our Children’s Skills parent training intervention. Dr. Agazzi is a native of Tampa, Florida and a first-generation college student. She attended USF for undergraduate studies and competed in Cross Country and Track & Field. Dr. Agazzi completed a PhD in School Psychology (2007) with generous funding from the Kosove Society.

Academic Philosophy

"I embrace a developmental model of teaching and mentorship. My goal is to support trainees to develop from novices to experts and ultimately become professionals who are life-long, self-regulated learners."

Interdisciplinary and Emerging Signature Programs

  • Women & Children's Health

Research Interests

  • Evaluation and treatment for children with disruptive behavior disorders and autism spectrum disorders; Parent Child Interaction Therapy; interventions for early childhood trauma; assessment of autism spectrum disorder

Awards/Honors

  • Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Teacher of the Year Award (Department of Psychiatry - 2024)
  • WLP Dr. Kathleen Moore Faculty Excellence Award, Valerie D. Riddle Award (USF, Women in Leadership & Philanthropy - 2023)
  • Kosove Distinguished Graduate Teaching and Service Award (USF Honors and Awards Council - 2023)
  • ABPP National Examination Board (American Board of Professional Psychology - 2023)
  • Child Parent Psychotherapy Training Grant (Sunshine Health - 2019)
  • Above and Beyond Faculty Teaching Award (USF Health Doctoral Internship in Professional Psychology - 2022)
  • USF Kosove Society Outstanding Alumni Scholar Award (USF Kosove Society - 2008)
  • Hispanic Heritage Community Award (Hispanic Heritage Community - 2007)

Memberships

  • Member, Examiner Chair (American Board of Professional Psychology, 2018 - Present)
  • Member (American Psychological Association (APA), 2009 - Present)
  • Member, Treasurer 2008-2010 (Florida Association of Infant Mental Health (FAIMH), 2009 - Present)
  • Member (National Association of School Psychologists, 2002 - Present)

Recent Publications

  • Callejas, L.M., Chou, C., Scarimbolo, K., Hammond, K., & Agazzi, H. Using EPIS contextual elements to identify implementation barriers and facilitators of an integrated behavioral health training program Translational Behavioral Medicine. , 2024.
  • Zhao, L., Agazzi, H., Yasong, D., Meng, H., Maku, R., Ke, L., Aspinall, P., Wilson Garvan, C., Fang, S. A Digital Cognitive-Physical Intervention for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Randomized Controlled Trial Journal of Medical Internet Research. 10(26) , 2024.
  • Zhao, L., Aspinall, P., Agazzi, H., Li, K., Maku, R., Meng, H., ... & Du, Y. A Digital Cognitive-Physical Intervention for Elementary and Middle School-Aged Children With ADHD: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 62(10) : S318, 2023.
  • Gray, H.L. †, Buro, A.W.*, Robinson, C., Slye, N., Wang, W., Sinha, S., Kirby, R., Berkman, K., Agazzi, H., Shaffer-Hudkins, E., & Marshall, J A Mixed-Methods Study to Examine Dietary Intake of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder and Parental Perspectives on Nutrition in Florida Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities. 38(4) , 2022.
  • Agazzi, H., Soca Locano, S., & Hernandez, M. Low treatment fidelity as an indication to switch interventions: Pivoting from Child Parent Psychotherapy to Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for early childhood trauma Clinical Case Studies. 22(2) : 192-208, 2022.
  • Gray, H.L., Pang, T., Agazzi, H., Shaffer-Hudkins, E., Kim, E., Miltenberger, R.G., Waters, K., Jimenez, C., Harris, M., Stern, M. A nutrition education intervention to improve eating behaviors of children with autism spectrum disorder: Study protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial. Contemporary clinical trials. 119: 106814, 2022.
  • Agazzi, H., Dickinson, S. & Plant, R. HOT DOCS: Innovative behavioral management training for pediatric residents. Advances in Pediatrics. 69(1) : 13-21, 2022.
  • Agazzi, H., Hayford, H., Thomas, N., Ortiz, C., & Salinas-Miranda, A. Pandemic parenting: A pilot study of in-person versus internet-DOCS K-5 for caregivers of school-age children with disruptive behaviors. Clinical child psychology and psychiatry. 27(3) : 569-585, 2022.
  • Agazzi, H., Najmabadi, S., Flood, J., Cimorelli, D., Chenneville, T. COVID-19 Adaptations for Health Service Psychology Internship Training in a Medical School. Journal of clinical psychology in medical settings. 29(1) : 80-91, 2022.
  • Agazzi, H., Hayford, H., Thomas, N., Ortiz, C., Salinas-Miranda, A. A nonrandomized trial of a behavioral parent training intervention for parents with children with challenging behaviors: In-person versus internet-HOT DOCS. Clinical child psychology and psychiatry. 26(4) : 1076-1088, 2021.
  • Dickinson, S., Agazzi, H., Shaffer-Hudkins, E., & Ferron, J. Smart Start: A feasible intervention for young children with disabilities and trauma. Journal of Public Child Welfare. 16(3) : 402-426, 2021.
  • Buro, A.W., Gray, H.L., Kirby, R.S., Berkman, K., Agazzi, H., Shaffer-Hudkins, E. Diet quality in an ethnically diverse sample of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder compared with nationally representative data. Disability and health journal. 14(1) : 100981, 2021.
  • Dunlop, S., Kimonis, E., & Agazzi, H. Adapting and implementing the ‘Helping Our Toddlers, Developing Our Children’s Skills (HOT DOCS)’ in an Australian context: A feasibility study. Evidence-Based Practice in Child and Adolescent Mental Health. 6(1) : 28-46, 2020.
  • Agazzi, H., Knap, K., & Kimonis, E. Parent–Child Interaction Therapy-callous unemotional adaptation for a pre-school boy with conduct problems. Clinical Case Studies. 19(5) : 370-385, 2020.
  • Fabiano, D., Canavan, S., Agazzi, H., & Goldgof, D. Gaze-based classification of autism spectrum disorder. Pattern Recognition Letters. 135: 204-212, 2020.
  • Agazzi, H., Adams, C., Ferron, E., Ferron, J., Shaffer-Hudkins, E., & Salloum, A. Trauma-Informed Behavioral Parenting for Early Intervention. Journal of Child and Family Studies. 28(8) : 2172-2186, 2019.
  • Cambric, M., & Agazzi, H. A case study of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for the treatment of high functioning autism spectrum disorder. Clinical Case Studies. 18(4) : 270-281, 2019.
  • Gray, H.L., Sinha, S., Buro, A.W., Robinson, C., Berkman, K., Agazzi, H., Shaffer-Hudkins, E. Early History, Mealtime Environment, and Parental Views on Mealtime and Eating Behaviors among Children with ASD in Florida. Nutrients. 10(12) , 2018.
  • Dickinson S, & Agazzi H. A Father with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and a Son with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Parent-Child Interaction Therapy Case Study. Military Behavioral Health. : 1-9, 2018.
  • Tan, S.Y., Steding, L., Coates, E., & Agazzi, H. Parent-Child Interaction Therapy and ADHD: A Case Study with a Hearing Child of a Deaf Father and a Hearing Mother. Child & Family Behavior Therapy. 40(1) : 65-83, 2018.
  • Monahan M, Jordan-Arthur B, & Agazzi H, . The Implementation of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) for the Treatment of Tourette Syndrome (TS) and Disruptive Behavior. Clinical Case Studies. 17(1) : 38-54, 2017.
  • Agazzi H, Tan S, Y, Ogg J, Armstrong K, & Kirby R. Does Parent-Child Interaction Therapy Reduce Maternal Stress, Anxiety and Depression among Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder? Child & Family Behavior Therapy. 39(4) : 283-303, 2017.
  • Ogg J, Shaffer-Hudkins E, Childres J, Feldman M, Agazzi H, Armstrong K. Attendance and implementation of strategies in a behavioral parent-training program: comparisons between English and Español programs. Infant mental health journal. 35(6) : 555-64, 2014.
  • Armstrong, K., Jeffries DeLoatche, K., Preece, K. & Agazzi, H. Combining Parent-Child Interaction Therapy and visual supports for the treatment of challenging behavior in a child with autism and intellectual disabilities and comorbid epilepsy. Clinical Case Studies. 13(2) : 115-127, 2014.
  • Hangauger, J., Shaffer-Hudkins, E., & Agazzi, H. The Primary service provider model in early intervention: Relationship focused intervention for children birth-three. Child Care in Practice. 19(4) : 421-435, 2013.
  • Agazzi, H., Tan, R., & Tan, S.Y. A case study of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for the treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinical Case Studies. 6(12) : 428-442, 2013.
  • Childres, J., Agazzi, H., & Armstrong, K. Evaluating outcomes of a Behavioral Parent Training program for caregivers of young children: Waitlist control vs. immediate treatment. Journal of Early Childhood & Infant Psychology. (7) : 25-44, 2011.
  • Agazzi, H., Armstrong, K., &Bradley-Klug, K. BMI and physical activity among at-risk sixth- and ninth-grade students, Hillsborough County, Florida, 2005-2006. Preventing chronic disease. 7(3) : A48, 2010.
  • Agazzi, H., Salinas, A., Williams, J., Chiriboga, D., Ortiz, C., & Armstrong, K. Adaptation of a behavioral parent-training curriculum for Hispanic caregivers: HOT DOCS Español. Infant mental health journal. 31(2) : 182-200, 2010.
  • Curtiss, H., Armstrong, K., & Lilly, C. Positive behavior support and pediatric feeding problems: A case study. Journal of Early Childhood and Infant Psychology. 4: 93-109, 2008.