Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center

Wendy Plante, PhD

Staff psychologist at Rhode Island Hospital

Clinical assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior at theWarren Alpert Medical School of Brown University

Background Information

Wendy Plante, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist who works primarily with children and families who have both medical issues and psychological concerns. She provides clinical services within several of Hasbro Children’s Hospital clinics, including pediatric gastroenterology, nutrition and liver diseases (GI), and serves as associate director of SibLink, an internationally recognized program created to promote understanding and healthy adjustment among siblings of children with medical, developmental, and psychiatric disorders. Plante also participates in the teaching of interns, residents and postdoctoral fellows in clinical psychology, child psychiatry and pediatrics.

Plante received a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from Clark University, and master’s and doctorate degrees in clinical psychology from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She completed a predoctoral clinical internship at duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, DE and a postdoctoral fellowship at Brown Medical School. She joined the staff of Rhode Island Hospital and Brown Medical School in 2001.

Research Interests

Plante’s research interests focus on family adjustment to pediatric chronic illness and disability, with particular attention to the experiences of brothers and sisters. She collaborates with Debra Lobato, PhD, and Barbara Kao, PhD, on projects examining factors (including family and cultural variables) affecting sibling functioning as well as how siblings influence and support family management of childhood disorders.

Plante also conducts research as a member of the pediatric GI/psychosocial research team which examines issues related to recurrent abdominal pain, inflammatory bowel disease, childhood obesity and feeding disorders.

Selected Publications

Plante, W., Lobato, D., & Engel, R. (2001). Review of group interventions for pediatric chronic conditions. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 26, 435-453.

Guite, J., Lobato, D., Kao, B., & Plante, W. (2004). Discordance between sibling and parent reports of the impact of chronic illness and disability on siblings. Children’s Health Care, 33, 77-92.

Lescano, C., Plante, W.A., & Spirito, A. (2004). Training in the delivery of pediatric psychology services in school systems. In: R.T. Brown (Ed.). Handbook of Pediatric Psychology in School Settings, pp. 701-712. New York: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Lobato, D ., Kao, B., & Plante, W. (2005). Latino sibling knowledge and adjustment to chronic disability. Journal of Family Psychology, 19, 625-632.

Guite, J., Lobato, D., Shalon, L., Plante, W., & Kao, B. (in press). Pain, disability, and symptoms among siblings of children with functional abdominal pain. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.

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