Ashley BerghoffGraduate Studentshe/her/hers

My research centers on how context impacts how individuals respond to developing a chronic illness. Specifically, I am interested in how emerging adults integrate chronic illness into their identity. I strive to approach my research with the mindset that poor health is not a moral failure, but rather a result of the socioecological factors that create varying abilities to cope with and manage illness. As part of this research, I hope to contribute to developing resources for adaptive identity development for chronically ill emerging adults.

Since May 2023, I have worked as a project assistantship for my advisor, Dr. Kristin Litzelman, primarily working on research to promote caregiver well-being. I also work closely with the University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension on plain language knowledge translation, working on projects such as Planning AHEAD and Aging Friendly Communities. In addition, I’ve worked on large-scale data analysis (NSOC, BRFSS), and collaborated with community partners such as GWAAR and WFSCA.

I graduated from the University of Arkansas in May of 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Science. During my undergraduate career, I worked as a research assistant in the Adolescent to Adult Risk and Resilience Co-Op, led by Dr. Amanda Terrell and Dr. Jennifer Becnel. During this time, I completed my undergraduate honors thesis, titled “Parental Autonomy Granting and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents with Chronic Conditions.” I also worked on studies involving learning disabilities, obesity, and adolescent media behavior using qualitative and quantitative methods.

Selected Publications

Kwekkeboom, K. L., Stevens, J. M., Berghoff, A., & Litzelman, K. (2024). Self-report of symptom cluster experiences in cancer patient-caregiver dyads. Supportive Care in Cancer, 32(9), 604. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-024-08818-3

Litzelman, K., Berghoff, A., Stevens, J., & Kwekkeboom, K. (2023). Predictors of psychoneurological symptoms in cancer caregivers over time: Role of caregiving burden, stress, and patient symptoms. Supportive Care in Cancer, 31(5), 274. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-023-07741-3

Litzelman, K., Stevens, J., Berghoff, A., Balubaid, A., & Kwekkeboom, K. (2022). Psychoneurological symptoms in cancer survivors and their caregivers: A longitudinal pilot study. Innovation in Aging, 6(Suppl 1), 537-538. https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igac059.2043

Teaching Experience

I have worked as a teaching assistant for HDFS 474: Racial and Ethnic Families and Inter-HE 201: Belonging, Purpose, and the Ecology of Human Happiness.

Certifications

• Plain Language

Awards and Recognition

• HDFS Graduate Student Service Award, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 2024
• Graduate School Fellowship, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 2021
• Senior of Significance & Razorback Classic, University of Arkansas, 2021
• First-Ranked Senior Scholar, University of Arkansas, 2021
• Most Outstanding Undergraduate Poster Presentation, Southeastern Conference on Family Relations, 2019