About

Wanjiku Fm Njoroge, M.D., is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and a faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine. She serves as an Attending Physician in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where she also holds the position of Medical Director of the Young Child Clinic. Additionally, she is the Associate Chair for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within her department. Dr. Njoroge's educational background includes a B.A. in Psychology from Columbia University, obtained in 1994, and an M.D. from Baylor College of Medicine, completed in 1999. Her professional focus is on child and adolescent psychiatry, with a particular emphasis on behavioral sciences and mental health in young children. Her roles involve clinical care, leadership in diversity initiatives, and contributions to academic and community outreach efforts within her institution.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Emergency medicine
• Intensive care medicine
• Internal medicine
• Pathology

Selected publications

• Traumatic birth experiences and maternal caregiving behaviors and attitudes in black and white women

  Archives of Women s Mental Health · 2026-03-19

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  This longitudinal investigation examined the association between traumatic birth experiences (measured via self-report and clinician-report) and caregiving behaviors and attitudes and any race-related differences in these associations. Subjective childbirth trauma was measured via a three-item questionnaire at 12 weeks postpartum. Medical childbirth factors were extracted from the electronic health record. Maternal caregiving behaviors and attitudes were assessed via comprehensive questionnaires (i.e., mother-infant bonding and parenting stress) and observation ratings (i.e., positive parenting and mother-infant interactions) at 12 weeks, 12 months, and 24 months postpartum. Multiple linear regressions were run to analyze these relationships. A total of 255 mothers (106 Black and 149 White) who gave birth from April to December 2020 were examined. More traumatic childbirth experiences were significantly associated with higher-rated observed positive parenting scores (β = 0.21, pFDR<0.05) when controlling for demographic factors. There were no significant relationships at 12 weeks or 24 months postpartum. Additionally, there were no effects of race on the relationship between childbirth trauma and caregiving. Subjective reports of childbirth trauma were not significantly associated with poorer maternal caregiving behaviors and attitudes. This study adds to the literature by examining Black women, as they are underrepresented in this body of research and more at risk of experiencing traumatic childbirths. This study investigated the relationship between childbirth trauma and various maternal caregiving behaviors, measured at several timepoints during the postpartum period. The sample included Black and White women who gave birth early in the COVID-19 pandemic, a time of heightened stress for those delivering in a hospital setting. We found mostly nonsignificant relationships but one positive relationship between childbirth and caregiving behaviors when children were 12 months old: More traumatic birth experiences were related to better caregiving scores. This is the first study to focus on Black individuals’ childbirth experiences and its relation to caregiving behaviors. More research is needed on women of color, as they have a higher risk of experiencing a traumatic birth.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Examining the Impact of the Syndemic on Black Birthing Individuals in the USA: a Systematic Review

  Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities · 2025-02-24

  reviewOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• 0980 Discrepancies in Caregiver-Reported and Laboratory-Assessed Early Childhood Sleep Problems

  SLEEP · 2025-05-01

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Introduction Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) and insufficient sleep are common in early childhood and linked to neurobehavioral functioning, highlighting the importance of screening for these sleep problems. However, few studies have examined variation in multi-method evaluations of these concerns. This study compared caregiver-reported symptoms of child SDB and sleep duration to subsequent polysomnography (PSG) and actigraphy. Methods Data from 95 3-5-year-olds (43% boys, 49% Black, 51% Non-Latine White; 96% maternal caregiver) were drawn from a larger study. Caregivers reported on symptoms of child SDB using the Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire (PSQ) and on insufficient sleep using the Brief Child Sleep Questionnaire (BCSQ). Preschoolers were initially categorized into 4 groups based on measure cut-offs and sleep duration guidelines: (A) SDB only (PSQ score □0.33 clinical cut-off, total 24-hour sleep duration &amp;gt;=10 hours); (B) insufficient sleep only (PSQ &amp;lt; 0.33, total sleep duration &amp;lt; 10 hours); (C) both SDB and insufficient sleep (PSQ □0.33, total sleep duration &amp;lt; 10 hours); (D) no sleep problems. Children then completed PSG scored according to diagnostic guidelines and # nights/weeks of actigraphy scored using validated procedures with daily sleep diaries. Results Based on initial caregiver-report, 29 (31%) preschoolers had SDB only (A); 10 (11%) had insufficient sleep only (B); 13 (14%) had both SDB and insufficient sleep (C); and 43 (45%) had no sleep problems (D). After PSG/actigraphy, 62% were reassigned from their initial caregiver-reported group. Twenty-one percent were reassigned based on PSG results only, 27% reassigned based on actigraphy only, and 14% reassigned based on both actigraphy and PSG. Initially, based on caregiver-report, the largest group (45%) were the no sleep problem group (D). However, after PSG and actigraphy, the no sleep problem group (D) only reflected 21% of the sample. Importantly, after PSG and actigraphy, the group reflecting co-occurring SDB and insufficient sleep (C) increased from 14% to 38% of the sample. Conclusion Early childhood sleep-disordered breathing and insufficient sleep may be underrecognized when based on caregiver report compared to more objective measures. Additional multi-method studies with early childhood samples may be needed to re-evaluate caregiver report-based clinical cutoffs for sleep issues in young children. Support (if any) R01HL163798 (AAW)

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Correction to: Clinician-reported childbirth outcomes, patient-reported childbirth trauma, and risk for postpartum depression

  Archives of Women s Mental Health · 2025-05-19

  erratumOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Evidence for missed cases of postpartum depression based on paediatric clinical care screenings

  The British Journal of Psychiatry · 2025-06-01 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• LATEST EVIDENCE ON THE EFFECTS OF PERINATAL SUBSTANCE EXPOSURE IN MOTHER-CHILD DYADS

  Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · 2025-10-01

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• What Influences Postpartum Depressive Symptoms? The role of Social Determinants of Health, Race-Based Discrimination and Stressful Life Experiences

  Maternal and Child Health Journal · 2025-01-18 · 2 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Honors Presentations 3: AACAP's 2025 Honors Presentation Highlights

  Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · 2025-10-01

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Traumatic birth experiences and maternal caregiving behaviors and attitudes in Black and White women

  Research Square · 2025-11-03

  preprintOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Socioecological factors linked to co-occurring early childhood sleep health disparities and developmental outcomes: protocol for the sleep in preschoolers cross-sectional study

  BMJ Open · 2025-03-01 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  INTRODUCTION: Sleep deficiencies, such as sleep disordered breathing (SDB) and insufficient sleep, are linked to adverse health outcomes. These sleep deficiencies are more common in racial and ethnic minoritised children and have significant negative impacts on neurobehavioural and social-emotional development. Non-Latine Black/African American children are 4-6 times more likely than non-Latine White children to experience both SDB and short sleep duration. Although SDB and insufficient sleep often co-occur in young children, there is a paucity of research considering the potential unique and additive impacts of SDB and insufficient sleep on child outcomes, as well as racial disparities in these outcomes, thus hindering comprehensive interventions. Our study objectives are to (1) examine racial disparities in the neurobehavioural and social-emotional impacts of early childhood SDB and/or insufficient sleep and (2) identify proximal and distal socioecological factors linked to these sleep disparities and outcomes. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A cross-sectional observational study comparing neurobehavioural (executive functioning, attention, vigilance) and social-emotional functioning (social skills, emotion regulation) in 400 dyads consisting of caregivers and their otherwise healthy Black and White 3-5 year-old children and divided into four groups: (A) preschoolers with SDB; (B) preschoolers with insufficient sleep; (C) preschoolers with both SDB and insufficient sleep and (D) matched controls. Child SDB, insufficient sleep, neurobehavioural skills and social-emotional functioning are measured using validated objective and subjective assessment tools, with a subset of caregivers completing qualitative interviews. Primary outcomes include individual differences in neurobehavioural and social-emotional functioning in these groups of Black and White preschoolers, and multilevel socioecological factors associated with variation in outcomes. Quantitative data will be analysed using descriptive analyses, linear regression and comparison of model coefficients. Qualitative data will be coded using thematic analysis and a joint display to stratify qualitative themes by child race and sleep deficiencies. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study protocol has been approved by the institutional review board of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Oregon. Results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and conferences.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Raquel E. Gur

  Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

  81 shared

• Ran Barzilay

  University of Pennsylvania

  68 shared

• Megan M. Himes

  Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

  65 shared

• Lauren K. White

  University of Pennsylvania Health System

  58 shared

• Barbara H. Chaiyachati

  57 shared

• Rebecca Waller

  47 shared

• Sara L. Kornfield

  University of Pennsylvania

  33 shared

• Heather H. Burris

  University of Pennsylvania

  32 shared