Dr. Wilson's primary research interest is in secondhand tobacco smoke exposure and children. Specifically, she is interested both in how secondhand smoke exposure affects children, and the best way to use a child's hospitalization to help parents quit smoking or at least reduce their child's exposure. Her current NCI R01 is a randomized controlled trial of a parent smoking cessation and exposure reduction program in the inpatient setting, using a bundle of best practices from the outpatient community. This intervention includes screening, brief motivational interviewing, providing free nicotine replacement therapy if appropriate, and follow-up after discharge.

If the study shows a significant reduction in the children's smoke exposure at 1 year after discharge, as measured by urine cotinine, the intervention could be disseminated broadly across hospitals that provide care to children. Dr. Wilson became interested in this research area as she treated hospitalized children and realized the negative impact that parental smoking had on their children's health.