Lindsey C. McKernan, PhD, MPH
Dr. McKernan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, having joined the faculty in 2014. Clinically, Dr. McKernan specializes in treating the intersection between co-occurring chronic health conditions and mental health. She has particular interests in working with trauma and chronic illness, and has additional expertise in clinical hypnosis.
Currently, Dr. McKernan works as a clinician at the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine (OCIM) and Department of Urologic Surgery. Dr. McKernan also oversees the health psychology postdoctoral fellowship position at OCIM through the Department's APPIC-approved program.
Research Description
Dr. McKernan is currently funded by the National Institute of Health to develop innovative psychosocial treatments for specific pain populations served at VUMC. Recognizing that pain is a highly unique experience to the individual, the lab and its collaborators are working to administer psychosocial interventions for urologic populations, specifically interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome.
The lab's focus is to inform treatment and intervention delivery through applying patient-informed approaches to care, understanding unique patient-level factors that influence pain, expanding treatments to a wider audience, and using data science to inform intervention efforts.
Dr. McKernan has a highly collaborative research lab and you can follow her work by visiting mckernanlab.com or following updates on twitter through @LCMPhD.