I am actively engaged with activities to advance our profession outside the walls of my home institution: over the course of my career, I have had over 100 publications, posters, and oral presentations.
I developed and co-chair the Interdisciplinary Pain Medicine Shared Interest Group (IPM SIG) within the American Academy of Pain Medicine. This group was developed to promote interdisciplinary pain care and was the first shared interest group within this physician-dominated organization to be developed and co-chaired by a psychologist. Beyond the SIG, I provide educational lectures at AAPM's annual meetings and I have continuously been part of their Annual Meeting Program Committee for the last nine years.
I have similarly served as a Program Reviewer for the North American Spine Society's (NASS) Annual meeting for multiple years. I was more recently involved with this medical organization's Evidence Based Clinical Guidelines for Multidisciplinary Spine Care and was a co-author of the Medical and Psychological Treatment Section.
Recognizing the importance of Psychologists in the field of pain needing to have a "home" that is based in our primary specialty of Psychology, I created and chair the Pain Psychology Special Interest Group within the Society for Health Psychology (APA Division 38). I represented SfHP at the Academy of Integrative Pain Medicine Pain Policy Congress and represented the American Psychological Association at the Alliance to Advance Comprehensive Integrative Pain Management Pain Policy Congress in 2020. I am Chair of the newly created APA Guideline Development Panel for the Treatment of Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain and served on the APA Health and Behavior Advisory Group. In the latter capacity, I collaborated with APA staff to educate Psychologists about the new Health and Behavior Assessment and Intervention (HBAI) codes and assisted with the revision and dissemination of the HBAI Guide. In January of 2020, I joined our APA CEO, Dr. Arthur Evans, and other APA leaders and colleagues at a legislative forum at the Ohio State Capitol to raise awareness of the role that Psychology plays in the evaluation and treatment of pain among state regulators, legislators, and their representatives. The following day, I delivered a continuing education workshop with fellow SfHP members Dr. Dan Bruns and then APA President-elect Dr. Jennifer Kelly. The three of us are co-authors of an APA-sponsored curriculum that is intended to educate all psychologists (including those not practicing in clinical health settings) on the role of pain in general health and wellness.
As a Counseling Psychologist, I am also engaged with endeavors through the Society of Counseling Psychology (APA Division 17). I am a Division 17 representative on the Interdivisional Healthcare Committee, the group that helped develop the original health and behavior CPT codes. I was also appointed to serve as the Division 17 representative for the APA Interdisciplinary Summit on the Opioid Crisis, though the COVID-19 pandemic forced the latter to be canceled. I have served as a Division 17 Program Reviewer for the Annual Meeting for more than a decade.
I developed and co-chair the Interdisciplinary Pain Medicine Shared Interest Group (IPM SIG) within the American Academy of Pain Medicine. This group was developed to promote interdisciplinary pain care and was the first shared interest group within this physician-dominated organization to be developed and co-chaired by a psychologist. Beyond the SIG, I provide educational lectures at AAPM's annual meetings and I have continuously been part of their Annual Meeting Program Committee for the last nine years.
I have similarly served as a Program Reviewer for the North American Spine Society's (NASS) Annual meeting for multiple years. I was more recently involved with this medical organization's Evidence Based Clinical Guidelines for Multidisciplinary Spine Care and was a co-author of the Medical and Psychological Treatment Section.
Recognizing the importance of Psychologists in the field of pain needing to have a "home" that is based in our primary specialty of Psychology, I created and chair the Pain Psychology Special Interest Group within the Society for Health Psychology (APA Division 38). I represented SfHP at the Academy of Integrative Pain Medicine Pain Policy Congress and represented the American Psychological Association at the Alliance to Advance Comprehensive Integrative Pain Management Pain Policy Congress in 2020. I am Chair of the newly created APA Guideline Development Panel for the Treatment of Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain and served on the APA Health and Behavior Advisory Group. In the latter capacity, I collaborated with APA staff to educate Psychologists about the new Health and Behavior Assessment and Intervention (HBAI) codes and assisted with the revision and dissemination of the HBAI Guide. In January of 2020, I joined our APA CEO, Dr. Arthur Evans, and other APA leaders and colleagues at a legislative forum at the Ohio State Capitol to raise awareness of the role that Psychology plays in the evaluation and treatment of pain among state regulators, legislators, and their representatives. The following day, I delivered a continuing education workshop with fellow SfHP members Dr. Dan Bruns and then APA President-elect Dr. Jennifer Kelly. The three of us are co-authors of an APA-sponsored curriculum that is intended to educate all psychologists (including those not practicing in clinical health settings) on the role of pain in general health and wellness.
As a Counseling Psychologist, I am also engaged with endeavors through the Society of Counseling Psychology (APA Division 17). I am a Division 17 representative on the Interdivisional Healthcare Committee, the group that helped develop the original health and behavior CPT codes. I was also appointed to serve as the Division 17 representative for the APA Interdisciplinary Summit on the Opioid Crisis, though the COVID-19 pandemic forced the latter to be canceled. I have served as a Division 17 Program Reviewer for the Annual Meeting for more than a decade.
Presenting on interdisciplinary approaches to pelvic pain with pain physician Jennifer Hah, MD and urogynecologist Marian Acevedo-Alvarez, MD at the 2020 American Academy of Pain Medicine Annual Conference in National Harbor, MD

With Dr. Dan Bruns and current APA President Dr. Jennifer Kelly at the 2020 APA Practice Leadership Conference