Lauren Mednick, PhD
Clinical Psychologist, Department of Surgery; Center for Advanced Intestinal Rehabilitation (CAIR) and Colorectal and Pelvic Malformation Center
Assistant Professor of Psychology, Harvard Medical School
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Lauren Mednick, PhD
Clinical Psychologist, Department of Surgery; Center for Advanced Intestinal Rehabilitation (CAIR) and Colorectal and Pelvic Malformation Center
Assistant Professor of Psychology, Harvard Medical School
Medical Services
Education
Undergraduate School
University of Illinois
Champaign-Urbana
IL
Internship
Boston Children's Hospital
Boston
MA
Fellowship
Boston Children's Hospital
Boston
MA
Graduate School
Clinical Psychology
George Washington University
Washington
DC
Professional History
Lauren Mednick received her PhD in Child Clinical Psychology, with an emphasis in health psychology, from The George Washington University in 2005. Since completing her clinical training at BCH in 2006, she has worked in the Medical Coping Clinic in the Department of Psychiatry. In 2013 she was promoted to the director of this clinic and all of the Outpatient Psychiatry Service. She joined The Department of Surgery in 2020. Her time in Surgery is split between providing consultation and short-term treatment to patients seen in the The Colorectal and Pelvic Malformation Center and building a program to enhance pre- and post-operative psychological services for the larger population seen in surgery.
Dr. Mednick’s clinical and academic focus is on helping children and families effectively cope with acute and chronic medical conditions. She has a particular expertise and passion for preparing patients and families for medical interventions, which began when she worked as a certified Child Life Specialist prior to getting her PhD. To this end she has written about and taught many lectures locally and nationally to medical providers and families about the importance of psychological preparation for procedures. In addition, she helped to develop the patient and family focused side of the Simulator Program.
Approach to Care
Having a medical condition or needing a medical procedure can be stressful and lead to emotional difficulties. I believe that the medical care of a child should include a focus on psychological well-being. It is amazing to see how connected the mind and body are and how treating the whole child can impact overall health and medical outcomes.
Publications
Aligning Family-Clinician Expectations During Pediatric Surgical Informed Consent: Development and Implementation of an Innovative Communication Skills Workshop. View Abstract
"Ready SIM Go": An Adapted Simulation "Service Line" for Patients and Caregivers. View Abstract
SIMDiscovery: a simulation-based preparation program for adolescents undergoing spinal fusion surgery. View Abstract
Anxiety, distress, and pain in pediatric urodynamics. View Abstract
Correction to: Impact of an electronic monitoring device and behavioural feedback on adherence to multiple sclerosis therapies in youth: results of a randomized trial. View Abstract
Impact of an electronic monitoring device and behavioral feedback on adherence to multiple sclerosis therapies in youth: results of a randomized trial. View Abstract
Risk factors for non-adherence to disease-modifying therapy in pediatric multiple sclerosis. View Abstract
Relationship among chelator adherence, change in chelators, and quality of life in thalassemia. View Abstract
Health related quality of life in patients with bladder exstrophy: a call for targeted interventions. View Abstract
Depression screening in adolescents in the United States: a national study of ambulatory office-based practice. View Abstract
Routine behavioral and mental health screening in young children with type 1 diabetes mellitus. View Abstract
A survey to assess body and self-image in individuals with bladder exstrophy: a call for psychosocial support. View Abstract
Beliefs about chelation among thalassemia patients. View Abstract
Iron chelation adherence to deferoxamine and deferasirox in thalassemia. View Abstract
Symptoms of depression and anxiety in patients with thalassemia: prevalence and correlates in the thalassemia longitudinal cohort. View Abstract
Oral chelation: should it be used with young children? View Abstract
Stress among fathers of young children with type 1 diabetes. View Abstract
Stress and coping in parents of young children diagnosed with bladder exstrophy View Abstract
Stress and coping of parents of young children diagnosed with bladder exstrophy. View Abstract
Parental anxiety and depression associated with caring for a child newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes: opportunities for education and counseling. View Abstract
Commentary: Electronic communication in the pediatric setting--dilemmas associated with patient blogs. View Abstract
The Challenges of Parenting Young Children Diagnosed with Bladder Exstrophy View Abstract
Parenting a young child with type 1 diabetes: Behavioral concerns View Abstract
Quality of Life in Mothers of Preschoolers with Diabetes: Examining Opportunities for Stress Management and Cognitive Behavioral Intervention View Abstract
Hope More, Worry Less: Hope as a Potential Resilience Factor in Mothers of Very Young Children with Type 1 Diabetes View Abstract
Management of young children with T1 and ADA age specific guidelines: How do they compare?
View Abstract
Preliminary results of an RCT to prevent nonadherence among preadolescents with T1 diabetes View Abstract
Division of Family Responsibilities in Managing Preadolescents’ Type 1 Diabetes View Abstract
A day in the life of a parent of a very young child with type 1 diabetes View Abstract
Children transitioning to the insulin pump: Impact on parenting stress View Abstract
Stress and anxiety in parents of very young children with type 1 diabetes: Hope as a resilience factor
View Abstract
Parenting Young Children with Type 1 Diabetes View Abstract
Development of the Diabetes Education, Counseling, Information Delivery, and Evaluation (DECIDE) program: A Health promotion
intervention for preadolescents with type 1 diabetes View Abstract
Stress, Hope, and Anxiety in Parents of Very Young Children with Type 1 Diabetes View Abstract
Parental daily management of very young children's type 1 diabetes.
View Abstract
Satisfaction and quality of life in children with type 1 diabetes and their parents following transition to insulin pump therapy View Abstract
“The pump is great!”; Satisfaction and quality of life in children with type 1 diabetes using the insulin pump View Abstract
Satisfaction and Quality of Life in Children with Type 1 Diabetes and Their Parents Following Transition to Insulin Pump Therapy
View Abstract
Pediatric-specific psychological functioning among parents of children newly diagnosed with diabetes
View Abstract
Transition to the insulin pump: What leads to success? View Abstract