Department of Psychiatry Faculty

Robert D. Kerns, PhD Professor Psychiatry, Neurology and Psychology VA Connecticut Healthcare System 950 Campbell Avenue West Haven, CT 06516 Tel: 203-937-3841

Education

1974, A.B., West Virginia University
1980, M.A., Ph.D., Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale

Research Interest

Research is broadly in the area of behavioral medicine with specific interests in fields of pain and pain management. Dr. Kerns is Principal Investigator of the Pain Research, Informatics, Medical comorbidities, and Education (PRIME) Center funded by the Department of Veterans Affair that emphasizes the conduct of pain-relevant health services research that can inform policy, practice, and educational initiatives. The development of quality indicators for pain management is an overarching focus of research in this area. Several funded research projects are designed to evaluate the efficacy of self-management interventions for persistent pain including novel interventions that employ telehealth and other technologies to promote access and sustainability. Research informed by a motivational model of pain self-management explores moderators and mediators patient participation and outcomes and processes of change during these interventions. Additional focuses include research related to the interface between pain and overweight/obesity, patient preferences for pain treatment, racial/ethnic and gender differences in the experience of pain and disparities in pain treatment, pain and prescription substance abuse, and medical and psychiatric comorbidities of pain.

Publications of Note

Hoffman, B.M., Papas, R.K., Chatkoff, D.K., & Kerns, R.D. (2007). Meta-analysis of psychological interventions for chronic back pain. Health Psychology, 26 (1),1-9.

Martel, B., O’Connor, P., Kerns, R.D., Becker, W., Morales, K.H., Kosten, T., & Fiellin, D. (2007). Opioid treatment for chronic back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of their prevalence, efficacy, and association with addiction. Annals of Internal Medicine, 146, 116-127.

Kerns, R.D., Morley, S.J., Vlaeyen, J. (2008). Psychological interventions for chronic pain. Proceedings of the 12th World Congress on Pain (J. Castro-Lopez (Ed.). IASP Press: Seattle.

Kerns, R.D., Jensen, M.P, & Nielson, W.R. (in press). Motivational issue in pain management. In M. Hasenbring, A. Rusu, & D.C. Turk (Eds.), From acute to chronic back pain: Risk factors, mechanisms, and clinical implications. New York: Oxford University Press.

Rosenberger, P.H., Kerns, R.D., Jokl, P., Ickovics, J.P. (in press). Mood and attitudes predict outcomes following arthroscopic knee surgery. Annals of Behavioral Medicine.

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