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Pediatric Psychologist
Education: BA, LeMoyne College, 2007 MA, Drexel University, 2009 Psy.D, University of Hartford, 2014
Internship: Child/Adolescent Clinical Psychology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, 2013- 2014
Fellowship: Child/Adolescent Psychiatric Consultation and Liaison Service, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center/Institute of Living Hartford Hospital, 2014-2015
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Connecticut School of Medicine
Emily Wakefield, PsyD, is a pediatric psychologist in the Division of Pain and Palliative Medicine at Connecticut Children’s. Dr. Wakefield has dedicated her career to understanding and reducing the psychological burden of disease for children and adolescents with chronic health conditions and their families. Dr. Wakefield has expertise in pediatric pain and research interests in psychosocial factors impacting the quality of life for youth with chronic pain and sickle cell disease. The challenges of evaluating pediatric pain due to the invisibility of pain is a current focus of her research as she is interested in understanding the impact of pain invalidation on children and adolescents with chronic pain and their parents.
Dr. Wakefield has been recognized as a leader in her clinical abilities during her doctoral and fellowship training programs where she received several recognitions, including the Director’s Award for Sustained Superior Performance and the Clinical Excellence Leadership Postdoctoral Fellow Award.
Wakefield, E. O., & Jerson, B. T. (2017). Social influences in the evaluation and treatment of biopsychosocial contributors to adolescent chronic pain. Topics in Pain Management, 32, 1-8. doi:10.1097/01.TPM.0000515416.01386.7d
Wakefield, E. O., Popp, J. M., Dale L. P., Santanelli, J. P., Pantaleao, A., & Zempsky WT. (2017). Perceived racial bias and health-related stigma among youth. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 38, 129-134. doi:10.1097/DBP.0000000000000381
Zempsky, W. T., Wakefield, E. O., Santanelli, J.P., New, T., Smith-Whitley, K., & Casella, J.F., & Palermo, T.M. (2017). Widespread Pain among Youth with Sickle Cell Disease Hospitalized with Vasoocclusive Pain: A Different Clinical Phenotype? Clinical Journal of Pain, 33, 335-339. doi: 10.1097/AJP.0000000000000403
Namerow, L.B., Kutner, E.C., Wakefield, E.O. Rzepski, B.R., & Sahl, R.A. (2016). Pain amplification syndrome: A biopsychosocial approach. Seminars in Pediatric Neurology, 23(3), 224-230.
Zempsky, W.T., O’Hara, E.A., Santanelli, J.P., T.M., New, T., Smith-Whitley, K., & Casella, J.F., & Palermo, T.M. (2014). Development and validation of the youth acute pain functional ability questionnaire (YAPFAQ). The Journal of Pain, 15, 1319-1327. doi:10.1016/j.jpain.2014.09.008
View Dr. Wakefield’s full list of publications
February 7, 2022 Media Contacts: The COVID-19 pandemic seems to be a never-ending rollercoaster ride for kids and families. Lately, with the rise in infections due to Omicron, that’s included a sensitive subject: what to say to your child when they or someone they know tests positive. Connecticut Children’s pediatric psychologist Emily Wakefield, PsyD, helps […]
Posted In: Behavioral Health, Bullying, Coronavirus, Parenting Through Change Kit