Lindsey L. Cohen
Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Distinguished University Professor Psychology- Education
PhD, University of Georgia, 1998
MA, University of Georgia, 1995
BA, Middlebury College, 1990
- Specializations
Pediatric psychology; assessment and treatment of children's medical stress and coping; pediatric pain management
- Biography
Dr. Lindsey Cohen is interim dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at Georgia State University. He joined the Arts & Sciences faculty in 2004. He led the Department of Psychology as chair from 2020-2023, and was appointed interim dean of Arts & Sciences effective January 2024.
Dr. Cohen has a faculty line in the Department of Psychology, holding the title of Distinguished University Professor. He leads a grant-funded research program in pediatric psychology, focusing on the intersection of clinical child psychology and pediatric medicine. The Child Health and Medical Pain (CHAMP) lab, under Dr. Cohen's direction, has developed a long-standing interest in the assessment and treatment of acute medical pain in children, such as during injections or bone fracture casting. Additionally, the lab is actively engaged in researching chronic pain in children, particularly exploring mindfulness and acceptance-based treatments to aid adolescents in leading fulfilling lives with their pain.
Graduate student-led projects within the CHAMP lab cover an array of child health issues. Notably, these projects have included investigations into nurse burnout in pediatric chronic pain settings, stress in parents of infants with congenital heart disease, adolescents' understanding of mindfulness in the context of chronic pain, the impact of social support and discrimination on adolescents with sickle cell disease, and factors of risk and resilience in pediatric chronic illnesses.
Parallel to these research endeavors, Dr. Cohen's clinical interests focus on children dealing with medical issues. Dr. Cohen oversees two Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) training grants, which allows graduate students to provide evidence-based, culturally sensitive services in a multidisciplinary team setting for children with medical conditions at numerous partner healthcare facilities across Atlanta, including the three Children's Healthcare of Atlanta hospitals. In the department's clinic, Dr. Cohen supervises students in the assessment and treatment of children, adolescents, and their families facing a variety of mental health challenges. Additionally, he maintains an off-campus private practice, where similar client concerns are addressed. Whether in research or clinical practice, Dr. Cohen's work is rooted in an evidence-based practice approach, with a strong behavioral orientation.
- Publications
Recent (2019 - 2022) Peer-reviewed Journal Articles (student advisees are indicated with an asterisk)
Zempsky, W. T., Campbell-Yeo, M., Chambers, C. T., Cohen, L. L., Gagliese, L., Kwok, C. H. T., Trang, T., Stevens, B., Taddio, A., Voepel-Lewis, T., & Schechter, N. L. (in press). Analgesic, anesthetic, and addiction clinical trial translations, innovations, opportunities, and networks – American Pain Society –American Academy of Pain Medicine pain taxonomy diagnostic criteria for acute needle pain. The Journal of Pain.
*Robbertz, A. S., *Shneider, C., & Cohen, L. L. (in press). The role of nursing student training status and anxiety in pediatric pain assessment. Children’s Health Care.
Johnson, Y. L., Woodward, K.E., Dampier, C., Cohen, L. L., & Sil, S. (2022). Biopsychosocial factors associated with parenting stress in pediatric sickle cell disease. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, 29, 365-374. doi: 10.1007/s10880-021-09837-6
Cohen, L. L., *Robbertz, A. S., & England, L. J. (2022). Behavioral strategies to minimize procedural distress during in-office pediatric tympanostomy tube placement without sedation or restraint. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, 29, 285-294. doi: 10.1007/s10880-021-09813-0
*Gise, J., & Cohen, L. L. (2022). Social support in parents of children with cancer: A systematic review. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 47, 292-305. doi: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsab100
*Kim, S., *Robbertz, A., *Goodrum, N. M., Armistead, L. P., Cohen, L. L., Schulte, M. T., & Murphy, D. A. (2021). Maternal HIV stigma and child adjustment: Qualitative and quantitative perspectives. Journal of Child and Family, 30, 2402-2412 Studies. doi: 10.1007/s10826-021-02034-x.
Sil, S., Woodward, K. E., Johnson, Y. L., Dampier, C., & Cohen, L. L. (2021). Parent psychosocial distress in pediatric sickle cell disease and chronic pain. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 46, 557-569. doi: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsaa130
*Wright, L. A., Cohen, L. L., *Gise, J., *Shih, S., Sil, S, & Carter, S. (2021). Pain and QOL in pediatric sickle cell disease: Buffering by resilience processes. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 46, 1015-1024.
Reardon, A. W. T., Earp, B. D., Andreski, P., Monrad, J. T., Cohen, L. L., Richeson, J. A., & Freed, G. L. (2021). Do medical students exhibit gender bias in their assessment of children’s pain? JAMA Network Open, 4(6), e2113010. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.13010.
Woodward, K. E., Johnson, Y. L., Cohen, L. L., Dampier, C., & Sil, S. (2021). Psychosocial risk and healthcare utilization in pediatric sickle cell disease. Pediatric Blood and Cancer, 68, e29139.
*Rodrigues, N., *Shih, S., & Cohen, L. L. (2021). Pica in pediatric sickle cell disease. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, 28, 6-15. doi:10.1007/s10880-019-09671-x
*Bishop, M., Cohen, L. L., & Robbertz, A. S. (2020). Illness-related parenting stress and maladjustment in congenital heart disease: The moderating role of mindfulness. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 45, 1208-1215.
*Shih, S., & Cohen, L. L. (2020). A systematic review of psychosocial interventions for enhancing medication adherence in pediatric sickle cell disease. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 45, 593-606. doi: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsaa031 (featured article and student journal club selection)
Sil, S., Lai, K., Lee, J. L., Gilleland-Marchak, J., Thompson, B., Cohen, L. L., Lane, P., & Dampier, C. (2020). Preliminary evaluation of the clinical implementation of cognitive-behavioral therapy for chronic pain management in pediatric sickle cell disease. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 49. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2020.102348
Cohen, L. L., *Donati, M. R., *Shih, S., & Sil, S. (2020). State of the field of child self-report of acute pain. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 45, 239-246.
*Mougianis, I., Cohen, L. L., *Martin, S., *Bishop, M., & *Shneider, C. (2020). Perceived racism and health-related quality of life in hospitalized adolescents with sickle cell disease: The roles of depressive symptoms and social support. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 45, 858-866. doi: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsaa035
Sil, S., Cohen, L. L., Bakshi, N., Watt, A., Barnett, M., Abudulai, F., & Dampier, C. (2020). Changes in pain and psychosocial functioning and transition to chronic pain in pediatric sickle cell disease: A cohort follow-up study. Clinical Journal of Pain, 36, 463-471. doi: 10.1097/AJP.0000000000000827
Cohen, L. L., Cella, D., & Wakschlag, L. S. (2020). Innovations in pediatric psychology assessment: The conversation has just begun. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 45, 229-232.
Tone, E. B., Cohen, L. L., & Swartout, K. (2019). Psychosocial aspects of graduate mentoring: The critical role of anxiety. The Chronicle of Mentoring and Coaching, 3.*Donati, M. R., Masuda, A., *Schaefer, L. W., Cohen, L. L., Tone, E. B., & Parrott, D. J. (2019). Laboratory analogue investigation of defusion and reappraisal strategies in the context of symbolically generalized avoidance. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 112, 225-241.
Sil, S., Cohen, L. L., & Dampier, C. (2019). Pediatric pain screening identifies youth at risk of chronic pain in sickle cell disease. Pediatric Blood & Cancer, 66, e27538. doi:10.1002/pbc.27538
*Lim, C. S., Karlson, C., Edmond, S. N., *Welkom, J. S., Osunkwo, I., & Cohen, L. L. (2019). Emotion-focused avoidance coping mediates the association between pain and health-related quality of life in children with sickle cell disease. Journal of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, 41, 194-201.
McNeil, D. W., *Randall, C. L., Cohen, L. L., Crout, R. J., Weyant, R. J., Neiswanger, K., & Marazita, M. L. (2019). Transmission of dental fear from parent to adolescent in an Appalachian sample in the USA. International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry, 29, 720-727. doi:10.1111/ipd.12564
*Bishop, M., *Gise, J., *Donati, M., *Shneider, C., Aylward, B. S., & Cohen, L. L. (2019). Parenting stress, sleep, and psychological adjustment in parents of infants and toddlers with congenital heart disease. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 44, 980-987. doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsz026
Earp, B. D., Monrad, J. T., LaFrance, M., Bargh, J., Cohen, L. L., & Richeson, J. (2019). Gender bias in pediatric pain assessment. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 44, 403-414. doi: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsy104
*Francis, S. M. S., Tone, E. B., Caporino, N. E., Tully, E. C., & Cohen, L. L. (2019). Cognitive predictors of parental rescue behavior and malleability of behavior using a brief psychoeducation intervention. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 50, 321-331. doi: 10.1007/s10578-018-0843-3
For a full list of my publications, please see my lab page, NCBI bibliography, Google Scholar profile, or ResearchGate profile.