Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School BA, Tufts University, 1988
PhD, Yeshiva University, 1997
MPH, Harvard School of Public Health, 2007 Dr. Park is a clinical health psychologist and health services researcher who focuses on understanding and improving health-related behaviors, especially smoking cessation among vulnerable medical populations. Her research interests extend across physician and patient behavior change, telephone-delivered interventions, and the role of culture on cancer preventative behaviors and beliefs. For her translational research in cancer prevention counseling, Dr. Park has designed and evaluated motivational interviewing interventions and is certified as a trainer in this technique. She is experienced in qualitative research development and uses qualitative research to inform quantitative survey design.
Dr. Park has led numerous externally-funded research projects, including a study examining risk perceptions of individuals undergoing lung cancer screening (American Cancer Society) and research assessing the feasibility of a pilot smoking cessation trial for lung and head and neck cancer patients (National Cancer Institute). She recently completed a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant examining how depression and anxiety affect postpartum relapse to smoking. Other interest areas include exploring cross cultural care issues with grants from The Commonwealth Fund. Dr. Park has published more than 40 original articles in a variety of peer reviewed journals. She has reviewed grant applications for the National Cancer Institute, Lance Armstrong Foundation, and the American Legacy Foundation. She is currently co-chair of the American Cancer Society’s peer review committee for Cancer Control and Prevention.
Dr. Park’s clinical work focuses on oncology patients. In addition to MIHP roles, she is a founding member of the MGH behavioral medicine program and serves as Chief of Behavioral Health Research, Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine. |
Elyse R. Park, PhD, MPH
