Clinical Round Table 13 - Integrating Psychologists in Specialty Medical Teams: Enhancing Patient Care Through Trans-disciplinary Collaboration Across the Lifespan

This panel brings together experienced psychologists and behavioral medicine program directors from various care settings to highlight the important role of clinical psychology in transdisciplinary teams treating diverse populations across the lifespan – including pediatrics, women’s health, oncology and palliative care. While there is increasing awareness that mental health support is pivotal in medical settings, it remains a challenge to integrate behavioral medicine into specialty clinics. This roundtable exemplifies how psychology training programs and academic medical centers can encourage multidisciplinary efforts and uplift the voice of psychologists in specialty care for diverse populations. The panelists represent a wide range of expertise from department leadership to community advocacy: Dr. Boswell will discuss program development in establishing free, immediate behavioral medicine services as part of the oncology, sleep, gastroenterology, and women’s health clinics at Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center. Dr. Fehon will speak on his experience as the founding director of the Behavioral Medicine Service at Yale New Haven Hospital, advocating for integrated psychological care to increase the quality of life in diverse patient populations. The panel will then discuss ways to integrate mental health support into specialty care across the lifespan: Dr. Olezeski will share her experience leading the transdisciplinary team at Yale Pediatrics, serving marginalized patients and families; Dr. Cartagena will discuss his role delivering culturally-sensitive psycho-oncology services to Spanish-speaking individuals and leading community engagement efforts; and Dr. Anderson will talk about the critical role of behavioral medicine in women’s health, notably in building integration of reproductive psychologists in women's health settings (e.g., OBGYN, women's primary care). This panel will highlight important clinical literature and treatment considerations tailored to diverse patient populations in various medical care settings. The discussion will conclude by highlighting future directions in community engagement efforts, training and mentorship, clinical practices and patient advocacy.