Kate Gamwell, PhD, is a T32 postdoctoral research fellow in the Center for Adherence and Self-Management under the primary mentorship of Kevin Hommel, PhD. Kate earned her doctorate from Oklahoma State University with a specialization in pediatric and clinical child psychology. Her dissertation was the first study to empirically investigate the relationship between illness stigma, thwarted social belongingness, and depressive symptoms in youth with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Kate’s research interests include cognitive and social appraisals that impact psychosocial adjustment and outcomes in youth with chronic health conditions as well as their parents, with an emphasis on pain and treatment adherence. She is particularly interested in the parent-child dyadic relationship and identifying risk and resilience factors in underserved pediatric populations.
Kate’s clinical endeavors mirror her research interests of promoting healthy adjustment in youth and their families with particular emphasis in idiopathic, autoimmune/inflammatory, and pain related conditions (e.g., JIA, FAP, IBS, IBD, asthma). After fellowship, she hopes to continue in this line of research implementing clinically meaningful protocols to promote healthy adjustment and illness management that lend themselves to enhanced quality of life for chronically ill pediatric populations and their families.