Meghan Marsac, PhD
Connect
Meghan.Marsac@uky.eduPositions
- Assistant Professor
- Division Chief
College Unit(s)
Other Affiliation(s)
- Pediatrics - General
Biography and Education
Biography
Dr. Meghan Marsac is a pediatric psychologist and a tenured Associate Professor at the University of Kentucky and Kentucky Children’s Hospital. She is the Acting Division Chief, overseeing pediatric psychology services and leading the growth of the division. Additionally, she serves as the Associate Director for the national Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress (www.healthcaretoolbox.org). Clinically, Dr. Marsac implements evidence-based practices to facilitate families' management of medical treatment and emotional adjustment to challenging diagnoses and medical procedures. She has published more than 70 academic papers, over 10 chapters, given hundreds of presentations, and co-authored a book for parents to use to help support their children through medical care as well as to care for themselves: Afraid of the Doctor, Every Parent’s Guide to Preventing and Managing Medical Trauma (www.afraidofthedoctor.com). In addition, Dr. Marsac specializes in training medical teams in the implementation of trauma-informed medical care.
Education
- Education: Baldwin-Wallace College (undergraduate), University of Toledo (graduate)
- Internship and Fellowship Training: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Research
Dr. Marsac’s program of research centers on medical traumatic stress and includes conducting grant-funded studies to identify predictors of emotional and physical outcomes in the context of acute or chronic medical conditions, developing and validating assessment tools, and creating and evaluating programs to promote recovery and/or adjustment to medical conditions in children and families. Dr. Marsac is a leader in the field of pediatric medical traumatic stress, having published over 70 academic articles, 10 chapters and a book on this topic. She has given hundreds of talks for professionals as well as families of children with medical conditions to disseminate how to cope with medical conditions and care, based on research.