Biography
Anne Fernandez, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry. Her areas of expertise include substance use and health psychology. Her current research focuses on 1) surgical optimization for patients with alcohol use disorders and 2) prevention of opioid misuse among patients prescribed opioids for pain management after surgery. The goal of this work is to improve surgical outcomes through early pre-operative intervention that addresses addiction and other behavioral health risk factors. She currently has a career development grant funded by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, as well as a Precision Health Award through the University of Michigan. Her precision health research leverages machine learning and natural language processing to identify patient cohorts in need of addiction prevention and intervention at key time points in clinical care.
Dr. Fernandez received her doctoral degree in clinical psychology from University of Rhode Island with a focus in health psychology. She completed her clinical psychology residency in Behavioral Medicine at Yale New Haven Hospital and her post-doctoral fellowship at the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies at Brown University.
Areas of Interest
- Treating Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders
- Motivational Interviewing
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapies
- Relapse Prevention
- Alcohol Use Disorders
- Behavioral Medicine
- Health Services Research
News
1 in 8 older adults use cannabis products, suggesting need to screen for risks
Increased use by people over 50 since the pandemic and state-level legalization seen in study, with especially high use found in those who also engage in unsafe levels of alcohol use
Researchers, NIAAA Look to Make Integrated AUD-Liver Care a Reality
Dr. G. Scott Winder was interviewed by Psychiatric News for this story
People often don’t think about it, but health consequences of alcohol use can be deadly
Dr. Anne Anne Fernandez is quoted in this MLive Media Group article
Fatal Drug Overdoses Among U.S. Seniors Have Tripled Since 2000
Dr. Anne Fernandez discusses the increases in overdoses among older adults and the role of alcohol as a major contributor to overdose deaths.
Smoking & Drinking Means Higher Surgery Risks, but Health Coaching Before Surgery Could Help
Those who both smoke cigarettes and have multiple alcoholic drinks a day face worse surgical outcomes – but talking about risks before surgery could help.
Credentials
- 2013-2016 Brown University, Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Postdoctoral Fellow
- 2012-2013: Yale School of Medicine, Dept of Psychiatry, Predoctoral Fellow
- 2007-2013: University of Rhode Island, Dept of Psychology, Clinical Psychology Graduate Student
- 1999-2003: University of Washington, B.S. Psychology
Grants
Precision Prevention of New Persistent Opioid Use Following Surgery: A machine learning-based treatment approach
Alcohol Screening and Pre-Operative Intervention Research (ASPIRE) Study