Assistant Professor of Psychiatry Jaclyn “Jackie” Kearns, PhD, a psychologist and researcher at the Behavioral Science Division of the National Center for PTSD at VA Boston Healthcare System (VABHS), has been selected for the Career Development Institute for Psychiatry program (CDI).

Through a comprehensive program, the CDI equips promising early-career psychiatrists and PhD researchers with the skills and guidance necessary to thrive. Acceptance into the program is very competitive.

Kearns received her PhD from the University of Rochester and completed her APA/PCSAS-accredited internship at VABHS, with rotations in general mental health, trauma and addictions recovery, and cognitive processing therapy. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Behavioral Science Division of the National Center for PTSD at VABHS, focusing on the intersection of trauma and suicide, integrating predictive analytics with clinical judgement for suicide prevention, and clinical trials with trauma-exposed active-duty military personnel and veterans psychiatrically hospitalized for suicide.

Kearns’ research focuses on the study and prevention of suicide, the co-occurrence of trauma and suicide, and intervention personalization and development through clinical trials. Her work emphasizes precision approaches to suicide prevention to personalize and improve clinical care for veterans. Her primary areas of clinical expertise include evidence-based treatments for PTSD, emotional disorders (e.g., OCD, anxiety, depression), and working with individuals at high-risk for suicide (e.g., psychiatrically hospitalized). She treats patients in the PTSD Clinic at VABHS.