Laura Payne, PhD
Director of the Clinical and Translational Pain Research Laboratory at McLean Hospital
Laura Payne, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and the Director of the Clinical and Translational Pain Research Program at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School. Her research focuses on identifying neurobiological, behavioral, and psychological biomarkers related to menstrual pain. Specifically, she is interested in identifying the factors that are associated with the transition from recurrent to chronic pain in girls and women. Her work also extends to developing and evaluating novel treatments for menstrual pain, such as cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) and nutraceutical supplements.
Dr. Payne has been awarded numerous grants from the National Institutes of Health, including a career development grant to examine central pain mechanisms in adolescents and young adults with menstrual pain, and most recently a large research grant for identifying behavioral and neural phenotypes of menstrual pain in adolescent girls. She is actively involved in professional organizations, such as the International Pelvic Pain Society and the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive therapies, and she serves on several academic journal editorial boards.