Lauren D. Vazquez, PhD

 

Dr. Lauren Vazquez earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Florida in 2009. She completed a post-doctoral residency in the Department of Behavioral Medicine at Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. Her doctoral training was focused on the practice of health psychology across a variety of populations, including patients with cardiovascular diseases, transplants, chronic pain, obesity, diabetes, cancer, infertility, and other general medical conditions.

Dr. Vazquez has been involved in a variety of research and has authored over 30 research manuscripts, abstracts, and book chapters spanning topics such as women's health, quality of life, psychosocial functioning, anxiety management, and body image concern. She was the recipient of a National Institutes of Health research fellowship to fund her research on female cardiovascular patients. She is currently affiliated with the American Psychological Association, Southeastern Psychological Association, and the Louisiana Psychological Association.

Dr. Vazquez is the program director of the Behavioral Medicine Unit in the Department of Psychiatry, providing group psychological services to partial hospitalization patients. She also provides outpatient and inpatient mental health services to a variety of medical patients. Her practice is focused on utilizing cognitive behavioral strategies for helping patients gain insight and make changes with regards to how their medical conditions affect their physical and emotional functioning. Dr. Vazquez also works closely with our Bariatric Surgery Department, providing psychological assessment and therapy services to patients preparing for bariatric surgery.