Dr. Tess Smith-Thomas, PhD, is a licensed pediatric psychologist and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the College of Medicine at the University of Kentucky and Golisano Children's at UK. . She provides clinical care to children and families experiencing difficulties adjusting to an injury or illness. Dr. Smith-Thomas is also committed to conducting applied, clinically relevant research alongside and related to her clinical work. Broadly, her research focuses on improving psychological outcomes and reducing medical traumatic stress for children by 1) developing refined screening approaches to better identify at-risk children, 2) reducing disparities through equitable dissemination of resources, and 3) increasing treatment efficacy by developing tailored interventions. Dr. Smith-Thomas also collaborates with the Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress to implement trauma-informed care throughout the medical setting.