Department of Medicine
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Division of General Internal Medicine

Faculty Profiles
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photo Karlyn A. Edwards, PhD

General Internal Medicine

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Email: kae132@pitt.edu
Contact
Office: 230 McKee Place
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
 
E-mail: kae132@pitt.edu
Administrative Assistant:
Heather Saylor
Email: HMS122@pitt.edu
Phone: 412-496-9083
Education and Training
Education
BA, Psychology, University of Puget Sound, 2014
PhD, Clinical Psychology with Quantitative Psychology Emphasis, University of New Mexico, 2021
Training
Pre-Doctoral Internship, Clinical Psychology, VA Puget Sound, Seattle Division, 2021
Post-Doctoral Scholar, Pain Psychology, Stanford University, 2023
Research Interest
Dr. Edwards' research spans four areas of inquiry: 1) the effective delivery and mechanisms of behavioral treatments for chronic pain, 2) characterizing patterns of substance misuse and functioning, 3) psychosocial processes that contribute to substance misuse, and 4) the prevalence, impact, and treatment of chronic pain among those with opioid misuse.

Currently, she is focused on developing brief behavioral interventions to improve pain and stigma among people with opioid use disorder (OUD) and chronic pain to improve engagement and retention in medication treatment for OUD (MOUD). Additionally, as a part of this work, she is also interested in characterizing patient experiences of stigma and other barriers to engaging in MOUD treatment.
Clinical Interest
Dr. Edwards has expertise in delivering psychological interventions for chronic pain and substance use in individual and group formats across a wide range of inpatient and outpatient medical settings. She is also trained in psychological interventions for trauma, anxiety, and insomnia. She uses the following treatment modalities regularly within her practice:
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Mindfulness Based Relapse Prevention
- Self-compassion
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Empowered Relief
- Exposure and Response Prevention
- Unified Protocol
- Prolonged Exposure
- Cognitive Processing Therapy
Educational Interest
Dr. Edwards is passionate about providing education to a wide range of audiences about the value, impact, and implementation of psychological interventions for chronic pain into medical settings. She is also passionate about providing education and training to medical residents and healthcare practitioners on how to leverage psychological factors to improve patient engagement and retention in treatment across a wide range of healthcare settings.
Publications
For my complete bibliography, Click Here.
Selected Publications:
Edwards, K. A., Pielech, M., Hickman, J., Ashworth, J., Sowden, G., Vowles, K. E. The relation of self-compassion to functioning among adults with chronic pain. European Journal of Pain. 2019; 23(8): 1538-1547.
Vowles, K. E., Witkiewitz, K., Cusack, K. J., Gilliam, W. P., Cardon, K. E., Bowen, S., Edwards, K. A., McEntee, M. L., Bailey, R. W. Integrated behavioral treatment for veterans with co-morbid chronic pain and hazardous opioid use: A randomized controlled pilot trial. Journal of Pain. 2020; 21(7-8): 798-807.
Edwards, K.A., Vowles, K. E., McHugh, R. K., Venner, K. L., Witkiewitz, K. Changes in pain during buprenorphine maintenance treatment among patients with opioid use disorder and chronic pain. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 2022; 90(4): 314-325.
Turner, A. P., Edwards, K. A., Jensen, M. P., Ehde, D. M., Day, M. A., Williams, R. M. Effects of hypnosis, mindfulness meditation, and education for chronic pain on substance use in veterans: A supplementary analysis of a randomized clinical trial. Rehabilitation Psychology. 2023; 68(3): 261-270.
Notable Achievements
Best Trainee Abstract, Society of Behavioral Medicine, 2018
Certificate of Excellence for Outstanding Community Service, University of New Mexico, 2018
Graduate Student Success Scholarship, Graduate Studies, University of New Mexico, 2020
Frances Everett Letchworth Scholarship, University of New Mexico, 2020

Division Websites

Cardiology

Endocrinology and Metabolism

Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition

General Internal Medicine

Geriatric Medicine
Hematology/Oncology

Infectious Diseases

Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine

Renal-Electrolyte

Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology

Contact

Department of Medicine
1218 Scaife Hall
3550 Terrace Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15261
Email:  chairoff@pitt.edu
Phone:  412-648-9636
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