Areti Vassilopoulos, PhD
Biography
Research & Publications
Patient Care
News
Locations
Appointments
Biography
Dr. Areti Vassilopoulos is a Pediatric Health Psychologist and Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics & Child Psychology at Yale School of Medicine. Following her PhD, she completed her doctoral internship specializing in Pediatric Psychology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine & Kennedy Krieger Institute, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship within the Psychiatry Consultation Service and Pediatric Transplant Service at Boston Children's Hospital & Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Vassilopoulos is fully embedded within Pediatric Neurology to provide integrated behavioral health care and pediatric health psychology follow-up services. She works with children, teens, and young adults with a variety of conditions, including chronic pain, headaches/migraines, functional neurological symptom disorder (FNSD), muscular dystrophy, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and related sleep concerns. Dr. Vassilopoulos is the site director for Comfort Ability Program in partnership with Boston Children's Hospital, which is an internationally disseminated workshop for pediatric pain and functional symptom management.
Dr. Vassilopoulos is involved in training Yale Child Study Center fellows within the Pediatric Psychology track. She leads the an advanced pediatric psychology externship, that accepts one student a year in pediatric neurology. She also works closely with residents in Pediatric Neurology, and provides lectures in comprehensive pediatric pain management for the Medical Clerkship series through Yale School of Medicine.
With regards to research, Dr. Vassilopoulos focuses on quality improvement initiatives, outcomes of clinical interventions, and the relationship between health and behavior pediatric medical ambulatory clinics. Her current ongoing research includes headache, sleep disruption, chronic pain, FNSD/FND, transition from pediatric to adult medical care, and pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis. She is currently co-investigator on the first and only NIH-Funded study for treatment of pediatric FNSD.
Dr. Vassilopoulos values community outreach. She often collaborates with non-profit organizations, such as the Muscular Dystrophy Association and CanDo Multiple Sclerosis, for community presentations and online workshops.
Education & Training
- Postdoctoral FellowBoston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School
- PhDNova Southeastern University, Clinical Psychology
- Doctoral InternKennedy Krieger Institute/Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
- MSNova Southeastern University, Clinical Psychology
Activities
- Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder 101: Empowering providers and uplifting patient voicesWashington, DC, United States 2023American Psychological Association Convention
- Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder: What is it and how do we treat it in youth?New Haven, CT, United States 2023Connecticut Psychological Association Seminar
- Muscular Dystrophy & Mental HealthPrinceton, NJ, United States 2023MDA Engage Symposium
Professional Service
Organization | Role | Date |
---|---|---|
Society of Pediatric Psychology, Rehabilitation Medicine | Co-Chair for the Clinical Sub-Committee of the Rehabilitation Medicine Special Interest Group of the American Psychological Association's Division 54 (Society of Pediatric Psychology) https://pedpsych.org/sigs/rehabilitation-medicine/ | 2023 - 2025 |
New York Family | Expert interviewee for public article: https://www.newyorkfamily.com/acupuncture-experts-what-parents-should-know/ | 2023 - Present |
Society of Pediatric Psychology, Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder | Co-Chair for the Clinical Sub-Committee of the Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder Special Interest Group of the American Psychological Association's Division 54 (Society of Pediatric Psychology) | 2022 - 2024 |
Epilepsy & Behavior Reports | Reviewer | 2021 - Present |
American Psychological Association | Member | 2020 - Present |
Society of Pediatric Psychology | Member | 2016 - Present |
Departments & Organizations
- Child Study Center
- The Comfort Ability Program
- Yale Medicine
- Yale Pediatric Neuromuscular Program