Nisha Nayak, Ph.D.

Dr. Nayak earned a B.A. in Sociology from Rice University and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Houston. Areas of expertise include the integration of behavioral health and medical care, anxiety and traumatic stress, and LGBTQ+ affirming care. Her training in health psychology includes a predoctoral fellowship in cancer prevention at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and a psychology internship at Geisinger Medical Center in the combined Adult Psychology & Behavioral Medicine track. Dr. Nayak obtained specialized training in evidence-based treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and other anxiety disorders during her postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, an internationally renowned center dedicated to developing and testing state-of-the-art therapies in these conditions. For over fifteen years, she applied the above background within the Veterans Health Administration, the largest integrated healthcare system in the U.S. At the Crescenz VA Medical Center in Philadelphia, she provided evidence-based behavioral health services within primary care clinics. She frequently worked with Veterans who had survived not only combat but also many other types of trauma. She subsequently provided oversight of integrated behavioral health programs at VA health care systems throughout Pennsylvania, Delaware, and southern New Jersey, serving 250,000 patients. Finally, Dr. Nayak has demonstrated commitment to LGBTQ+ affirming care through both clinical and program development activities.