Allison Smith

Dr. Smith's early academic and clinical experiences and academic path led her to pediatric psychology organically. She began her formal education in psychology at the University of Scranton, where psychology's blend of science and practice appealed to her intellectual curiosity and desire to facilitate health and well-being in the lives of young people. She earned her doctorate in clinical psychology at the University of Rhode Island, with a focus in child, family, and development psychology. During her graduate education, she pursued clinical training experiences in childhood anxiety and in pediatric health psychology at Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence, RI, followed by her pre-doctoral residency in Pediatric Psychology at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. She completed her post-doctoral fellowship training at Boston Children's Hospital. These experiences, in addition to her previous position at the Mayo Family Pediatric Pain Rehabilitation Center (PPRC), have prepared her well for her current role in the Pediatric Headache Program.

Selected Publications

1. Smith AM, Flannery-Schroeder EC. Childhood emotional maltreatment & somatic complaints: The mediating role of alexithymia. J Child Adolesc Trauma. 2013; 6(3):157-172.
2. Smith AM, Flannery-Schroeder EC, Gorman K, Cook N. Parent cognitive-behavioral intervention for the treatment of childhood anxiety disorders: A pilot study. Behav Res Ther. 2014 Oct; 61:156-161.
3. Smith AM, Sieberg CB, Odell S, Randall E, Simons LE. Living Life With My Child's Pain: The Parent Pain Acceptance Questionnaire (PPAQ). Clin J Pain. 2015 Jul; 31(7):633-41. PMID: 25119514
4. Simons LE, Smith AM, Ibagon C, Coakley R, Logan DE, Schechter N, Borsook D, Hill JC. Pediatric Pain Screening Tool: Rapid identification of risk in youth with pain complaints. Pain. 2015; 156(8):1511-1518.
5. Simons LE, Vlaeyen J, Declercq L, Smith AM, Beebe J, Hogan M, Li E, Kronman C, Mahmud F, Corey J, Sieberg CB, Ploski C. Avoid or engage? Outcomes of graded exposure in youth with chronic pain using a sequential replicated single-case randomized design. Pain. 2020 Mar; 161(3):520-531.
6. Smith AM, Logan DE. Promoting readiness and engagement in pain rehabilitation for youth and families: Developing a pediatric telehealth motivational interviewing protocol. Paediatr Neonatal Pain. 2022 Sep; 4(3):125-135. PMID: 36188162
7. Smith AM, Silvia MN, Rogan H, Lebel AA. The Photo- and Phonosensitivity Avoidance Behavior Scales: Evaluating Clinical Utility in Pediatric Primary Chronic Headache. Children. 2024. PMID: 39594913
8. Burns M, Donado C, Smith AM, Nelson S. Pain-related and psychosocial functioning in gender-diverse youth with chronic pain before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Clin Med Settings. 2025: 1-11. PMID: 40064817
9. Smith AM, Rogan H, Logan DE. Evaluating PREPaRe (Promoting Readiness and Engagement in Pain Rehabilitation): A Randomized Controlled Trial of Motivational Interviewing for Youth and Families with Chronic Pain. ClinJ Pain. 2025; Published online ahead of print. PMID: 40851376
10. Smith AM, Silvia MN, Farr G, Rogan H. Expanding the Lens: Recent Developments at the Intersection of Pediatric Chronic Pain and Gender Diversity. Current Pain & Headache Reports. 2025. In Press.