Overview

Melissa Pielech, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the departments of Psychiatry and Human Behavior and Behavioral and Social Sciences.  As a clinical researcher and pediatric psychologist, she works to improve the lives of youth using substances and/or experiencing pain by increasing access to evidence-based treatment for pain and substance use in pediatric integrated care settings. In this pursuit, she is deeply committed to building a multidisciplinary, collaborative program of research guided by the needs of patients, families, providers, and clinics.

Dr. Pielech received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of New Mexico and completed her clinical residency at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University in the Pediatric Psychology track. Next, she completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in the Center for Alcohol and Addictions Studies at Brown University’s School of Public Health, funded by an F32 fellowship from the National Institutes on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Prior to doctoral work, she earned a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Expressive Arts Therapy from Lesley University.

Building on ten years of clinical and research endeavors with pediatric patients with chronic pain, Dr. Pielech has developed unique, cross-cutting expertise in the etiology, co-occurrence, and treatment of pain and substance use behaviors in adolescents and young adults. Her National Institutes of Health funded program of research focuses on:

1) understanding relations between pain and substance use behaviors in youth using innovative methodologies (i.e. qualitative, ecological momentary assessment),

2) patient-centered development and evaluation of interventions co-addressing pain and substance use

3) addressing barriers to family involvement in youth opioid and substance use disorder treatment using implementation science

4) promoting safe and effective prescription opioid use for youth experiencing pain

5) increasing integration of substance use screening and treatment in pediatric integrated care settings via provider training

Across research programs, she utilizes patient and family engagement in research approaches in order to center the experiences of individuals with lived experiences in research design, execution, and dissemination. This includes having patient and family partners as part of her research team and involved in intervention development.

Dr. Pielech is also licensed clinical psychologist. She provides clinical services to youth with persistent pain and somatic symptoms as part of the Children’s Rehabilitation Services multidisciplinary team (OT, PT, SLP) at Hasbro Children's Hospital. She serves as a Research Mentor and Clinical Supervisor for pediatric psychology residents in the Clinical Psychology Training Program at Brown University. 

Brown Affiliations

• Behavioral and Social Sciences
• Psychiatry and Human Behavior