James Gerhart, PhD

James Gerhart, Ph.D. conducts evaluation and treatment of stress and trauma in patients with cancer and chronic pain. He has a special interest in understanding how anger and traumatic stress is understood, expressed and managed between patients and their medical providers. Dr. Gerhart conducts research on how stress exacerbates pain and influences patients’ preferences for medical care. In addition to working with patients directly, he teaches communication to students and studies how mindfulness and stress management can improve communication skills and resilience among medical providers. He completed his doctoral degree at Central Michigan University, and his residency at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center. He completed a two year postdoctoral fellowship at Rush University Medical Center with an emphasis on traumatic stress and health psychology. He joined the Rush faculty in 2013.