Short Biography
Laura A. Payne, PhD, is a clinical psychologist, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School, and Director of the Clinical and Translational Pain Research Lab at McLean Hospital. Dr. Payne’s program of research is focused on advancing the mechanistic understanding of pain, with an emphasis on identifying neurobiological, behavioral, hormonal, and psychological biomarkers that confer risk for the development and persistence of chronic pain. Her work centers particularly on menstrual pain in adolescents, where she investigates early-life risk factors for the transition from recurrent to chronic pain, including variability in non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug response.
Dr. Payne’s research also extends to examining reproductive health factors, including the impact of the COVID-19 vaccine on menstrual function in adolescent populations, and to the development and testing of novel, mechanism-based interventions targeting pain. In parallel, she is leading efforts to develop predictive models of pain trajectories, including persistence and recovery, in adult women with vulvodynia, a prevalent yet poorly understood chronic pain condition lacking well-established pathophysiology and effective treatments.
Clinically, Dr. Payne specializes in the treatment of chronic pain and medically unexplained physical symptoms using evidence-based, neuroplasticity-informed approaches. She provides outpatient care incorporating interventions such as Pain Reprocessing Therapy and Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy, with particular expertise in pelvic and gynecologic pain in women.