Kristen J. Alston, PhD

Specialties: Family Medicine, Health Psychology

Gender: Female

Biography: Kristen J. Alston, Ph.D. is a Clinical Health Psychologist, the Assistant Dean for Society and Medicine at the UMMC School of Medicine, and a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at UMMC. In her clinical role, she works collaboratively with residents, physicians, and other healthcare providers as a part of an integrated care team providing behavioral health clinical services to patients with comorbid behavioral concerns and acute/chronic health conditions. In her administrative role, she works to help guide the creation of a learning environment that facilitates the training of skilled and compassionate physicians to provide the highest quality of healthcare to all patients. She earned her B.S in psychology from Howard University and her M.A. in Clinical Psychology and Ph.D. in Clinical Health Psychology from East Carolina University. She completed internship training at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, M.I., and fellowship training at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. In addition to her clinical interests, which include primary care health psychology and working as a part of an integrated health care team, Dr. Alston’s teaching interests include physician wellness, assessment and management of behavioral health concerns in a primary care setting, and patient/provider communication skills. Her research interests include examining treatment adherence and the management of behavioral and acute/chronic health conditions. Dr. Alston also has interest in mental health advocacy as it relates to eradicating mental health stigma. In 2020, Dr. Alston served as the first African American President of the Mississippi Psychological Association.