Clinical and Education Director
Nia Project
Assistant Professor
Emory Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Biography
She/Her/Hers
Sarah Dunn, PhD, ABPP, completed her undergraduate degree in psychology at Georgia State University (GSU) and graduated with research honors. She subsequently entered the doctoral program in clinical psychology also at GSU, graduating in 2008 after completing her dissertation using Nia Project data examining moderated meditators of child maltreatment on the presence of PTSD symptomatology in adulthood. During her graduate school years she worked as an assessment clinician at the GSU-based Regents Center for Learning Disorders as an assessment clinician and peer supervisor, as well as a therapist at the GSU Psychology Clinic. She also taught a number of undergraduate and graduate classes in Introductory and Abnormal Psychology and Methods. Additionally she completed a verity of practicum placements and externships including through the Nia Project and the Grady Trauma Project and she was the Project coordinator for the Grady BRIEF study. She also assisted with data collection by interviewing individuals incarcerated in the juvenile justice system and worked at the Georgia Center for Children where she also collected data for and completed her Master’s thesis on childhood sexual abuse and appropriate interviewing methods. Dr. Dunn completed her doctoral internship and postdoctoral residency at Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences based at Grady Health System. During this two year period she spent a large portion of her time working in the Grady medical emergency room (ER) and developed a program for placing psychiatry in the ER in order to maximize appropriate assessment, treatment and disposition planning of patients. This program laid the foundation for a new model of having a whole psychiatric team and separate psychiatric ER within the medical ER in 2013. For this achievement Dr. Dunn received the Innovative Program Development Award.
Following the completion of her postdoctoral residency, Dr. Dunn accepted an adjunct faculty appointment at Emory University School of Medicine and stayed connected with the Nia Project serving as a supervisor for interns and postdoctoral residents. She also worked as an in-patient staff psychologist at Georgia Regional Hospital and later served as the assessment clinician for the Georgia Tech Counseling Center and Athletic Program. Dr. Dunn returned to Emory/Grady full-time in 2012; she was appointed as the Nia Project Clinical Director and returned to working in the Grady ER completing psychiatric evaluations and risk assessment for psychiatric patients. More recently, she was appointed as an Assistant Professor, as the Clinical and Education Director of the Nia Project, and as Director of Psychological Assessment at Grady’s Adult Outpatient Program. She also completes forensic evaluations and testifies as an expert witness on a contract basis, most recently working alongside the Federal Defender’s Office.
Dr. Dunn has been at Grady Hospital and with the Nia Project for 16 years. An APA member, she completed board certification in Clinical Psychology in 2013 and currently serves as both a board certification examiner and an applicant mentor for the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). She has several publications including on the Nia Project and psychologists in patient-centered medical homes and recently published a case report of a young woman who was rescued after being held by cult affiliated individuals for four years. Dr. Dunn has a number of areas of expertise including crisis management, risk assessment and emergency room psychology; the assessment and treatment of suicidal persons, individuals with serious and persistent mental illness and personality disorders and individuals exposed to family violence; forensic evaluations; psychological assessment; and clinical supervision.