Amy Wachholtz

Amy Wachholtz, Ph.D., MDiv, MSCP is an Associate Professor at the University of Colorado Denver and Director of both the Clinical Health Psychology Program and the MS in Clinical Psychopharmacology Program. She holds appointments in the Department of Psychology within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

• B.A. (Psychology) - DePauw University
• M.Div. (Theology) - Boston University
• Graduate Certificate (Bioethics) - Boston Theological Institute
• M.A. and Ph.D. (Clinical Psychology) - Bowling Green State University
• Clinical Psychology Internship - Duke University Medical Center
• Medical Psychology Fellowship - Duke University Medical Center
• M.S. (Psychopharmacology) - Fairleigh Dickenson University
• Psychopharmacology Fellowship - University of Massachusetts Medical Center

Amy's research focuses on the bio-psycho-social-spiritual model of chronic pain disorders, with dual emphasis on comorbid pain and opioid addiction in acute and chronic settings, and the integration of psychopharmacology in treating pain-sleep-mental health interdependencies. Her translational work bridges human psycho-physiological assessments with empirically validated treatments, including NIH-funded studies on comorbid pain/opioid addiction and grants for multidimensional pain management in advanced cancer patients, healthcare worker burnout reduction, and cross-cultural health concepts.

She has co-authored over 60 peer-reviewed publications spanning pain management (e.g., migraine frequency, attentional processing), opioid addiction mechanisms, meditation-based interventions, and psychosocial oncology. Her book chapters in Deer's Treatment of Pain and Handbook of Spirituality, Religion & Health earned Gold and Silver Book Medals (2019). Wachholtz contributes to NIH PDQ Cancer Information Summaries as a major author on pain, spirituality, and palliative care topics.

• NIH Funding for Comorbid Pain/Opioid Addiction
• Gold Medal (2019) - Living Now Book Awards
• Silver Medal (2019) - Nautilus Book Awards
• Cross-Cultural Health Policy Grants
• Pain-Management Innovation Grants

A dedicated educator, she teaches Advanced Psychopathology, Health Psychology, and Clinical Psychopharmacology courses. Her published syllabi demonstrate evidence-based pedagogy integrating interdisciplinary research. She leads the Clinical Health Psychology Lab and mentors trainees in translational research methodologies.